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 Marketa Tomkova 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.
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
Our 4-year studentships provide the opportunity for exceptional students to undertake a PhD in the University of Oxford Clinical Medicine programme within a laboratory at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Oxford. We offer fully funded 4-year PhD scholarships available at both home and international fee rates, with a tax-free stipend of £21,000 pa commencing October 2025.
The following projects are currently available:
“Early detection of cancer from cell-free DNA” Professor Benjamin Schuster-Boeckler
“Understanding the causes of somatic mosaicism” Professor Benjamin Schuster-Boeckler
“Detecting epitranscriptomic signatures in circulating cell-free RNA for early cancer detection” Professor Chunxiao Song
“Investigating the role of electrophysiological chemosensitivity in oncogenesis” Dr Tom Keeley, Professor Tammie Bishop & Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe
“Combating Cancer in a Challenging Environment – The Malignant Bone Marrow Niche” Professor Bethan Psaila, Professor Adam Mead & Dr Yuqi Shen
“Signaling cross talks between cancer cells and infiltrating tumour monocytes and T cells” Professor Xin Lu & Professor Julian Knight
“Exploring combinations of cancer vaccines with chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors” Professor Benoit Van den Eynde
“Investigating Epigenetic and Epitranscriptomic regulation in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)” Professor Yang Shi & Professor Stefan Constantinescu
"On-therapy monitoring of oesophageal cancer and recurrence detection: the Blood-based LIquid Sequencing Study (BLISS)" Dr Richard Owen & Professor Benjamin Schuster-Boeckler
Before making an application please see the University of Oxford Clinical Medicine DPhil page for entry requirements.
Only applications made by the University of Oxford application system for a DPhil in Clinical Medicine will be considered. You may apply for a maximum of two Ludwig projects. Under proposed field and title of research project please enter the project titles in the order of preference. You do not need to provide a research proposal but must include a personal statement.
Applications must be submitted by 8th April 2025
Please ensure referees are willing to write and submit your reference by the deadline.
Applications must be made via the University of Oxford Admissions system.
Interviews will take place in May 2025.
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 are now closed - please check back in later in the year for more updates.
NDM prize studentship competition
This competition annually funds outstanding candidates of any nationality, providing course fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £20,000. For information on how to make an application please visit the NDM website.
Applications for the NDM prize studentship are now closed - please check back in later in the year for more updates.
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.
Further information
For detailed guides and advice on University courses and how to apply, visit the University of Oxford graduate admissions guide.
