KCL Health Sciences Doctoral Training Centre Guide 2026

Overview of King’s College London HSDTC

The Health Sciences Doctoral Training Centre at King’s College London represents one of the most comprehensive doctoral support programmes in the United Kingdom. Funded directly by the university, the HSDTC provides training, development, and careers support for approximately 1,800 doctoral research students across four Health Faculties. What makes this centre particularly valuable is its inclusive approach — every doctoral researcher in the health faculties is automatically registered and can access all training regardless of their funding stream.

The HSDTC operates through a blend of online courses, interactive workshops, wet laboratory-based training, and blended learning formats. Following lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, many courses have retained their online delivery for convenience while practical training sessions have returned to face-to-face formats where laboratory or hands-on skills are essential. This flexible approach ensures that doctoral students can fit training around their demanding research schedules without sacrificing the quality of practical instruction.

Under the leadership of Director Dr Fiona Wardle, the centre is structured around seven interdisciplinary research themes that reflect the breadth of health sciences research at King’s. From basic biomedical science to clinical research, from neuroscience to nursing, the HSDTC ensures that doctoral students develop both the specialist skills for their research area and the transferable competencies that will serve them throughout their careers. For prospective students comparing doctoral programmes, the university programme guides on Libertify offer detailed comparisons across institutions.

The Four Health Faculties and Research Scope

The HSDTC spans four distinct Health Faculties, each representing a major pillar of health sciences research at King’s College London. The Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences brings together researchers working at the intersection of dental health, oral biology, and craniofacial development. The Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine encompasses an enormous range of biomedical and clinical research, from molecular biology and genetics to translational medicine and patient-centred outcomes research.

The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care carries the legacy of one of healthcare’s most iconic figures, offering doctoral research opportunities in areas that directly impact patient care, health policy, and clinical practice. The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience — widely known as the IoPPN — is one of the world’s leading research centres for mental health, brain sciences, and neurodegenerative diseases, consistently ranked among the top institutions globally for psychiatry and neuroscience research.

Together, these four faculties create an extraordinarily rich research environment. Doctoral students benefit from cross-faculty collaboration, shared infrastructure, and the broader ecosystem of King’s Health Partners, which includes Guy’s and St Thomas’ Biomedical Research Centre and the Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre. This integration between university research and NHS clinical settings provides doctoral students with access to clinical data, patient cohorts, and translational research opportunities that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Research Methods and Skills Training

The HSDTC research methods training programme is remarkably thorough, covering clinical research, ethics, laboratory techniques, and qualitative methodologies. The Principles of Clinical Research course provides a comprehensive understanding of clinical research best practices including study design, delivery, and closure, specifically designed for researchers working with human subjects. The companion course on Clinical Research Protocol Development teaches students to develop research protocols according to best practice, including protocols for Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products.

For laboratory researchers, the centre offers practical courses in cell culture — both theory-only and combined theory-and-practice sessions — that serve beginners and those refreshing their knowledge. The microscopy training covers fundamentals of both light and electron microscopy, essential techniques for understanding cell behaviour and diagnostic tools in clinical research. A unique addition is the Running a Sustainable Lab course, which introduces doctoral researchers to laboratory sustainability practices, reflecting the growing importance of environmental responsibility in scientific research.

The Managing Early Phase Clinical Trials course provides interactive online training that combines presentations, discussions, and practical exercises on managing early-phase trials. The Informed Consent for Research course covers the historical development, legislative framework, and ethical considerations around obtaining consent from research participants. These courses collectively ensure that doctoral students in clinical research are thoroughly prepared for the regulatory and ethical dimensions of their work, a foundation that proves essential whether they pursue academic or industry careers.

Bioinformatics and Data Science Courses

One of the most forward-looking aspects of the HSDTC curriculum is its extensive bioinformatics and data science training, developed in partnership with Babraham Bioinformatics and Software Carpentries. The centre provides DataCamp subscriptions to doctoral students, giving them access to one of the leading online platforms for learning programming languages used in data analysis. Subscription rounds are announced periodically, ensuring ongoing access to this valuable resource.

