hi, i'm currently a final year Mbiol student at Bangor university, and i intend to continue on to a phd. however the ins and outs of this process alludes me. especially funding. i have asked lectures for advice but they have been extremely vague in there responses.

so far i understand there are for simplicity two types of phd aviable with in the uk, funded and self funded. funded is self explanatory, as the uni/research team has the resources to provide the funding for the phd student. the self funded is again self explanatory (pay your self) , but is it possible to find/apply funding (from another body ect) for a potentail phd student?

any advice any one can give would be greatly appreciated

Auronv

Funding options tend to vary by subject, and also by country and student status.

Self-funding is straightforward as you say, albeit expensive for the individual. It sometimes leads towards people studying part-time, so they can pay for the fees, either in (nearly) full-time work, or part-time work.

Funding often comes from research councils, and this is probably more typically the case with science subjects like yours. Such funding tends to be funnelled through universities, and must be applied for a long time in advance of the anticipated PhD starting date. There really should be people at your university who can advise on this, if not the lecturers, then try Registry or Student Services.

Sometimes though there are other options. For example for Scottish students (ok you're not in Scotland!) there is the option of Carnegie Trust funding, albeit very competitive. Or there can be funding from other charities or trusts. And if your research has an industry application you may be able to get funding from a company, whether you work for them. That last one is probably more relevant in the sciences.

But funding can be very hard to get, even in sciences where it is more available than e.g. in humanities, so prepare yourself for quite a competitive battle to get it. If you get it very well done. If not, consider very seriously whether self-funding would be viable for you, whether it would help or hinder your future career (sometimes a PhD can be a hindrance, unless you are working in academia), and if you could afford it.