How to apply
Find your research opportunity
If you’re thinking about applying for a PhD, it’s a good idea to start exploring potential research areas and supervisors early. We encourage you to look for researchers whose work interests you and to get in touch with them informally before you apply.
The Sainsbury Laboratory is a lively and supportive place to do a PhD, with researchers from many different areas of plant and developmental biology working side by side. This means you’ll have opportunities to take a multidisciplinary approach to your research and gain new perspectives on scientific challenges.
Take some time to browse the profiles and research group pages of our SLCU Research Group Leaders to see if any align with your interests. If you find a potential supervisor, send them a short email introducing yourself. Let them know about your academic background, relevant experience, and what excites you about their research and working in their group.
Postgraduate application process
The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) is a research-only department. As a PhD student, you’ll be enrolled in one of the University of Cambridge’s teaching departments, but your day-to-day research will take place at SLCU with your supervisor based here.
Our postgraduate students enrol in one of the following departments:
- Department of Plant Sciences
- Department of Genetics
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
- Department of Biochemistry
- Department of Physics
To apply for a postgraduate research course (PhD or Masters) under a supervisor at the SLCU you will need to:
- Identify a potential supervisor (see the list of potential SLCU supervisors)
- Contact this supervisor to discuss possible projects.
- Discuss with your potential supervisor which Department to apply through (see list of Departments that most of our students are enrolled through at the bottom of this page).
- Check that you meet the prerequisites by checking course details on the central University of Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions Course Directory.
- Submit an online application via the Applicant Portal before the application deadline closes.
A step-by-step guide to the online application process is detailed on the University of Cambridge's Graduate Admissions site.
Teaching Departments to enrol through
Departments & Courses that most of our postgraduate research degree students are enrolled through:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP)