Apply to the SPHeRE PhD Programme

Scholar applications are now open.

There are three modes of application for entry to the SPHeRE Structured PhD Programme:

1. The first mode is for individual applicants who wish to enrol on the Programme as an alternatively funded Scholar (part-time or full-time (Applications are open for 2024)
2. The second mode is for individual applicants who wish to enrol on the Programme as a HRB SPHeRE Funded Scholar (full-time) (Applications are now closed for 2024)
3. The third mode is for individual applicants who wish to enrol on the Programme as a Self-Funded Scholar (part-time or full-time) (Applications are now closed for 2024

Funding Bodies (such as charities, philanthropic organisations or employers) or PIs/Supervisors that have funding for a Scholar or a tied bursary (either externally funded or tied to their own institutions) that can fund a Scholar for 4 years can also apply for inclusion of their candidate on the Programme.
No additional fees are payable to the SPHeRE Programme.
Please contact SPHeRE Programme Manager Katherine Walsh at katherinewalsh@rcsi.com for further information on enrolling a Scholar on the programme.

Mandatory in-person SPHeRE Programme Orientation will take place in person Wednesday 25^th-Friday 27^th September 2024 in RCSI and TCD.
Teaching takes place in person each week in year 1 and attendance is mandatory.

 

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1.  Individual applicants: Alternatively Funded Scholars

If you wish to apply as an Alternatively Funded Scholar (meaning you already have a source of funding from a workplace, institution etc.) for the 2024-2025 academic year please contact SPHeRE Programme Manager Katherine Walsh at katherinewalsh@rcsi.com

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis for candidates who are alternatively funded.

RCSI Converge Scholarships

Applications for RCSI School of Population Health Converge Scholarships are now open.

The new Converge: Centre for Chronic Disease and Population Health Research is the coordinating hub for three integrated streams of SFI-funded research:

• An epidemiology and disease burden stream that will develop a novel data ecosystem and execute a series of epidemiologic studies to prioritise the current emerging, and future health priorities in chronic disease and morbidity in Ireland and globally;
• A population implementation and effectiveness stream will develop and use new population registries and integrated data sources to quantify the impact of care and prevention in the real world, taking both an Irish and global perspective;
• A health impact and economic modelling platform will develop novel disease progression models and health impact models to prioritise intervention and risk stratification options.

Two PhD candidates will be recruited to carry out 4-year PhD projects to support the thematic research strands. All PhD candidates will be based in RCSI.

 See here for further guidance on applying for a Converge Scholarship

The closing date for Converge Scholarship applications is Friday 7th June.

Please contact Elaine Healy, Research Manager, School of Population Health, RCSI, at elainehealy@rcsi.com with any questions.

Apply for a Converge Scholarship

 

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2. Individual applicants: HRB SPHeRE Funded (full-time only)

Applications are now closed for SPHeRE funded Scholarships for September 2024.

The full-time 4 year structured PhD Programme includes:

• Annual stipend of €25,000, plus laptop computer, plus PhD fees
• 6 taught modules completed in the first year of the Programme
• A workshop programme which runs over four years
• 8-week specialist rotation in Irish health related agencies in the first year
• Placement with a prestigious overseas agency to further PhD project development in the second or third years

Six HRB SPHeRE Funded Scholarships are available each year. Applicants who wish to apply for a SPHeRE funded Scholarship must submit an application form and select their preferred project (or a maximum of 3 projects) from the 10 advertised projects.

Projects are linked to an institution, and so Scholars will be based at the institution to which the project is linked. It will not be possible for Scholars to move a project to their preferred institution

Interviews for SPHeRE Scholarships will take place on Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May 2024 via Zoom.
We will not be able to facilitate requests for alternative interview dates.

See here for further guidance on applying for a HRB SPHeRE Full-time Scholarship

 

Read more about the projects below

 

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3.  Individual applicants: Self-Funded Scholar (part-time or full-time)

Self-funded Scholar applications are now closed for September 2024.

Individual self-funded applicants, either full-time or part-time, who either do not apply for a HRB SPHeRE Scholarship, or are not successful in receiving one, but are deemed suitable for entry to the SPHeRE Programme may register at any of the nine institutions below where the relevant University registrations and fees are payable.

No additional  fees are payable to the SPHeRE Programme.

• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
• Trinity College Dublin,
• University College Cork (UCC)
• Dublin City University (DCU)
• The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (MU)
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
• University College Dublin (UCD)
• University of Galway
• University of Limerick (UL)

It is planned that interviews for self-funded applications will take place on Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May via Zoom.

 

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If you have any questions about the SPHeRE Programme or the application process
please contact sphereprogramme@gmail.com