How to apply
On this page we provide an overview of how to apply. Please read this carefully, as we ask for different documents to a standard PhD application, and the application process for our 2027 studentships is different from previous years.
Where to submit:
All applicants need to submit a Stage 1 application via the form below:
When to submit by:
The deadline for Stage 1 applications is 30th November 2026 at midnight (UK time).
Applicants who successfully proceed after Stage 1 will be invited to make a Stage 2 application (deadline 22nd January 2027).
We may also do an additional round of advertisement and recruitment for Home-fees status applicants after this deadline. However, we strongly advise applicants to submit for this currently advertised deadline as we only do this if we have remaining studentships to fill.
How to complete your Stage 1 application:
For the Stage 1 application, all of your application material is submitted directly via the form. No additional attachments are required, nor will be accepted, at this stage.
The form allows you to save your progress and return back to it to continue completing it at a later time.
Once submitted you cannot edit the form any further.
If you have any problems with completing the form, please contact the CDT team via: responsiblenlp@ed.ac.uk
The form will ask for basic personal information from you, as well as information about your prior degrees. Beyond this, the form will also ask you to respond to questions about:
1. Research experience (within and beyond academia)
This is the opportunity to tell us about your prior research experience, if you’ve used specific methods or approaches previously, any projects you have worked on which demonstrate some element of research skills.
2. Publications, outputs and links (optional)
Links to any projects and their outputs (publications, portfolios, other sorts of materials related to the projects) for us to look at.
3. Professional or other relevant experience
This is the section where we ask you to tell us more about your background, and how well this sets you up for joining the CDT and studying for a PhD on our programme. You can talk about professional and voluntary roles you have taken that are of relevance to the CDT and your research interests. You can also use this to tell us more about research projects you have conducted previously (e.g., as part of prior degrees).
4. Statement of Alignment
This is where you should tell us how your research interests and ideas fit with the topics and ethos of the CDT. If the sections above are about what you’ve done previously, this is about you looking ahead. Rather than a formal research proposal (which you’ll submit at Stage 2), we want to understand your alignment with the CDT’s five Skills Domains and your appetite for interdisciplinary collaboration. You should cover:
1. Which Skills Domain you align with most, and why; the area you’d most like to develop your expertise in during the CDT.
2. The kinds of research questions or directions within that domain that interest you, and why they matter to the CDT. You may cite research that motivates your thinking, or refer to your own relevant prior work.
3. Which other Skills Domain(s) you’d like to develop new skills in, and why, to build expertise beyond a single area.
4. How you would work with students from different disciplines and/or with industry partners as part of your training.
5. Potential supervisors (optional)
At Stage 1 you do not need to list potential supervisors. However, you are welcomed to do so still – please look at our CDT supervisor webpage to see the profiles of supervisors affiliated with the CDT.
Stage 2 application process:
If you successfully proceed through Stage 1, you will be sent information separately on what additional materials and information is needed for Stage 2 of your application. We are aiming to notify applicants who are invited to Stage 2 by mid-December 2026.
What we are looking for at each stage:
At Stage 1 we will primarily be evaluating applicants for their fit to the CDT and our skills domains.
In our evaluations of applications at this stage, we will be asking ourselves: Is this applicant’s aspirations and research interests well aligned with ensuring AI and NLP is developed and adopted in more responsible and ethical ways? What areas of expertise would they like to prioritise developing and training in during their PhD? Do they have a strong position on the major challenges and concerns in responsible AI and NLP developments?
At Stage 1 we will also be considering an applicant’s prior background and education in our evaluations. This is to see how our PhD programme might build on what an applicant has done previously, and to understand what prior experience outside of formal education an applicant has that demonstrates alignment to the ethos and scope of the CDT.
At Stage 2 (invite only), we will still be looking for the above, but we will also be looking to further evaluate how an applicant sees their research playing out in practice. Applicants invited to Stage 2 will be informed of the application document requirements at the time of being invited, as well as receiving a private link to submit their application to the University’s application portal.
If you’d like to know what we’re looking for in an application and what makes a strong application, please consult our what we’re looking for page.