Interested in joining the group as a student?
The group typically recruits one or two new graduate students each year to join us and work towards a doctorate. The group doesn’t host students for other degrees, only PhD students (but in Oxford terminology a PhD is called a DPhil). The group does not plan to host summer interns.
How to apply
The first thing to say, is that there is no need to email Simon before applying! If you find that this page answers your questions, and you decide you’d like to apply, then just go ahead. Of course you’re welcome to email Simon if you do have questions, but candidate who do so will not gain any advantage over those that simply apply — in order to treat everyone equally, Simon bases initial decisions purely on the paperwork of the application.
For those wishing to apply, the route is to use the University’s central application system. Do not apply directly to Simon, as he cannot complete your university application for you! This involves filling out a form and getting two (or three) referees to write on your behalf.
It’s worth noting that Simon’s group is actually hosted in the Materials Department (and not, say, Physics or Computer Science). This is important for your application form. There may be information on current student projects available from Simon’s Department page.
The University has a series of “Gathered Field” deadlines throughout the year; applications are pooled by administrators until the next gathered field deadline and are then processed and passed to academics — to Simon Benjamin in the case of our group. Simon then reviews the documents and may interview some of the applicants; when he feels an applicant would do well in the group then he may offer a place “subject to funding”.
There are no remaining opportunities for 2024 starters. Therefore, in practice, the next start date is October 2025. The main “Gathered field” deadlines for people wanting to start in 2025 will be in November 2024 and January 2025 as noted below.
Entry requirements: Typically Simon receives far more applications than there are spaces in the group, so that the process is competitive. At minimum, applicants should have (or be about to receive) a good first degree in a subject relevant to quantum computing, typically: physics, maths, computer science, or some hybrid degree including at least one of these.
Generally it is a good idea to apply in time for the earliest Gathered Field that you can manage: For starters aiming at October of a given year, deadlines for the University to receive fully completed applications and references are in typically in November of the prior year, and then January and possibly March of the starting year [but always check the dates with University’s central system since dates may change since this webpage was written]. Earlier application is wiser since funding gets used up. After March, application is still possible but students should enquire first since it is quite likely that no available positions remain.
Options for funding vary from year to year and according to the nationality of the applicant. For UK students there are standard ‘ESPRC’ studentships that may cover both fees and living expenses for 3 or 3.5 years — in a given year, such a studentship may already have been allocated to Simon to support a student in his group, but there is always a pool of such studentships that are controlled by the Materials Department and allocated to the strongest applicants.
Other funding routes include national or international scholarships (like the Rhodes Scholarship scheme), support from a specific research project, and corporate sponsorship. At the time of writing two of our students are supported by scholarships, one is supported by a major research project, and two is fully supported by a company. This diversity of support allows us to recruit students from all over the world. However the topic of funding need not be addressed at the time of application; it is ‘further down the road’.