The Leverhulme Center for Life in the Universe and the University of Cambridge are committed to widening engagement among postgraduate students at the University of Cambridge. Research within the center aims to develop a deeper understanding of life, its origin, and its distribution in the universe by addressing four questions:

• What chemical pathways that gave rise to life are consistent with benign conditions for life in different planetary environments?
• How can we describe environments on Earth and other planets that could have served as the cradle of chemistry and prebiotic life?

What observing facilities and methods will allow investigation of extrasolar bodies, remote sensing of their atmospheres and search for signs of geological and biological evolution?

How can philosophical and mathematical concepts improve our understanding of what we mean by life, leading to new interdisciplinary collaborations and modes of scientific inquiry?

We have a fully funded PhD scholarship available for home students (UK) starting October 2026. This scholarship will cover fees and stipends for home students at UKRI+LCLU in the amount of £1000 per annum for 4 years and support for research costs will be provided.

Eligibility is reserved for applicants who meet at least one of the following criteria:

• They received free school meals at secondary school;
• Be the first generation in your family to study at the university level;
• You are a young carer under the age of 18 or you have/had caring responsibilities while at university (providing unpaid support to a family with a physical or mental health condition, or substance misuse);
• You have attended the university at undergraduate level from a caring background or as a foyer resident;
• Stay away from your parents/guardians;
• Obtaining/obtaining the maximum maintenance loan for university studies;
• Obtain refugee status.

To apply, go to the University of Cambridge postgraduate admissions portal and note in the Apply for Funding section that you are eligible for LCLU funding. The materials required for your application depend on the department of your primary PhD supervisor, details are available here: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/how-do-i-apply.

Application deadlines vary by department, so please check the appropriate deadline with the relevant PhD supervisor, as some departments have earlier deadlines, such as 2 December 2025. All applications must be submitted by 11:59pm GMT 7 January 2026.

The list of 2025 research proposals can be found here: https://www.lclu.cam.ac.uk/research-proposals-2025

The list of projects is not exhaustive, and applicants are encouraged to contact any of our moderators to submit their own project ideas.

If you would like to suggest a research topic of your own, you can also browse the list of moderators with research interests to find those that particularly interest you. (https://www.lclu.cam.ac.uk/supervisors). You should contact potential supervisors before applying, to explore your shared interests further, and to obtain additional advice and information.

Participating departments at the University of Cambridge are:

Cavendish Laboratory, Institute of Astronomy, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Department of Chemistry Youssef Hamed, Department of Biochemistry, Department of Earth Sciences, Department of Zoology, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Theology, and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

For any inquiries, please contact: admin@lclu.cam.ac.uk

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.