51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Expression of Interest

As part of the Learning and Teaching Strategy funding, we are pleased to invite Expressions of Interest for a fully funded PhD in Education Research (full-time or part-time), commencing in the 2026/27 academic year. 

The studentship will support one doctoral candidate to undertake a project in the field of educational research. Funding will cover home tuition fees and a stipend for up to four years’ full-time equivalent study (pro rata for part-time). 

Focus of the Call: 

We welcome rigorous, theoretically informed and methodologically robust doctoral projects that investigate learning and teaching at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, with a particular focus on practical based teaching and learning which could include lab-based, workshops, clinical skills, fieldwork or other practical teaching. This priority aligns with 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s aim to ensure excellent campus-based practical teaching remains a key component of the University’s unique educational offer.  

Projects may focus on practical teaching and learning in depth or span related themes, for example, where practical teaching intersects with digital tools, AI, sustainability, assessment, or inclusion. We particularly encourage collaborative and/or discipline-based pedagogic research that extends the evidence base in areas such as: 

• Pedagogy and educational delivery in practical  contexts 
  e.g. curriculum design for lab teaching, structuring of lab/clinical/fieldwork courses and their practical activities, authentic and research-based experiences, simulation and remote labs, learning environments and resourcing, disciplinary laboratory teaching practices.
• Research into the student and staff experience of practical teaching 
  e.g. engagement, confidence and identity as experimental scientists/engineers/clinicians, belonging and inclusion in practical spaces, wellbeing and workload, professional learning and conduct, and development for GTAs, technicians and academic staff involved in practical teaching.

Supervisors are expected to engage with CHERS to ensure that projects are theoretically robust, methodologically rigorous, and situated within relevant scholarships in higher and disciplinary education. 

How to apply: 

Prospective supervisors are invited to submit a project proposal using the by 5pm 29th May 2026 to education.office@imperial.ac.uk

Download our Educational Research PhD EOI Briefing Call Academic Year 2627 to plan and draft your EOI ready for final submission via the Microsoft Form.

Decisions will be shared with the successful candidate in early July 2026.