Funding, Eligibility & How to Apply

 

Applications for the programme have now closed and there are no further recruitment rounds for these fellowships.

 

Funding

Funded by Wellcome and King’s College London.

Each fellow receives the following funding:

  • Three years salary (FT) matching current NHS pay grade as appropriate

  • University fees paid in full

  • Research Expenses of £50,000

  • Travel Expenses of £2,500

  • Training Costs of £2,500

Further information relating to these funds and additional funding opportunities can be found in the 'What we offer' section of the Wellcome Trust website.

How to Apply

Applying to this programme is a three-stage process.

This is Stage 1 consisting of completing an online application form to inform us of your qualifications and relevant experience, your motivation for applying and your future career plans.

Successful candidates will be invited to identify supervisors from the supervisory pool and develop a project and training plan to present to the selection panel at Stage 2.

The applications will be reviewed and successful candidates will be invited to panel interviews in Stage 3.

Applicants who are offered the fellowship will be invited to submit an application via King's Apply where final checks on their academic qualifications, English language requirements and fee status will be made. Completing this final process is required for applicants to be awarded the fellowship.

  • The applications for October 2026 entry will open in autumn 2025.

    • The application form for Stage 1

    • If you would like to prepare your answers prior to completing the online application form, you can download a MS Word document that lists all of the questions included in the online application form. Please do not submit the MS Word document. Applications will only be accepted via the online application form.

    • It is recommended that you use a laptop or desktop computer rather than a mobile device to complete the application. Click here to view a list of compatible browsers.

    • You can move back and forth between questions in the application form by clicking on the arrows.

    • You can pause and return to the form at a later date as long as you use the same browser and device.

    • Please note that you will not be able to change your responses once your application has been submitted. If you would like to edit your application once it has been submitted, please email kcato@kcl.ac.uk and request a resubmit link.

    • Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email to confirm your submission with all your responses to the application form.

    • The online application form is hosted using a tool called Qualtrics.

  • Please find below the application documents for Stage 2:

    The application form is to be completed in collaboration/under the guidance of your supervisor. Please email the completed application document to kcato@kcl.ac.uk copying in your supervisor by the Stage 2 application deadline. Please name the file as follows: Student Full Name with Supervisor Full Name - Stage 2 Application.

    The reference form is to be completed by two of your nominated referees. Your references can be academic, employment or professional references, but they cannot be completed by the supervisor(s) you are working with for your Stage 2 application. Please ask your referees to send the completed form to kcato@kcl.ac.uk by the Stage 2 application deadline. Please note that we are not going to request references for you and are unable to accept late references.

If you have any questions, please view our Frequently Asked Questions page.

 

Key dates

Applying to this programme is a three-stage process.

Stage 1

  • w/c Monday 15 September 2025: Online applications open.

  • Monday 17 November 2025 at 13:00 (GMT): Online applications close.

  • w/c 15 December 2025: Outcomes to Stage 1 applicants.

Stage 2

  • Friday 30 January 2026: Deadline for candidates and supervisors to confirm intent to submit an application for Stage 2.

  • Wednesday 1 April 2026 at 13:00 (GMT): Deadline for all Stage Two application paperwork, including references.

  • w/c 27 April 2026: Outcomes to Stage 2 applicants.

Stage 3

  • Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 May 2026: Interviews with the selection panel.

  • w/c 18 May 2026: Outcomes to Stage 3 applicants.

Eligibility

 

  • This programme is intended to support healthcare professionals seeking to combine a clinical and academic career. Applicants seeking to undertake a PhD who are not health professionals should not be considered for the Programme. Please see other King’s PhD studentships in science available at this link.

  • Applicants must be practicing health or social care professionals and be registered with a national professional regulatory body (e.g. the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies) in the UK/Republic of Ireland.

    • Medical graduates must be registered on a UK/Republic of Ireland specialist training programme or must be a registered GP.

    • This programme is not permitted to recruit applicants to undertake an intercalated MD/PhD. All fellows must have completed their undergraduate degree and be registered with the relevant professional body.

Please note: If your first language is not English you must be able to provide recent evidence that your spoken and written command of the English language is adequate for the PhD programme. Please see further information on the English language entry requirements for study at King's here.

  • Our definition (as defined by King's and Wellcome) of a health professional is an individual who is registered with a national professional regulatory body in the UK or Republic of Ireland. This would include, but not be limited to, the following professions:

    • Allied Health Professionals (Art Therapists, Chiropodists/Podiatrists, Chiropractors, Dieticians, Drama Therapists, Music Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Osteopaths, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Prosthetists and Orthotists, Radiographers and Speech and Language Therapists)

    • Dentists, Dental hygienists, Dental nurses and Dental therapists

    • Healthcare scientists (in life sciences, physiological sciences, physical sciences and biomechanical engineering, and bioinformatics)

    • Non-medical Public Health specialists

    • Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors

    • Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians

    • Pharmacists and Pharmacy technicians

    • Social workers

    • Psychologists

    • Physician associates, if registered with the RCGP

  • Below is a list of the most common eligible professional bodies, but there may be other professional registrations that are eligible also. Please get in touch if you are unsure about your eligibility.

    General Medical Council (GMC)

    • Doctors

    Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

    • Nurses

    • Midwives

    • Nursing Associates

    • Health Visitor

    Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

    • Allied Health Professionals (Art Therapists, Chiropodists/Podiatrists, Dieticians, Drama Therapists, Music Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Osteopaths, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Prosthetists and Orthotists, Radiographers and Speech and Language Therapists)

    • Biomedical Scientists

    • Clinical Scientists

    • Hearing aid dispensers

    • Practitioner Psychologists (Practitioner psychologist, Registered psychologist, Clinical psychologist, Forensic psychologist, Counselling psychologist, Health psychologist, Educational psychologist, Occupational psychologist, Sport and exercise psychologist)

    British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

    • CBT Therapists

    • Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners

    • Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners

    • Education Mental Health Practitioners

    British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

    • Counsellors

    • Psychotherapists

    General Dental Council (GDC)

    • Dentists

    • Dental care professionals (dental nurse, dental technician, dental therapist, dental hygienist, orthodontic therapist and clinical dental technician)

    General Chiropractic Council (GCC)

    • Chiropractors

    General Optical Council (GOC)

    • Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians

    General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)

    • Osteopaths

    General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)

    • Pharmacists

    • Pharmacy technicians

    Social Work England

    • Social workers

    Scottish Social Services Council

    • Social workers

    Social Care Wales

    • Social workers

Widening Participation

We encourage applications from fellows from diverse backgrounds

We actively welcome applicants from three under-represented groups in line with the EDI initiatives within this programme:  

  • People with lived experiences of mental health difficulties face continued discrimination in addition to the challenges related to their mental health.  

  • People from diverse racial and ethnic groups are starkly under-represented within academia and clinical research – the lack of diversity in academia likely begets a lack of diversity among research participants.  

  • Nurses, midwives and professionals allied to health are under-represented in academic careers in mental health at all levels. We strongly encourage participation from staff in these groups to ensure a programme of research that reflects the needs of service users and staff at the frontline of mental healthcare.

LEARN MORE →

Recruitment Webinars

Join us for webinars with the Programme Director and Co-Directors to learn about the PhD Programme in Mental Health Research for Health Professionals funded by Wellcome Trust and King's College London.

Recordings of our three webinars for 2026-27: Recruitment Webinar, NMAHPs Webinar & Ask Our Fellows Anything

The slides for the webinars can be downloaded here: Recruitment Webinar & NMAHPs Webinar

Selection Criteria

 
 

Stage 1

Key Criteria

  • Aiming to pursue a clinical academic career.

  • Show a clear understanding of how research will progress knowledge within the field of mental health.

  • Research experience and potential: demonstrated, for example, through undergraduate or postgraduate research project experience or training, informal placements, workplace roles, clinical service improvement, transformation or audit projects, or academic training positions for health professionals.

 

Stage 2 & 3

Critical Thinking

  • Demonstrated capacity to think critically.

Personal development

  • Developed training plans to develop the skills to underpin a future research career.

Project 

  • Have worked with their supervisors to develop a clear and significant research question and feasible project. 

Communication and engagement skills 

  • Show awareness of the context of their research in reference to societal and ethical issues.

  • Understand the importance of public engagement activities and have an interest in developing relevant skills and experience with the involvement of experts.