Postgraduate life
We aim for members of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences’ postgraduate community to become future leaders in their fields. Through our supportive environment, talented supervisors work to provide some of the best opportunities to help every student reach their potential and achieve their goals. Here you can get to know a few of our students and find out how they also make a difference to the world-class research and teaching in our department.
Admissions status
Applications are now open for entry in the 2022-23 academic year and will open shortly. You can express your interest in applying or contact us to discuss your own project idea.
Find out what our students have to say
Working with staff in the department has been really good...
...in terms of building a platform of the sort of research experience I need moving forward...I found that there are a lot of role models and a lot of people with experience in the type of work that I was interested in, who were able to give feedback and advice and support and do that in a helpful, supportive and kind way, and that’s really helped with my progression at this stage of my research.
Nicholas Jones, DPhil Student
Heart failure
What I value the most about working in this department...
...is the diversity of the researchers spanning from clinicians to social scientists. I think it’s a department that really does well to bring everyone together.
Tonny Muthee, DPhil Student
Prevention and management of cardiovascular risk in Kenyan primary care settings
This department has given me endless opportunities...
...the University of Oxford already provides you with an array of opportunities such as talks and seminars by influential people, a range of courses and extracurricular activities so you receive a broad experience rather than just doing research.
Georgia Richards, DPhil Student
Prescribing of opioid analgesics in primary care
Who are our students and what projects are they working on?
Example student publications
What our supervisors say
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Anthony Harnden
Professor of Primary Care
As a DPhil student we offer you a supportive environment for research training and enhancement of your academic experience. We have supervisors who are world leaders in their disciplines, yet are prepared to be challenged by new ideas and thoughts. The DPhil student body is cohesive and welcoming and encourages both academic and social interaction. You will have many opportunities during your time in Oxford which will shape your future life and I am personally committed in helping you make the most of those opportunities.
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Trish Greenhalgh
Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences
DPhil students are the future generation of research leaders. The questions they’re asking will help generate tomorrow’s evidence base. They challenge traditional perspectives, question their supervisors’ assumptions and adapt tired methodologies creatively. Best of all, they get together and generate new interdisciplinary synergies. In doing so, they push us senior academics to acknowledge that the cutting-edge research we did a few years ago is now yesterday’s evidence. We all gain from their intellectual excitement and their future orientation.
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James Sheppard
Professor of Applied Health Data Science
For me, having DPhil students is very rewarding. They bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the department and make a huge contribution to the outputs of our research group. I believe supervising DPhil students makes you a better academic and has benefited my own career progression.
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Richard Hobbs
Mercian Professor of Primary Care
Graduate students are a key part of our academic strategy of investing in the research capacity in academic primary care. Some of you will make use of your time with us to launch successful independent academic careers and we hope that the very best of you will want to compete in that career at Oxford. And, even if a glittering academic career is not your main aim in seeking to complete a DPhil with us, the opportunities for personal thinking and development through a graduate studentship are very worthwhile.
Training opportunities
Medical Sciences Division Training Sessions
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Writing a thesis - two part online course
14 December 2020
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Writing a transfer report - two part online course
14 December 2020
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MSD PLTO
30 June 2021
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Fundamentals of Statistical Software and Analysis (FoSSA)
1 August 2023
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Image Analysis course with Fiji/ImageJ, online
2 December 2024
Department training
The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences is committed to providing a suite of training sessions during Michaelmas and Hilary terms to introduce our new students to some of the skills and areas that will be useful to them as they move through their DPhil. Existing students in the department are also more than welcome to attend.