MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

MultiSci Application Form Guidance

Please read this guidance carefully and thoroughly before completing
your MultiSci application form. It will tell you how the application
process works, as well as what we want to know about you in your
application form and why. This may differ from what is asked when
applying for other PhD programmes.

Stages of the MultiSci application and selection process:

① MultiSci opens for applications You complete and submit your application via the
MyImperial admissions portal.

② Application review Applications meeting Imperial’s academic eligibility

criteria are reviewed by the MultiSci Leadership Team,
considering whether research interests match MultiSci’s
remit, and if an applicant’s academic/employment
journey so far indicates potential to complete a PhD.
Approx. 50% of applications progress to the next stage.

③ Application scoring 3 academics independently score each application,

evaluating motivation, as well as personal and
academic attributes needed to successfully undertake
a PhD. Approx. 15% of (total) applications progress to
the next stage.

④ Interviews Based on shortlisting scores, ~24 applicants are

invited to interview.

This guide focuses on the application process. Application is online, and you will need to
submit the following:
1. Completed application form via the online MyImperial admissions portal.
2. Relevant university transcripts. Some universities can take up to 28 days to issue
these, so please ensure you request them in time.
3. Contact details of two referees, who will be asked to submit their references directly
to us.

Key dates: Deadline for receipt of applications is 23:59 (UK Time) on 16th November 2023,
and it is expected that invitations to interview will be sent in late January 2024. Please note,
the last date for receipt of references in support of your application is 23rd November 2023
– you should make your referees aware of this when approaching them for support.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Statement

MultiSci aims for a fair, accessible recruitment and selection process that is free from bias
(conscious or unconscious) towards applicant gender, race, age, disability, or socio-
economic background. This aligns with UKRI and MRC policies and principles for equality,
diversity and inclusion, as well as Imperial College London’s EDI Strategy. To do this, and to
ensure that candidate selection is based on aptitude and potential for successfully
completing a PhD with MultiSci, we will:

• where possible, remove personal details (name, gender, age, race, disability
declaration) from your application before sending for review/scoring.
• where appropriate, give consideration to any socio-economic/widening participation
indicators you declare when assessing your application.

Why are we still asking for this data?

To monitor our recruitment and selection processes, we still need to collect EDI-related
data. You will be asked to provide it in the application form, but it will be anonymised
before analysis. We value a diverse student and research community and if we find the
MultiSci application process could be a potential barrier to this, we will take positive action
to try and change it.
Unless a question is indicated as mandatory, you can choose not to provide us with
requested information – your application will be treated the same way regardless of what
you decide to share with us.

Application Form Section Guidance

To access the application form:
• Log into the MyImperial admissions portal and click on “Make a new application”.
• In the search field, enter ‘Medical Research Council MultiSci Doctoral Training
Partnership Studentships’ and select.
• The next screen should display confirmation of the programme details as follows, and
you should select “Next” to continue:
- Programme: Medical Research Council MultiSci Doctoral Training Partnership
Studentships
- Academic level: PG Research
- Study mode: Full time*
- Academic term: Autumn 2024-2025

* While you may undertake your PhD part-time, the MRes year of MultiSci is a full-time
programme. If this would not be possible for you, we recommend you contact us to
discuss before submitting your application.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Information and guidance for each section of the form is below – please read this carefully,
noting the numbers may differ from those on the system. Responses are a mixture of free
text and selection from drop-down menus. Anonymised responses from all sections may be
used by the MultiSci team to monitor the recruitment process as per our EDI commitment.

Section 1: Proposed studies Section 5: Qualifications

Section 2: Personal details Section 6: References
Section 3: Professional experience Section 7: Marketing information
Section 4: Financial support Section 8: Supporting documents

Section 1: Proposed studies

Here, you will be asked to provide details about the programme you are applying to.
Information and guidance for each sub-section is provided in the following tables. This
section also contains a set of questions which constitutes your ‘Case for support – you will
not be asked to submit a separate personal statement. In answering these questions, you
should share your motivations for applying to MultiSci and tell us about your research
interests. You should show us your potential to successfully complete a PhD (not just list
your academic or professional achievements to-date), as well as how doing this alongside
cohort-based training will benefit you. An excellent resource to help you do this by
reflecting on your experiences is available here.

While a maximum word count is given for each question (do not exceed this!), it’s ok if you
write less – quality and evidence is preferable to quantity. There are no right answers to any
question, just like no PhD programme is right for everyone. You should avoid generic
statements or explanations that tell us nothing about you. For example, we already know
Imperial’s rankings, the facilities we have, and how [insert disease name] develops!

Programme selection
• For proposed start date, enter 07-Oct-2024.

Research details
• Leave the follow questions blank: ‘Proposed research topic’, ‘Proposed research
supervisor’ and ‘Proposed research group’. MultiSci does not require you to have a
project/supervisor in mind at application stage, and instead supports you in exploring
this during year 1 of the programme.
• MultiSci has three key, interdisciplinary strategic areas. While you are being asked to
indicate your current preferential interest in these, you will not be restricted to
working within these areas if you are made an offer for MultiSci – your research
interests may evolve or change as you carry out project rotations in year 1 of your
studentship.
• Providing us with three key words or phrases to describe your current research
interests (phrased as ‘proposed research’ will help us clarify the fit with MultiSci’s
research themes.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Case for support Q1: Why have you chosen to apply to the MultiSci MRC DTP? (300 words
max)
All PhD programmes are different, and you should consider how MultiSci’s offering aligns
with your expectations for doctoral study. What does MultiSci offer that appeals to you,
and why? While we want to recruit the best students, it’s also important to us that our
students are on the right programme for them. You can find out why some of our current
MultiSci students applied here.

Case for support Q2: Tell us about your research interests, and your motivation for doing
a PhD in these areas. (300 words max)
While some applicants to MultiSci already have a specific topic in mind for their PhD, this
is not a requirement. In fact, most applicants have broad interests, often spanning
multiple fields. It’s also OK if you don’t have a specific plan for a post-PhD career yet – the
PhD journey itself helps many people figure this out! Whatever your position, what is
important is that you articulate your interests, and demonstrate your enthusiasm by
linking what you’ve done or learned in the past to what you think you would like to do
during your PhD. Although PhD projects must align with MultiSci’s research themes, you
would not be restricted to only working within those you express interest in at application
stage.
You should avoid name-dropping of labs and researchers (either at Imperial or previous
institutions you’ve worked/studied at), and explanations of scientific concepts or fields,
which tell us nothing about you.

Case for support Q3: Tell us about any relevant technical skills and abilities you have, and
how they would help you in pursuing a PhD in your identified research area(s). (200 words
max)
You are not expected to have expertise in all techniques or methods you might use during
a PhD. On the other hand, an exhaustive list of all techniques or methods you’ve ever
attempted tells us nothing about your abilities or current skill level. Instead, consider
using examples from your experience, either as a student or in the workplace, to
demonstrate your capability to carry out experimental work during a PhD.

Case for support Q4: Tell us about your academic achievements, and how your journey to
attaining them has prepared you to undertake a PhD. (200 words max)
Academic achievements come in all shapes and sizes, from completing a degree
programme, to producing a figure for a publication. What are you proud of, and why?
How did you reach your goals, and what have you learned from the process that you can
build on when undertaking a PhD? Avoid giving us your academic CV here and focus on
telling us about 1-2 past experiences you think will help you with future successes.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Case for support Q5: Outside of your degree programme(s) or employment, what have
you done that shows your interest in science and/or has prepared you for doing a PhD.
(200 words max)
There is no requirement for you to have been involved in any activities, science-related or
otherwise, outside of your studies or workplace. If you have, we’d be interested to hear
about them, and how they have prepared you to undertake a PhD. For example, have you
developed any relevant skills through your involvement with clubs, by participating in
outreach activities, or teaching others? Have you attended any extracurricular training or
seminars that is relevant? Avoid giving us your extracurricular CV here, and instead focus
on using 1-2 examples to evidence your claims.

