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Medical Science (MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit) is no longer accepting new applications.
Apply using the Applicant Portal
The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.
An application is only complete when:
- you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
- you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
- your referees have provided their references.
If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.
Selection Process
All applications will be considered as part of one pool once the application deadline has passed.
Interviews will be arranged in mid-late January as part of an MBU “Open Day”. The interview panel will consist of up to four group leaders, who will interview and rank all candidates. Ranked applicants’ papers will be considered by the Postgraduate Education Committee. Successful candidates will be contacted informally by their supervisors.
Key dates in our selection process are available on our departmental Postgraduate Studies website.
Further information on How To Apply
Things You'll Need
In order to apply for this course you'll need to think about getting a few things ready before you apply.
- Two academic references
- Transcript
- CV/resume
- Evidence of competence in English
If required - you can check using our tool - School of Clinical Medicine - Widening Participation Questionnaire
Applicants to this course are asked to complete an additional form to provide contextual information about their previous study. Find out more about our use of contextual information here: postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/contextual-data.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:
See Gates Cambridge for more information.
How to Find a Supervisor
You should contact the potential supervisor(s) by email, requesting an informal discussion, before submitting your application.
Information on available projects commencing in October 2025, with links to supervisors, is available here.
You should contact the potential supervisor for a discussion about the proposed project and how this fits with other research projects within the group, so it is important that you are familiar with the work conducted by the MBU and its research groups. This information can be found on our website, along with potential projects available from October 2025. Information about the application process can also be found on our website and the supervisor might refer to this during the discussion. You should then submit your applications via the University’s application portal.
Applications where no potential supervisor has been named will be circulated to all recruiting supervisors for consideration.