Discover Funding Opportunities

Quantum Simulation of Out-of-Equilibrium Dynamics of Gauge Theories

This PhD project focuses on harnessing quantum simulators to explore lattice gauge theories, which are discrete counterparts of the gauge field theories underpinning the Standard Model. The research will design and analyse protocols that realise these models on Rydberg arrays or trapped-ion chains, and develop advanced numerical tools including tensor networks and exact diagonalisation to predict their real-time behaviour. Building on previous work on false-vacuum decay, the project will investigate metastability and bubble nucleation dynamics, examining how Gauss-law constraints and confining strings reshape the decay of false vacua. The research will also search for new forms of ergodicity breaking, extending the concept of quantum scars to settings with local gauge symmetries and exploring their impact on vacuum decay. Key questions include whether gauge constraints can stabilise scarred subspaces or fragment the Hilbert space in higher dimensions, and how scar-induced revivals interact with bubble formation and string breaking. By combining analytics, state-of-the-art simulations, and close interaction with experimental groups, this project will chart new territory where confinement, metastability and non-thermal dynamics meet.

Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Landscape Awards 2026/27

The University of Leeds is delighted to announce the availability of three fully-funded Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Landscape PhD studentships for entry in October 2026 across all relevant Schools in any Faculty. Applicants who are applying for a PhD in one of the 9 Schools in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (AHC) will also all be considered for two additional fully-funded AHC Faculty Scholarships. The awards provide full fees for three years and a maintenance grant for 3.5 years (£20,780 in Session 2025/26), with part-time awards pro-rata. This amount increases per annum in line with the Research Council UK rate. As a member of the AHRC-funded Doctoral Training Hub across the North of England, award-holders will be part of a multi-institutional cohort of PhD researchers, with extensive skills, leadership, and professional development opportunities including residential workshops, writing retreats, careers events, mentoring, and an annual conference. Applications are welcome for any school or department at the University where the research falls within the remit of the AHRC. These awards are open to all applicants, whether Home or International (including EU). Applicants must hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK Upper Second Class Honours degree, though the university welcomes applicants who have equivalent professional experience. While many applicants have or are working towards a postgraduate qualification such as a Master's degree, this is not a strict requirement. Applications will be assessed according to three main criteria: strength of the candidate, the quality of the proposed research project, and the fit to the existing research at the University of Leeds. PhD research at the University of Leeds is designed to prepare candidates for professional success both within and beyond academia. The university provides bespoke support for postgraduate researchers from underrepresented and minoritised groups through their PGR Plus programme.

Leeds Doctoral Scholarships 2026

The Leeds Doctoral Scholarships 2026 program offers up to 5 fully funded research scholarships for Home fee-rated students at the University of Leeds for Session 2026/27. The scholarships are available for study in any Faculty and support full-time or part-time research leading to a PhD degree. The fully funded research scholarship is available for 3.5 years for full-time study, pro-rata for part-time study. The award provides full academic fees and a maintenance grant (£20,780 in Session 2025/26) for full-time study, with part-time awards pro-rated. This amount increases annually in line with the UKRI rate. Full-time awards provide full fees for 3 years and a maintenance award for 3.5 years. The award is made for one year initially and is renewable for up to 2.5 years, subject to satisfactory academic progress. Applicants must hold a First Class Honours degree or equivalent, though candidates with a lower undergraduate mark may be considered if they have or are expected to receive a Distinction in a relevant Masters programme or can demonstrate relevant alternative experience. The scholarships are available for new postgraduate researchers who have not previously been awarded a PhD or are not currently registered on a PhD program. Selection is based on academic merit through a two-stage process involving School nomination and final selection by the University Scholarship Selection Panel. Successful applicants must take up the award by 1 October 2026 and live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of the scholarship. The scholarships are available for research degree study across seven faculties: Arts, Humanities and Cultures; Biological Sciences; Business; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Environment; Medicine and Health; and Social Sciences.

School of Education Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Education, Childhood or Youth 2026/27 (International)

One highly competitive scholarship is available in the School of Education for academic year 2026/27 and provides full fees with a tax-free maintenance allowance that matches UKRI rates. The award is open to full-time candidates who have been offered a place on a PhD degree at the School of Education. The School invites applications that connect to core research areas of inclusion, childhood and youth, language education, digital education, curriculum, pedagogy and policy. Particular interest areas include inclusion in higher education, creativity and play in education, assessment in higher education, performing arts for inclusion, maths education, cognitive theory and language teacher, learner motivation, child and pupil wellbeing and EMI (English as medium of instruction). The School of Education is an intellectually rich and stimulating environment for postgraduate research, recognising Education as a hub for many disciplinary perspectives with challenge-led, global, and transformative research with social justice at its core. All postgraduate researchers are members of one of the Research Centres, creating a hub of internationally leading research across interdisciplinary teams. The award covers tuition fees for three years and a maintenance grant at the standard UKRI rate for 3.5 years, subject to satisfactory progress.

School of Education Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Education, Childhood or Youth 2026/27 (UK)

The School of Education at the University of Leeds is offering one highly competitive scholarship for academic year 2025/26. This scholarship provides full fees with a tax-free maintenance allowance that matches UKRI rates (currently £20,780 in 2025/26) and rises annually in line with UKRI rates. The award is open to full-time and part-time candidates who have been offered a place on a PhD degree at the School of Education. The School of Education is an intellectually rich and stimulating environment for postgraduate research, recognising Education as a hub for many disciplinary perspectives, all contributing to challenge-led, global, and transformative research with social justice at its core. All postgraduate researchers are members of one of the Research Centres, creating a hub of internationally leading research across interdisciplinary teams in: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Policy; Digital Education; Language Education Research; and Inclusion, Childhood and Youth. Applications are invited that connect to the School's core research areas of inclusion, childhood and youth, language education, digital education, curriculum, pedagogy and policy. The scholarship particularly welcomes applications in the areas of: inclusion in higher education; creativity and play in education, assessment in higher education, performing arts for inclusion, maths education, cognitive theory and language teacher, learner motivation, child and pupil wellbeing and EMI (English as medium of instruction). Outstanding candidates without a Masters will be considered for an additional fully-funded year to complete one of the taught masters programmes.

Creative Bridges - Connecting Diversity and Sustainability for UK Screen Industries

Four Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Focal Awards are available in the School of Media and Communication for 2026/27 through the Creative Bridges doctoral training centre led by the University of Leeds and University of Warwick. This exciting opportunity allows students to pursue postgraduate research in a cutting-edge field that brings together the twin challenges of Diversity and Sustainability for the UK Screen industries (broadly defined as film, television, gaming and immersive media). Creative Bridges is an AHRC funded Doctoral Focal Award that will train PhD students in the latest knowledge, methods and skills for diversity and inclusion in the UK screen industries in ecologically safe ways. Students will be part of a cohort of PhD researchers who will bridge expertise from Media, Communication, Creative and Cultural Industries, Design, Performance, Immersive Technologies and Interdisciplinary Methodologies alongside industry partners. The training programme focuses on nurturing a new generation of researcher-practitioners to address current and future challenges for UK screen industries production and distribution, building co-supervision across UK regions to support diversity and sustainability R&D for the UK creative economy, and developing skills through experiential learning, creative and digital methods, practical experience, and communities of practice professional learning.