The Python programming pathway progresses from Introduction to Python for Biologists — designed for those with no previous programming experience — through Advanced Python for Biologists, which tackles more complex programs and larger datasets, to Data Science for Biologists using Python, which explores scientific software libraries for big data visualization and pattern analysis. This structured progression means doctoral students can develop genuinely useful computational skills regardless of their starting point.

Specialist genomics courses include RNA-Seq Analysis and ChIP-Seq Analysis, both delivered in partnership with Babraham Bioinformatics. These courses combine comprehensive lectures with hands-on practical sessions and are specifically designed for biologists with limited bioinformatics experience. The Gene List Interpretation course teaches software packages, databases, and statistical methods for structured functional analysis. Additionally, Software Carpentries courses on Git version control and Unix Shell provide the foundational computing skills that underpin modern reproducible research. The annual Health Sciences Data Hackathon opens participation to everyone at King’s who uses or wishes to use coding, creating a vibrant community of practice around computational research methods.

Communication, Publishing, and Impact Skills

The HSDTC communication training is designed to ensure doctoral students can effectively share their research with multiple audiences, from peer reviewers and journal editors to the general public and media. The writing and publishing strand includes courses on literature review writing, scientific paper preparation and publication, and practical workshops like Turbocharge Your Writing, which focuses on high-output, low-stress scholarly writing strategies. Virtual Writing Retreats provide dedicated time and space for students battling procrastination and approaching deadlines.

King’s College London provides access to prestigious Nature Masterclass courses covering peer review, scientific writing and publishing, narrative tools for researchers, effective collaboration, and managing research data. These professionally produced modules offer the kind of publishing insights that doctoral students at many other institutions simply do not receive. The Royal Literary Fund has placed two professional writers at King’s who offer one-to-one writing support sessions, providing personalized guidance on developing a clear and engaging academic writing style.

Beyond traditional academic writing, the HSDTC prepares students for broader communication contexts. The Three Minute Thesis competition challenges doctoral researchers to explain their thesis to a general audience in just three minutes — a skill that proves invaluable for conferences, networking events, and job interviews. Media awareness training teaches students how journalists source stories and how to navigate social media as a researcher. Courses on graphic design for scientific figures using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator ensure that visual communication meets professional publication standards. Explore more about how universities support researcher development through our comprehensive university guides.

Career Development and Employability Support

Career support at the HSDTC extends well beyond the traditional academic pathway. The King’s Careers and Employability team provides bespoke support for postgraduate researchers including one-to-one career consultations, workshops, webinars, and a dedicated podcast called Careers in Your Ears. The What’s Next course offers insights into career options both inside and outside academia, helping doctoral students explore the full range of possibilities their training opens up.

For those pursuing academic careers, the Advancing in Academia course provides targeted training for doctoral researchers and postdoctoral researchers aspiring to faculty positions. The Clinical Academic Training Hub offers specialized support for clinician-researchers navigating the unique challenges of balancing research with clinical responsibilities. This hub provides networking events where students can connect with clinical academics further along the career path, practical advice on managing multiple commitments, and information on funding opportunities specific to clinical academic research.

Industry-focused career development includes the Connecting with Industry programme, which provides working knowledge of critical business issues affecting commercial organizations, and the From Bench to Market course introducing business start-up, spin-out, and commercialization pathways. The Entrepreneurial Mindset Programme, developed by the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute, fosters innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. This comprehensive career ecosystem ensures that no matter which direction a doctoral student’s career takes, the HSDTC has provided relevant preparation and guidance.

Doctoral Essentials and Thesis Preparation

The HSDTC doctoral essentials strand addresses the practical and emotional challenges of completing a doctoral degree. Starting Your PhD in the Sciences is aimed at first-year students in biomedical and health sciences, providing an overview of PhD expectations, project management, and navigating the early months of doctoral study. The Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students tackles common challenges including finishing on time, overcoming isolation, managing self-doubt, and maintaining work-life balance throughout the PhD journey.

As students progress, the Preparing for the Upgrade in the Sciences course provides guidance on constructing the upgrade report — the critical milestone document that determines whether a student transitions from MPhil to PhD registration. This course covers both the written report and preparation for the interview or presentation that accompanies it. The Writing Up the Thesis in the Sciences course targets students in the final stages, covering thesis structure, content expectations, writing strategies, and coping mechanisms for the intense writing-up period.