Case for support Q6: Tell us how you have demonstrated 3 personal attributes that will
make you a successful PhD student. (200 words max)
In addition to technical and academic skills (e.g., writing, data analysis), PhD students and
researchers draw on a wide variety of personal attributes and skills during their work. A
small example of such attributes are resilience, creativity, patience, curiosity, integrity,
and adaptability – but there are many more! What do you consider important for
undertaking a PhD? How have you demonstrated this? Draw on your own experiences to
provide us with examples and evidence of your claims. A helpful starting point for doing
this is the STAR (scenario-task-action-results) framework which you can read about here.

Case for support Q7: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself? (200
words max)
You do not need to provide us with any additional information. If there is anything else
you would like us to know, please do so here, and where appropriate linking to your
potential to be a successful PhD student. For example, if you took an interruption during
your studies, what did you learn during this that you can apply to PhD studies? Have
personal circumstances, for example caring responsibilities, required you to overcome
barriers or obstacles when balancing your studies or work commitments?

Socio-economic background
• You do not have to provide this information if you do not want to.
• Responses to these questions will only be used to ensure applications are reviewed by
an admissions tutor with responsibility for widening participation.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Section 2: Personal details

In this section, you will be asked to provide details about you. Information and guidance for
each sub-section is provided in the following tables.

About you
• Where possible, this information will not be shared with reviewers or scorers.
• You should enter your date of birth in the format DD-MMM-YYYY

Contact details/Address
• Where possible, this information will not be shared with reviewers or scorers.
• You should enter your date of birth in the format DD-Mon-YYYY

Nationality/Residency/Visa and Immigration status

• This information is necessary since there are nationality/residence eligibility criteria
associated with the MultiSci MRC DTP studentship. Please see the eligibility criteria for
more information.
• Where possible, this information will not be shared with reviewers or scorers.
However, it will be considered at offer stage if circumstances mean that specific
departments at Imperial would not be able to support an overseas PhD student.

Disabilities
• You do not have to provide this information if you do not want to.
• Any information you provide here will not be shared with reviewers or scorers.

Section 3: Professional experience

In this section, you will be asked to provide details about your professional experience.

Professional experiences
• It is up to you to decide if any positions you’ve been employed in are relevant for us to
know about – you can add information about three.
• There is an opportunity for you to tell us about the skills and expertise you developed
during these when you summarise your duties and responsibilities.
• If you are including summer internships, unpaid work, or degree-related placements,
you should clearly state this in the “Duties and responsibilities” field.
• If you don’t have any relevant employment, don’t worry – it’s not a requirement.
• Information provided here will be shared with those reviewing or scoring applications.

Section 4: Financial support

Financial Support
• Details of MultiSci’s financial support package are available here.
• If you would like to be considered for any other College-related scholarships that you
are eligible for, let us know here.
MultiSci Application Form Guidance 2024 Entry

Section 5: Qualifications
In this section, you will be asked to provide details about your higher education experiences.

Higher education experience

• Experiences should be entered in chronological order, starting with your first
programme of study – this would usually be your undergraduate degree.
• Information provided here will be provided to those reviewing or scoring applications.

Secondary/high school education

• You do not have to provide this information if you do not want to.

English Language Ability

• Proficiency in the English language is needed for admission to Imperial College –
please see here for details.

Professional qualifications
• If you hold any professional registration (e.g., Chartered scientist) or memberships
(e.g., of a national scientific society), you can tell us about them here. Most recent
graduates do not hold professional registrations or memberships, so don’t worry if
you have none – it’s not a requirement.
• Information provided here will be shared with those reviewing or scoring applications.

Section 6: References
In this section, you will be asked to provide contact details of your references.

References
• You must provide contact details of two referees, who will be asked to submit their
references directly to us. The deadline for receipt of references is 23 November 2023
– you should make your referees aware of this when approaching them
• If you have substantial research experience within an employment setting then one of
your referees can be an employer who can attest to your research skills, but the other
referee should be academic.

Section 7: Marketing information

Marketing information
• Responses to questions in this sub-section will help us review our marketing strategy
and understand if we need to widen it.

Section 8: Supporting Documents

You are required to upload the following documents to accompany your application:
• Transcripts and English certificate where appropriate.
• You do not need to upload a CV or personal statement.