ILESLA is a four-year doctoral training programme for students who want to tackle major questions in life and environmental sciences.
Online Open Day - 18th November 2026 @ 14:00-16:30. To join and find out more about ILESLA please register at this link ILESLA Open Day 2026 registration form – Fill in form
Online Evening Q&A - 2nd December 2026 @ 19:00-20:30. The event on 18th will be recorded and made available, and an evening Q&A session will be run for those who cannot attend during the day. To join the evening Q&A please register at this link ILESLA Open Evening 2026 registration form – Fill in form
Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), ILESLA brings together three universities (University of Oxford, Oxford Brookes University and The Open University), together with The Pirbright Institute, Diamond Light Source and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to train creative, collaborative researchers for a changing world. You will join an interdisciplinary cohort, build skills, explore research opportunities through rotations, and develop the proposal that grows into your substantive doctoral (DPhil/PhD) project.
ILESLA offers a four-year doctoral programme spanning life and environmental science across five interconnected research themes; cohort-based training through Oxford’s Doctoral Training Centre (DTC); two 10-week rotation projects; an extended team project and access to supervisors and research environments across a wide partnership; all leading to a substantive doctoral project. You will also undertake a 12-week internship or placement with a non-academic partner to support your long-term career development.
Throughout there are opportunities to engage with industry, institute, public-sector, third-sector and research-facility partners; and the wider DTC community.
Is ILESLA right for you? ILESLA will be an ideal fit if you are interested in life science, environmental science which includes archaeological science, including work at the interface between these sciences and mathematical, computational and physical sciences; want time to explore before committing to a final doctoral project; enjoy learning; are curious about how science connects with industry, policy, conservation, technology or public benefit; want to be part of a cohort rather than working in isolation; are motivated by big questions, and are committed to developing the skills needed to answer them well.
Over time, the cohort becomes more than a first-year feature. It becomes a network of collaborators, friends, sounding boards and future colleagues. A doctorate is a long journey. ILESLA is designed so you do not take it alone.