Practical organizational skills are addressed through the How to Structure a Working PhD Thesis Folder course, which teaches students to create and maintain a well-organized digital thesis folder — a seemingly simple skill that saves enormous time over the three to four years of doctoral study. Collaboration courses cover teamwork in online environments and Nature Masterclass modules on effective research collaboration and data management. These practical competencies are increasingly important as research becomes more interdisciplinary and team-based, particularly in the health sciences where multi-site clinical studies and cross-faculty projects are commonplace.

Training Partnerships and External Collaborations

The strength of the HSDTC training programme is significantly enhanced by its network of internal and external partnerships. Within King’s College London, the centre collaborates with the Centre for Doctoral Studies, the LISS Doctoral Training Partnership, the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership, the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute, and King’s Careers and Employability. Through King’s Health Partners, students can access training and resources at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Biomedical Research Centre and the Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre.

External partnerships bring specialist expertise that would be difficult to develop in-house. The collaboration with Babraham Bioinformatics provides genomics and bioinformatics training at a level recognized across the UK research community. Software Carpentries delivers hands-on coding courses following their globally established teaching methodology. Nature Masterclass modules, normally available through institutional subscription, give King’s doctoral students access to publishing and career insights from one of the world’s most prestigious scientific publishers.

The Innovation Scholars programme, funded by UKRI, provides big data skills training. The Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network — of which King’s is a member — opens access to training events across multiple London universities. STEM Learning partners with the HSDTC for public engagement training, including the opportunity to become a STEM Ambassador. The Royal Literary Fund places professional writers who provide one-to-one writing coaching. This extensive partnership network ensures that HSDTC training stays current with best practices across research methodology, data science, communication, and career development.

Student Community, Events, and Funding

Beyond formal training courses, the HSDTC fosters a vibrant doctoral research community through events, competitions, and funding opportunities. The Annual Research Symposium brings together doctoral students from across the four Health Faculties for presentations, poster sessions, and networking. The PGR Student Forum Fund provides financial support for student-led initiatives, helping to build community and create opportunities that complement the formal training programme.

The Buddy Scheme pairs new doctoral students with experienced peers, providing informal guidance and social support during the critical early months of a PhD. The Science Communication Competition challenges students to communicate their research to lay audiences, building skills that are increasingly valued by funders, institutions, and employers. Student-created podcasts — including the PhDeets podcast from IoPPN students — are supported and promoted, reflecting the HSDTC’s commitment to developing diverse communication skills.

Various bursaries and prize competitions provide financial support and recognition for doctoral researchers. The Denmark Hill PGR Students’ Association offers additional social and academic networking opportunities for students based on that campus. These community-building activities are not peripheral to the HSDTC mission — they address the well-documented challenges of doctoral study including isolation, imposter syndrome, and the need for peer support. By creating a cohesive community across four faculties and multiple campuses, the HSDTC helps ensure that doctoral students thrive both personally and professionally during their research degree.

How to Make the Most of Your HSDTC Experience

To maximize the value of the HSDTC during your doctoral studies at King’s College London, begin by exploring the full course catalog early in your first year. While it may be tempting to focus solely on research from day one, the training courses offered in research methods, bioinformatics, and doctoral essentials will save you significant time and frustration later. The Starting Your PhD in the Sciences and How to Structure a Working PhD Thesis Folder courses are particularly valuable early investments that create a solid foundation for the years ahead.

Build your computational skills progressively. Even if your primary research is clinical or qualitative, basic proficiency in Python and data management is increasingly expected across all health sciences disciplines. The Python programming pathway from introductory to data science level, combined with DataCamp subscriptions and Software Carpentries courses, offers a structured learning path that fits alongside your research commitments. These skills will differentiate you in both academic and industry job markets.

Do not overlook the career development and communication training, even if your career path seems clear. The Three Minute Thesis competition, science communication workshops, and media awareness training develop presentation skills that serve researchers at every career stage. The clinical academic pathway, entrepreneurship programmes, and industry connection events may reveal career possibilities you had not previously considered. Finally, engage with the community — attend the Annual Research Symposium, join the Buddy Scheme as both a mentee and later a mentor, and participate in the PGR Student Forum. The doctoral journey is long, and the peers you connect with through these activities become colleagues and collaborators for decades to come.