Supervisors
This page offers a guide on how to secure PhD studentship funding from the CDT in Sustainable Sound Futures. This webpage below sets out timelines, what is most likely to get CDT support and how to approach partners (industry, government, regulators etc). The webinar recording below should also be useful, but it is from 2025 so the dates have changed.
Each year, the CDT team receives over 50 PhD project proposals and selects up to approximately 25 for advertisement, giving priority to those that have attracted significant support, preferably in the form of cash contributions towards the cost of the PhD positions.
- At the point of proposal submission, the CDT had over 50 industry partners who had agreed to contribute in some form, i.e., cash or in-kind. The CDT Partnerships Team holds the full list of partners and their committed contributions. Supervisors must contact the CDT Management Team before approaching any of these existing industry partners.
- Supervisors are encouraged to engage with new industry partners with an interest in Acoustics, beyond the current CDT partner group, to further expand the CDT’s industrial network and broaden the scope of its research and training.
- Supervisors must consider all relevant research compliance requirements when initiating discussion with industry partners. These include: (1) Export Controls, (2) National Security and Investment, (3) Subsidy Control in Research and Development, (4) Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, (5) Trusted Research and Innovation. Each University has dedicated teams to provide support in these areas. The CDT Partnerships Team can also offer additional guidance where required.
Timeline
| April 2026 | Start conversations with existing and potential partners |
| 15 June 2026 | Deadline for draft outline PhD Proposals for CDT management board approval |
| September 2026 | Funding from partners confirmed Project descriptions and supervisory teams approved |
| September 2026 | {Optional call for supervisor-led projects} |
| November 2026 | Adverts for PhD projects |
| January 2027 | Closing date for PhD applicants |
| February – March 2027 | Shortlisting/interview of applicants |
| September 2027 | PhD students start |
Guidance
Importance of PhD projects funded by industry partners
As a CDT, we must secure over £2M cash over the five cohorts towards student stipends, tuition fees and Research Training Support (RTS) from partners (e.g., industry). This is central to the EPSRC funding model. Consequently, PhD studentships that have significant cash contributions from partners are prioritised. (In-kind contributions are good but less important).
Securing this level of partner contribution for the first few CDT student cohorts will greatly support any future bids to extend EPSRC funding of the CDT. There is scope for projects that are more academic led and blue sky, but only if institutions also generate partner-funded PhDs.
Partners are generally asked to fund between 50% and 100% of the studentship costs (stipends, tuition fees and RTS). 100% funding is about £130k in total (over 4 years). The CDT cohort activities, e.g., summer schools, events and specialised training, are covered by the CDT.
Priority subject areas for projects
The CDT was funded under “addressing a user need,” where the “user” is industry, government, regulators, etc. The CDT was funded with a vision:
“To train seventy engineering leaders to have the skills and knowledge to reduce the harms caused by anthropogenic noise and poor acoustics, forging a more positive-sounding future.”
To unpack this a little (from the bid):
“From megacities to oceans, most places on Earth are polluted with noise and tranquillity is disappearing. Noise is a health problem for one in five European citizens. At high levels it causes hearing loss. At moderate levels it creates chronic stress, annoyance, sleep disturbance and heart disease. Noise makes it harder to communicate, harms learning in schools and causes older people to withdraw from social situations. The 2023, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report called noise a “neglected pollutant” and recommended more research was needed. Noise also harms animals and decreases biodiversity.
But a sustainable aural future is more than just reducing noise. We will also investigate the engineering of positive sounds. From using sound to improve the accessibility of products, through to enhancing cultural events that boost well-being, there are many ways of creating a better sounding future.”
Our advisory board, the EPSRC mid-point review and any application for a CDT extension will be scoring us on how well we address this overarching vision. Consequently, priority will be given to projects that has a potential pathway to impact that could lead to a “positive-sounding future,” which mostly means some health, wellbeing and accessibility outcome (for humans and other animals). If in doubt, please just drop us an email.
Diversity
Please consider diversity when drawing up supervisory teams for the CDT. Acoustics has a diversity problem (e.g., gender imbalance).
Employee PhDs
It is possible for a company employee to study part-time for a PhD on the CDT. We already have two students following this model of engagement. They can remain a full-time employee and be given time to study for the PhD by their employer, or they can drop their hours and be a part-time employee, part-time student. Email us for more information on various options.