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Application Process

Applications for our fourth cohort will open later in 2026 (exact date TBD), with a start date of September 2027. We offer a 4-year programme with a full stipend at UKRI rates, full tuition coverage, integrated training, placements, and exciting research opportunities. Studentships are available for both full-time and part-time study.

At Northumbria University’s UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence (CCAI), we are looking for PhD candidates to join us in a groundbreaking initiative: bringing citizens to the heart of AI’s design and development. We are training over 60 PhD researchers - over the next 8 years - to lead the way in developing AI applications and services that serve citizens as well as governments and businesses.

You do not need a first degree in Computer Science to join our CDT. We want to hear from people from all disciplines and academic backgrounds who have ideas about how and why people should be part of the AI conversation and can contribute to one of our research themes. Our training programme will build your skills across AI, human computer interaction, design, regulation, and governance, enhanced by real-world industry and community placements. Our goal? To make AI truly “work for citizens.” Through immersive learning experiences, you’ll engage in innovative research and acquire the interdisciplinary tools to become one of tomorrow’s leaders in AI ethics and design.

Our CDT’s place-based civic mission – here in the North East of England - is also dedicated to ensuring that the transformative power of AI benefits all communities, especially those who are most affected by digital advancements. By training our researchers here, we are empowering them to understand the specific needs of the region and to champion inclusive, citizen-centred AI solutions. Our programme fosters diverse perspectives and values, preparing our PhD researchers to lead meaningful change in both local and global contexts.

We are open to international and home applicants - however please note there are limited international awards available per year. Studentships are also available for applicants who wish to study on a part-time basis in combination with work or personal responsibilities.  

Launch your research career with our comprehensive PhD programme!

Eligibility Requirements

  • Academic excellence i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities with preference for 1st class honours); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
  • Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
  • Applicants cannot apply if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
  • Studentship awards are open to applications from UK and International (including EU) applicants as per UKRI guidelines. Applicants should check their eligibility prior to applying. Please note there are a limited number of international awards available.

No prior AI expertise is needed, foundational training in AI will be offered and a personalised training plan will be developed for PhD researchers at the outset. 

Candidates are able to request part-time hours. Please indicate in your research proposal and/or your personal statement that you are interested in pursuing the programme on a part-time basis. We allow students to study part-time at a 0.6 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) rate, meaning that students would complete the programme over 6.5 years instead of 4 years. Choosing to study in this mode would also have some changes on the initial formal training from year 1. Instead of completing 6 modules in year 1; students would complete 4 modules in year 1, then a further 2 modules in year 2 at which point you would submit your doctoral research proposal for progression and study at a part-time rate for the remaining 4.5 years. Students studying part-time working at a rate of 0.6 FTE (Full Time Equivalent) would be expected to dedicate 22.2 hours (60% of 37 hours) a week engaging with the programme. We would be expecting part-time students to be based at the Newcastle campus for their studies, as we don’t offer any remote or distance learning modes for the programme.

Required Documents

We are interested in research proposals that investigate AI in relation to our themes - these themes are described in detail and include references you may draw on in your application.

Before you can complete the online application form, you will need to prepare the following documents: 

  1. Curriculum Vitae (CV) 

    • Maximum of 2-pages in length. This should outline your education and work history, key achievements and any relevant publications (please note we do not expect all applicants to have had prior research publications).

  2. Research Proposal

    • Research Proposals must use the following template: Research Proposal Template.

    • If your proposal is incomplete or submitted without the provided template, your application may be automatically rejected.

    • Each section of the template has a word count and we strongly advise that candidates do not go over the word counts.

    • Research proposals should outline novel research projects that align with our Citizen-Centred AI research themes. They should describe and justify (i) the AI and society-related challenge that the research aims to address, (ii) the proposed methodology and/or methods, (iii) a brief state-of-the-art literature review, and (iv) any ethical, equality, diversity and inclusion implications and (v) provide a statement of alignment with CCAI – i.e. how you align with the citizen-centred research vision for AI and how your proposed research relates to our existing research themes.

    • We provide a list of references within each research theme webpage that you may draw on when preparing your proposal. We also encourage applicants to use diverse literature relevant to their specific challenge area.

  3. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Data and optional Personal Statement

    • EDI statements and optional personal statements must use the following template: EDI Statement Template

    • We collect Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) data to inform the inclusivity of our recruitment process. You are asked to provide EDI data using the provided template. The form will ask for age, gender, ethnicity etc.

    • If you identify with a societal group less represented within Computer Science and/or Higher Education Research (e.g. Women, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME), Disabled, LGBTQIA+, first-generation student, a student from a low-income household, carer, etc.), you have the option to complete a Personal statement as part of the template provided.

    • Personal statements should be approximately 250 words in length and should (i) outline your learning and career journey, including any career/learning breaks taken, (ii) reflect on systemic barriers that may have impacted your learning and career journey- highlighting how you navigated those barriers.

    • EDI data shared through the application will only be made visible to our specialist EDI panel and not with the panel responsible for shortlisting applicants for interviews. The EDI specialist panel will use their expertise and/or lived experience in issues related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to make recommendations regarding factors that the academic shortlisting panel should take into account.

    • If your application is successful and you join our student body, we are required to report EDI characteristics of our students to our funders UKRI.

  4. Degree Certificate(s) and Transcripts 

  5. English Language Certificates (for international students only) 

Pre-Applications Workshops and Webinar

To support prospective applicants in preparing a PhD application to the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence (CCAI), we run a series of Pre-Application workshops and a Webinar each year to provide an overview of the recruitment process, talk through the application process and the key criteria that we are looking for.

  1. UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence (CCAI) Presentation Deck
  2. Outlining your proposal template
  3. Examples of research proposals

Prospective applicants may request to receive feedback on their research proposal prior to submission. Feedback will not be provided for proposals that are incomplete or not in the template provided. To request feedback, please email your proposal (using the provided template) to our contact details. There will be an advertised deadline to request feedback on your research proposal, and we will not provide feedback to proposals sent past this date.

Watch our information webinar to learn more: Northumbria University’s UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence (CCAI) (please ignore the deadline dates advertised in Webinar).

Shortlisted applicants

  • Interviews with shortlisted applicants will take place online. To prepare for the interview, candidates will be provided with two academic papers to discuss with the panel; and expected to reflect on their proposed research based on feedback provided during the shortlisting.

    • The academic papers that will be used as part of the interviews will be shared with you upon submitting your application. If you are unable to access the papers, please contact us (see the bottom of this page) and we will make these available to you.

  • PhD Offers to successful candidates

    • We will contact successful candidates and make formal offers to join the CCAI CDT. Offers must be accepted or rejected by the advised deadline.

  • Cohort starts their PhDs (late September)

    • All students will be based at Northumbria University’s Newcastle-upon-Tyne campus. We do not offer remote or distanced PhD studentships, and students will be expected to be on campus regularly for CDT training and research activities.

Contact Us

If you are unable to find an answer to your question, please make an enquiry and a member of our team will be in touch.

For all enquiries relating to the UKRI AI CDT in Citizen-Centred AI, please submit your enquiry with the details on the contact us page, and include the information below:

  • Full name
    • First name
    • Last name
  • Email address: Please provide your email address so we can provide you with more information about our UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred AI.
  • Telephone
  • Address
    • Street address
    • Address line 2
    • City
    • Postal / Zip code
    • Country / Region
    • County / State
  • If you have any questions regarding the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred AI please note them below
  • Where did you hear about our UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred AI CDT?