GCNU-SWC Joint PhD Programme: Applications now open!

[I-Chun Lin]

Gatsby Unit and Sainsbury Wellcome Centre Joint PhD Programme

Deadline: 17:00 GMT, Monday 3 November 2025

The Gatsby Unit (GCNU) and Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour (SWC) have launched a 4-year joint PhD programme that aims to bridge the gap between theory and experiments. This PhD programme is designed to immerse students in both experimental and theoretical thinking, providing a rigorous preparation for an interdisciplinary research career. Courses in the first year provide a comprehensive introduction to systems neuroscience, theoretical/computational neuroscience, and machine learning. Students will be part of the broader trainee cohort across both centres, interacting and engaging in scientific discussion with both SWC and GCNU researchers with equal emphasis.

GCNU and SWC provide a unique opportunity for a critical mass of theoreticians and experimentalists to interact closely with one another and with researchers at the ELLIS Unit at UCL and related UCL departments/domains such as UCL Neuroscience Domain; Artificial Intelligence; Computer Science; Statistical Science; and the nearby Francis Crick and Alan Turing Institutes.

Applicants should have a strong analytical and mathematical background, a keen interest in neuroscience, and a relevant first degree (e.g., in Computer Science, Cognitive Psychology, Engineering, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Statistics).

Full funding is available regardless of nationality. We also welcome applicants who have secured or are seeking funding from other sources.

For programme details (including the key differences between the Gatsby Unit PhD programme, the SWC PhD programme, and the joint programme) and how to apply, see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/life-sciences/gatsby/study-and-work/gcnu-swc-joint-phd-programme.

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I-Chun Lin, PhD
Scientific Programme Manager
Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL