Introduction

The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology is a dynamic and growing department located in beautiful surroundings near the historic centre of Oxford. Famous for the development of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics, it has an outstanding track record in medical research, achieving the highest possible rating (5*) in successive Research Assessment Exercises (RAE). In the 2008 RAE the department's research received the highest score in the country in its category (Infection and Immunology), with 85% of the researchers rated "world leading" or "internationally excellent".

We take on about 15-20 graduate students each year for research towards a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) degree, which is the University of Oxford’s equivalent of a Ph.D. We usually have 60-80 graduate students in the Department at any one time, of whom half are from outside the UK.

We are a spacious and well-funded Department, able to offer graduate students plenty of space and outstanding facilities. Students also benefit from its close proximity to the Colleges, Libraries and other facilities in the University Science Area.

We provide a comprehensive training programme for graduate students, which includes an induction week, an extensive series of seminars and workshops over four years covering a wide range of techniques and transferable skills, and an annual Graduate Student Symposium.

Students are encouraged to explore the Medical Sciences Graduate School website to see what options are available to them.