We welcome applications for PhD studentships at the Centre for Music and Science. A PhD will typically provide three or four years of focused study on a particular research topic, culminating in the submission and examination of a substantial research thesis. It provides a very special opportunity to immerse oneself in a particular research field, to design and conduct a series of empirical studies, and submit one more or research articles for publication.
PhD students at the CMS are generally supervised by the CMS Director, Peter Harrison. As part of the application process students are asked to write a short research proposal; students are encouraged to think carefully about how the proposed project relates to the research topics, methodologies, and philosophies outlined on Peter's webpage, as well as considering potential connections to the research interests of other Faculty members (e.g. Bettina Varwig, David Trippett, John Rink).
FAQ
Why should I do a PhD?
A Music & Science PhD provides an excellent opportunity to develop research skills (e.g. designing surveys, conducting interviews, applying statistical methods) that are highly valued both in academia and in many parts of industry (e.g. market research, audio branding). It simultaneously allows you to immerse yourself for several years in a particular research topic of your choosing, which can itself be a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Why Cambridge?
The choice of where to do your PhD should be determined in large part by your choice of supervisor. It's important to feel some meaningful synergy with their research expertise and interests; it's also important to see whether they cultivate the kind of work and social environment that you'd like to be a part of. For the former question, it's worth spending some time perusing Peter's webpage; for the latter question, it's worth look for opportunities to meet with (former) colleagues and students to get their informal impressions.
The funding question is also important. Universities vary in their access to PhD funding schemes; in Cambridge, PhD funding is relatively strong, with the PhD application process integrating with a variety of funding schemes from the University and from various UK research councils. Of course, the process is highly competitive, but good applications have a decent chance of success.
Lastly, it's also worth considering the geographical location. Cambridge is a beautiful historic town, with many green spaces and impressive buildings. At the same time, it is very well-connected to London by train, which provides a exciting and contrasting metropolitan environment.
What are the qualification requirements?
You should have received, or be expecting to receive, a good grade in a relevant Master's degree such as Music, Music Psychology, Psychology, Neuroscience, or Computer Science.
In addition, we will want at least one of your work samples to be a write-up of an empirical research project, ideally on a music-related topic. This would ordinarily be your Master's dissertation.
How do I apply?
The standard route to pursuing a PhD at the CMS is to apply for a PhD in Music. If your proposed work has a strong artificial intelligence component, you can also apply for a PhD in Human Inspired Artificial Intelligence. There are no rules against applying to multiple PhD programs at the University of Cambridge, so to maximise your chances it makes sense to apply to both if your project fits both.
In either case, you should list Peter Harrison as your desired supervisor.
For details on the application process and required materials, see:
- How to apply for postgraduate studies in Music
- How to apply for a PhD in Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence
You should note that each year's program starts in October. The application deadline for October entry is typically in May of the same year, but if you want to apply for funding (highly recommended), then the relevant application deadlines are typically in the preceding December/January. For example, if you were interested in starting a PhD in October 2025, you would need to submit your application by either December 2024 or January 2025 in order to gain access to funding.
How much does it cost?
The latest fees can be found on the Postgraduate Finance page. For reference, for 2024-25 the tuition fees for the Music PhD were £9,858 for home students and £29,826 for international students, while the estimated living costs were £18,625. You will need to confirm that you have access to these funds as part of your application (scholarships still pending decisions are counted too).
How do I get funding?
PhD funding is available but competitive. Most applications are made through a central University scheme; see Funding Postgraduate Study for details. In order to be eligible for funding one must typically apply fairly far in advance, not much less than a year before your proposed start date. Please see the official guidance for up-to-date information on these deadlines.
What should I write for my research proposal?
Assuming your supervisor is going to be Peter Harrison, you should start by looking through his current research interests. Think about what topics within these areas you might be well-suited to studying, both in terms of your abilities and your passions. As you home in on a particular area of study, start compiling research articles relevant to this topic and familiarising yourself with their contents. Which articles do you like the most, and which do you dislike? What gaps do you see in the existing literature?
After some reading and thinking you should be able to write your research proposal. For the PhD application, the research proposal should be approximately 750 words in length, not including the bibliography. You should structure it as continuous prose, using headings if you wish. You should cover the following items:
- Background. Introduce the general field within which your work will be situated, and describe some existing work/findings in this area. Finish by noting relevant lacunae or problems with existing research that can be used to motivate your own work.
- Aims. Summarise the aims of the present work. Your aim would usually be to answer one or more specific research questions, which you should state explicitly in your proposal. Your aims might also include creating some kind of tool or research material (e.g. a corpus). These aims should be clearly linked to the lacunae/problems identified in the Background section.
- Methodology. Summarise the methods you would employ to accomplish these aims. This is one of the most important sections, so feel free to allocate a bit more space to it.
- Significance. Summarise the significance of your proposed research in terms of addressing lacunae/problems in the field.
- Skills. Explain how the proposed project relates to the skills you currently have and the skills you wish to acquire.
- Timescale. Suggest a tentative timeline for the research, bearing in mind that the PhD lasts 3 years (typically beginning in October).
- Logistics. Comment on any materials/equipment you need for the research. Note that the CMS does not currently have facilities for neuroimaging (e.g. EEG, fMRI), and most experiments should focus instead on behavioural experiments. It may however be possible to use heart-rate monitors and eye-tracking equipment.
- Bibliography. Provide bibliographic details for articles/book chapters that you have cited in your proposal. You are encouraged to use APA formatting. Note that the bibliography does not contribute towards the word count.
It's important to note that the research proposal is not a final commitment. We would expect to workshop these plans substantially during the early parts of the PhD. The main importance of the submitted research proposal is to demonstrate your familiarity with the relevant literature, your ability to understand and critique its limitations, and your ability to conceive of a practical research plan.
Should I get in touch before applying?
If you have general administrative questions about the application or the degree programmes, please contact our graduate administrator at graduate@mus.cam.ac.uk (for the Music PhD) or phd@chia.cam.ac.uk (for the Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence PhD).
If you have specific questions about studying at the CMS, please email Peter at pmch2@cam.ac.uk.
If you would like to meet Peter in advance of applying, he is happy to do so via a one-on-one video call. To keep things fair, we limit this to 1 x 15-minute call per applicant. To request this, please email Peter at pmch2@cam.ac.uk. So that he can give you his most informed advice, please attach a copy of your CV and a summary of your research interests.
Peter is also happy to give feedback on a draft research proposal. To keep things fair, he will only provide one round of feedback per application. To request this, please email Peter at pmch2@cam.ac.uk.
