Two students having a discussion in front of a white board

Studying at Ludwig Oxford

Ludwig Cancer Research annually seeks to recruit exceptional students to join its 4 year DPhil (PhD) Programme. Students have the opportunity to contribute to our ground breaking research within a diverse and world-leading environment at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine (NDM), University of Oxford.

The Ludwig Oxford student community is thriving, comprising approximately 40 DPhil, Masters and visiting students. Students have the opportunity to participate in a rich programme of seminars with internal and world-class external speakers hosted by Ludwig Oxford, in addition to the wide range of seminars available within the University of Oxford. Monthly journal clubs organised by Parinaz Mehdipour are very well attended and give rise to many stimulating scientific discussions.

Graduate studies in the Nuffield Department of Medicine

Ludwig Oxford is based within the Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM). NDM at Oxford hosts one of the largest groups of biomedical researchers within any higher education institution, with graduate training in subjects as diverse as cancer biology, protein science, genetics, tropical medicine and many more. Learn more about graduate studies in NDM on the NDM graduate studies webpages.

Logo of the Nuffield Department of Medicine

View the full transcript for the NDM graduate studies video here

Entry requirements

Applicants are required to have achieved a first class or a strong upper second class undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. A masters degree is not required. For applicants for applicants from the USA the minimum requirement is a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0. To check the UK equivalent of Non British qualifications please visit the University of Oxford International Qualifications website.

Evidence of fluency in the English language will need to be provided for students for whom English is not their first language. Further information on language requirements can be found on the NDM website.

Funding & fees

To carry out a DPhil at Ludwig Cancer Research, students will need to secure funding for their University and College fees and living expenses through one of the following routes:

LUDWIG STUDENTSHIPS

The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research is currently advertising its fully funded four-year studentships available at both home and international fee rates, with a tax-free stipend of £21,000pa.

The following projects are available commencing October 2023:

“Developing neoantigen vaccines for haematological malignancies”. Supervisors: Prof Benoit Van den Eynde & Dr Carol Leung & Prof Stefan Constantinescu
“Epigenetic regulation of cancer cell stemness and differentiation”. Supervisors: Prof Yang Shi & Prof Colin Goding
“Epigenome-instructed pan-cancer investigation of non-coding cancer drivers.” Supervisors: Dr Marketa Tomkova & Professor Ian Tomlinson (stipend and home rates fees funded by the Ludwig Institute, international fees will require additional external funding)
“Find the carcinogen that causes oesophageal cancer”. Supervisors: Professor Benjamin Schuster-Boeckler & Dr Francesco Boccellato
“Uncovering the role of RNA modifications in cancer”. Supervisors: Dr Parinaz Mehdipour & Dr Chunxiao Song
“Understanding the interplay between infection and epigenetic regulations in cancer immunotherapy using single cell approaches”. Supervisors: Prof Xin Lu & Dr Richard Owen & Prof Skirmantas Kriaucionis

Please note that only applicants who have applied for a DPhil in Clinical Medicine via the University of Oxford admissions system will be shortlisted for interview.

Please quote the project ID and indicate the course code RD_CM1 in your application. Please use the project details above for your research proposal.

For queries concerning the research project please approach the supervisors directly, for any queries concerning the application process or other administrative matters please contact Alexandra Royer

Closing date for full applications 3^rd May 2023. Interviews to be held on Monday 22^nd May and Tuesday 30^th May.

DPhil in Cancer Science

This Cancer Research UK-funded programme is aimed at clinical trainees, medicine undergraduates and non-clinical researchers interested in cancer research projects. All places are fully funded at the home rate, including salary/stipend, University and College fees, and a research consumables budget. International candidates are eligible but will need to source funding to meet the remaining fees. For more information, see the Oxford Cancer website.

Applications for the DPhil in Cancer Science commencing in October 2023 have now closed. Check back here in Autumn 2023 for details of the next round of applications.

NDM prize studentship competition

This competition annually funds outstanding candidates of any nationality, providing course fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £18,000. For information on how to make an application please visit the NDM website.

Applications for NDM Prize Studentships commencing in October 2023 have now closed. Check back here in Autumn 2023 for details of the next round of applications.

External funding sources

Applicants can also explore external funding sources including A*Star, CSC and Rhodes Fellowships amongst others. It will be important for applicants to check the application deadlines for these funding sources and to contact group leaders directly to discuss possible project opportunities. Any applicant securing external funding will also need to apply to the University of Oxford via the usual admissions process. The University of Oxford and Medical Science Division websites provide information on external sources of funding.