Hi,
My name is Vicky and ive just completed my second year of Biomedical Science at Durham Uni. I achieved a 2.1 this year, and have always wanted to go on to do a PhD, but thought i would have to do a masters first. My course leader has advised me that because of my grade, my drive and other factors such as relevant research experience im doing in a placement this summer, i can apply directly for PhDs. I know i want to do something in the field of cancer reserch and or stem cells and that I would like to either stay in the North-East (Newcastle/Durham), or go back down to London/Cambridge area because i think thats where the really interesting and fast moving research is occurring.

Any information on how to apply/get funding/anything would be greatly appreciated!
Thankyou!

A bit more info (too long for the first post )

My course leader has given me some advice on how to proceed with this ambition, but i still feel like I have very little idea on how to proceed with this. I have ordered postgrad prospectuses from the institutions im interested in, but thats about as far as i have got. I am doing a summer placement with one of my lecturers on the role of telomerase on the lifespan of leukaemic cells, which i hope will give me greater focus on exactly which PhD program i wish to pursue, and
also lab experience, which will hopefully make my application stronger. His area of research is one that I am definitely very interested in, he is an excellent lecturer - very animated, enthusiastic and encouraging and if I like the research over the summer, i would love to do my PhD with him.

Hi Vicky,
I don't know about sciences, but for me (social sciences) email lists have been really useful, you get lot of information about phd places, funding, jobs, conferences etc. You should be able to find something if you google e-mail lists + science/ biomedical / cancer research etc.
Hope you get lucky

Hi Vicky,

My degree was in BMS too. I think one good way to do this is to email directly the lecturer/researcher in charge of a uni research group that interests you. As you probably already have seen, most groups have their own website on the university servers describing what they do, and giving email addresses.

and if you want to devise your own project instead of applying for an advertised project, you need to be aware of the deadlines for research council funding applications. they are usually in the beginning of may, i think, but you would normally have to go through the department where you will be, which might have significantly earlier deadlines. it is often necessary to be already accepted as a postgrad student at that department in order to apply... so you would be looking at applying 3 months before the departmental deadline. that might be nov/dec. 2007.

Thanks for the replies everyone, very useful info. Do you think it is too early to start emailing lecturers and research groups considering i can't start till July next year at the earliest?

Its never too early, considering the fact that things move really sloooowly in Academia. At least they'll have you in mind.

Its probably just the right time: it's only a year away, and it can take six months to get a proposal written and submitted. From what I have seen, it impresses a potential supervisor if you are keeping up to date with publications and "hot topics" in the field (Cancer Cell and Cancer Letters are probably good, also the European Journal of Cancer).

If you prefer to respond to a pre-existing vacancy rather that write your own proposal (and to my knowledge, most BMS-related PhD students did not write their own proposal

Always worth trying this forum's parent site: www.findaphd.com
Don't just limit yourself to those areas. There are allot of great research groups outside of those geographical areas. My advice is be prepared to go to the research you want to do, not just pigeon hole yourself into looking at only a few institutions. Good luck, you sound like your on the correct track!