The standard route of our PhD programme is full time (4 years). In exceptional cases Postgraduate research may also be done on a part time basis (6-8 years).

Milestones

Your progress will be monitored through a series of annual progression points called PhD Milestones, and you will be required to present your research each year. This is to ensure you are making sufficient progress, as well as an opportunity for valuable feedback. You must pass each PhD milestone to continue your registration.

Research Plan Confirmation (RPC) Early Stage Assessment (ESA) Late Stage Review (LSR) Year 3 Progress Review Thesis Submission
  • Month 3
  • A short research plan, summarising the problem set, and a proposed plan to work on it.
  • Month 12 (24 for part-time)
  • A report summarising the first year’s work, and an oral examination to assess this.
  • Month 24 (48 for part-time)
  • A report describing progress so far, and a work plan for completing the thesis. Assessed with an oral examination.
  • Month 36
  • Year 3 Progress Review.
  • Month 48

Compulsory Courses

  • The Graduate School courses: The College requires all doctoral students to achieve a minimum of four Graduate School credits by LSR date. 
  • The department requires that in the first two years of their PhD students participate in 100 hours of postgraduate courses/activities in their research topic and related areas to broaden their knowledge. These activities can be postgraduate lectures, workshops, seminars, or conferences.

Academic Conferences

You are encouraged to participate in conferences and workshops to engage with research field. You will have access to funding (Research Training Support Grant) to allow you to attend and present your work to the wider academic community.

Student Support and Welfare

We understand the challenges that come with embarking on a PhD journey and have a dedicated team ready to provide all the support and guidance you need. As a PhD student at Imperial, you’ll have access to a Student Experience Team and a designated Student Wellbeing Adviser in the Department of Mathematics, who are committed to enriching your experience beyond academics. For any welfare concerns, you can also reach out to the Senior Postgraduate Welfare Tutor. Additionally, you can receive further support from external services such as counselling.

Contact Us

PhD enquiries:
 
Agnieszka Damasiewicz Niccolai

a.damasiewicz@imperial.ac.uk

 

Director of Postgraduate Research

Professor Martin Rasmussen

pgr.director@imperial.ac.uk