Oxford is opening the door for applicants who want their D.Phil. work to land where science actually meets the real world: on pitches, tracks, courts, training rooms, and recovery labs. The Podium Institute Studentship 2026 (a 3.5-year D.Phil. studentship based in Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Science) is built for people who want to push sports medicine forward with technology—and do it with impact that goes beyond elite athletes.
What makes this studentship instantly attention-grabbing is the mission behind it. The Podium Institute flips the old “injury research = adult treatment” model and goes hard in a more urgent direction: preventing injuries, especially for younger, community, and female athletes, using technology that can monitor, analyse, detect risk, and help stop injuries before they happen. In short: safer sport, smarter science, real outcomes.
What This Podium Studentship Is Offering?
This isn’t the kind of funding that “helps a little.” It’s the kind that clears the runway so you can focus on the research.
You’re looking at a full award for UK and Overseas applicants, designed to cover the cost of doctoral study while supporting you with a serious living stipend. If you’ve been waiting for a scholarship that doesn’t quietly exclude international applicants, this one is openly built for both.
And because this sits inside a high-powered engineering and biomedical ecosystem at Oxford, you’re not applying into a dead-end project—you’re stepping into a research environment shaped by supervisors working across imaging, robotics, biomechanics, computation, sensors, and medical sciences.
Offerings of Winning the Podium Institute Studentship 2026
The Podium Institute Studentship comes packed with the kind of support PhD applicants usually have to stitch together from multiple sources:
- Full coverage of University course fees for both UK and Overseas students (fees covered at the rate set for each category in the 2026–27 academic year).
- A tax-free stipend (maintenance grant) of around £22,780 for the first year (based on the 2024–25 figure), and at least the same level for a further three years.
- A research setting focused on sports injury prevention, not just treatment—meaning your work can translate into real protocols, devices, and systems for safer participation.
- Access to priority research areas ranging from brain injury modelling and MRI innovation to wearables, soft robotics, computer vision, AI coaching, and big-data injury prediction.
- Supervision potential from a strong list of academics (including options for co-supervision with relevant expertise in the Medical Sciences Division, where appropriate).
Eligibility Requirements
If you’re coming from engineering, physical sciences, or medically relevant sciences—and you can communicate well—you’re already in the zone for this.
To be eligible, you should meet these core requirements:
- Open to UK and Overseas students (full award: fees + stipend).
- A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree (with honours) in engineering, physical sciences, or medical sciences relevant to your proposed research area.
- Excellent English written and spoken communication skills.
- A strong interest and genuine enthusiasm for sports medicine and technology.
Desirable (not essential) skills:
- Experience in experimental or computational research in sports medicine/technology (e.g., publication, strong final year project).
- Ability to program in MATLAB or Python.
Last Date to Apply
The last date to apply for the Podium Institute Studentship 2026 at the University of Oxford is Tuesday, 3 March 2026 (12:00 midday UK time) is listed as a further deadline where applications might continue only if places are still available.