British Heart Foundation Multidisciplinary PhD Programme

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) Multidisciplinary PhD Programme is offering ten fully funded four-year PhD studentships as part of the newly established CHAIN (Connecting Hearts And mINds) consortium; a partnership between the British Heart Foundation, The University of Manchester, the University of Bristol, and the University of Liverpool.

Together, the consortium will train the next generation of cardiovascular scientists to adopt an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to understanding, predicting, and disrupting the complex interactions between heart and brain diseases.

About the consortium

Heart and brain diseases frequently occur together, creating serious and often compounding risks for patients. For example, atrial fibrillation markedly increases the risk of stroke, and heart failure is linked to cognitive decline and dementia.

Despite these well-established connections, research and clinical practice is mainly confined to single-organ silos, limiting progress in understanding and treating complex, multisystem diseases.

The CHAIN British Heart Foundation (BHF) Multidisciplinary PhD Programme aims to address this gap by fostering interdisciplinary research and training cardiovascular scientists to take an integrated approach to understanding, predicting, and disrupting the complex interactions between heart and brain diseases.

Applications for this programme are now live until 9 November 2026.

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Why apply for the BHF Multidisciplinary PhD Programme?

• Fully funded, multidisciplinary training: Receive a fully funded studentship at British Heart Foundation rate, while training across heart and brain health at three leading UK universities.
• Cross-institutional cohort experience: Train alongside a diverse cohort during an immersive first-year programme with rotations at Manchester, Bristol, and Liverpool, gaining broad skills and exposure to cutting-edge research facilities.
• Tailored, co-designed research projects: Collaborate with expert supervisors across institutions and co-design a PhD project aligned with your interests and the programme theme.
• Industry and innovation partnerships: Access placements, workshops, and collaborative projects with leading industry partners, and cutting-edge digital health companies, enhancing translational impact.
• Comprehensive professional development: Benefit from cohort-based workshops on leadership, communication, research integrity, entrepreneurship, and career planning, supported by a dedicated wellbeing and mentoring network.

Who is eligible?

These studentships are only available to home-fee eligible candidates that:

• Hold, or are about to obtain, a First or Upper Second class UK honours degree (or international equivalent) in an appropriate area.

We actively welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and scientific backgrounds, including cardiovascular science, neuroscience, data science, and engineering.

We seek to create equality of opportunity for all our applicants and postgraduate researchers.

Next Steps

1. Check if you meet our eligibility criteria.
2. Choose your host institution
   - The University of Manchester
   - The University of Bristol
   - The University of Liverpool
3. Prepare your supporting documents
4. Apply online to your chosen institution

For further details about our BHF Multidisciplinary PhD Programme, including how to apply, please visit our website.

Key Dates

Applications open: Monday, 5 October 2026
Application deadline: Monday, 9 November

Studentships begin: October 2027

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