2 minutes with Shefali Saxena, Chemistry PhD student
Shefali describes King's in three words and chats about her research.
Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Duration:
3-4 years full time and 6-8 years part-time
The Department of Chemistry provides a vibrant environment for postgraduate study. We foster an interdisciplinary approach to science, cutting across physical and life sciences to explore new chemistry frontiers and delivering fundamental solutions for a sustainable and healthy society.
Our research ranges from computational and physical chemistry to chemical biology, medical imaging and materials science. Additional strengths are in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy, biotechnology and green chemistry, metallochemistry, nanoparticle chemistry, and biology and drug discovery.
For information about the exciting research in the chemistry department please see our research pages.
Recent publications
View our recent publications here.
Current research areas
For information about the exciting research in the chemistry department please see our research pages: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/chemistry/research
Partner organisations
We have strong links with industry and other academic institutions, conducting research with the Thomas Young Centre and The Francis Crick Institute, one of the largest biomedical laboratories in Europe.
1. Search our Research Groups to find your supervisor
Before applying for an MPhil/PhD you will need to consider a potential supervisor. Please consult the department's academic profiles or research groups and labs for more information on the supervisory interests of staff. Please email a prospective supervisor, sending your proposal and a summary of your academic and/or relevant professional experience.
You can search our list of funded or non-funded projects or, you can approach a supervisor and present a speculative research proposal. We are especially interested in receiving applications from students planning their research projects in fields that will enhance the strength of the department’s research groups.
Explore our Research Groups to find relevant supervisors
Explore our Funding and Project Opportunities
2. Speak to the team
Please email the department if you have any questions: chemistry-pgr@kcl.ac.uk
3. Apply via the King's Apply Portal
When you have identified a project or developed a research proposal with a supervisor, please submit an online application via King's Apply.
For 'Programme Name', enter 'Chemistry Research MPhil/PhD (full-time) programme'. Please note that a named supervisor is required for your application for this programme: you should mention your intended supervisor and the project in the 'Research Proposal' section of the application form.
Application procedure
You should complete the application form and send all appropriate documentation as listed in the requirements. Any written submissions required by the supervisor/department/research group should be submitted in one document.
Short-listed applicants will be interviewed by at least two academics, either in person or online via Microsoft Teams. Proposed research projects must be approved by the Head of Department before projects can be confirmed and commence.
Please note an ATAS certificate is required for successful applicants applying for this course whose nationality is not listed under the exempt nationalities here. Please consult our International Student Advice pages for further information.
Personal statement and supporting information
You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
| Personal Statement | Yes |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Your personal statement should showcase your research experience, why you want to do a PhD in this particular area. We are looking for evidence of your research potential. |
|---|---|---|
| Research Proposal | No | You must identify a potential supervisor though in the 'Research Proposal' section of the application form, but you are not required to upload a draft research proposal. |
| Previous Academic Study | Yes | A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
| References | Yes | Two references are required with at least one academic. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
| Other | Optional | You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application |
Application closing date
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process. In addition, if you receive an offer, this programme requires all non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals (with some exceptions) to have an ATAS certificate before they can enrol at King’s and this can take some time. We therefore advise applying as soon as possible to avoid any delay in obtaining this certificate.
Some projects and funding opportunities may have earlier deadlines than the listed college deadlines listed below, so please check carefully.
The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.
- February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 for Home fee status
- June 2025 entry – 20 March 2025 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2025 for Home fee status
- October 2025 entry – 25 July 2025 for Overseas fee status and 25 August 2025 for Home fee status
- February 2026 entry – 20 October 2025 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2025 for Home fee status
- June 2026 entry – 20 March 2026 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2026 for Home fee status
For funding opportunities please explore these pages:
- List of funding opportunities
- King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
- Centre for Doctoral Training on Multiscale Models for Life
- London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium
UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full-time tuition fees: £6,936 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £3,468 per year
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full-time tuition fees: £30,240 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £15,120 per year
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full-time tuition fees: £7,500 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £3,750 per year
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full-time tuition fees: £32,400 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £16,200 per year
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
The Department of Chemistry occupies research laboratories at Britannia House - a pharmaceutical industry grade research facility - on Guy’s Campus. The labs house state-of-the art analytical and spectroscopic facilities close at hand, and further analytical and synthetic facilities are available close by at the Waterloo and St Thomas’ Hospital campuses.
In addition to labs equipped for synthetic chemistry, biochemistry and tissue culture, individual research groups have specialist kit laser excitation and microwave spectroscopy as well as access to King’s excellent core research facilities:
· Centre of Excellence for Mass Spectrometry
· Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy
· Nikon Imaging Centre
· NMR Facility
· Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)
· Radiochemistry facilities and medical imaging
Postgraduate students are encouraged to mix with fellow students and other scientists across the Faculty and College, at events from departmental seminars and NMES Graduate School training to international conferences. These offer students the chance to present and discuss their work at many levels and make valuable network connections.
The nature of the research in the Department of Chemistry is highly cross-disciplinary and making contacts and exchanging ideas form a core part of this approach to science. Research projects may be co-supervised by staff from different Research Divisions and Departments to support collaboration and application of chemical innovation, especially in medicine and biology.
Postgraduate training
Department and College induction events are scheduled at the beginning of your degree to prepare you for life as a PhD student. All students are encouraged to complete up to 10 days of training and development each year.
There is a centrally provided programme of training coordinated by the Kings Doctoral College and the NMES Graduate school offers a range of unique training for our students with a focus to support PhD research and the PhD journey. The NMES Graduate School also organises a variety of social and research events for students from hosting the NMES PGR Welcome event, Science walking tours, Winter and Summer social parties, movie and board game nights, to Presentation and Writing coffee mornings, a space for students to present their research work to peers and receive feedback. One of the highlights in the NMES PGR calendar is the Research Competition, where 3rd year students across all five departments present their research in a 3-minute video culminating in an in-person event where all finalist videos are viewed, and the winners receive their prize.
Research students are encouraged to submit papers to conferences and are supported to present papers and posters.
Our research students are also encouraged to engage in paid Graduate Teaching Assistant roles alongside their studies to help prepare them for a potential future career in academia.
UK requirements
-
Bachelors degree with 2:1 honours degree in a related subject.
-
A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Masters degree with Merit or above
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
D
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
1. Search our Research Groups to find your supervisor
Before applying for an MPhil/PhD you will need to consider a potential supervisor. Please consult the department's academic profiles or research groups and labs for more information on the supervisory interests of staff. Please email a prospective supervisor, sending your proposal and a summary of your academic and/or relevant professional experience.
You can search our list of funded or non-funded projects or, you can approach a supervisor and present a speculative research proposal. We are especially interested in receiving applications from students planning their research projects in fields that will enhance the strength of the department’s research groups.
Explore our Research Groups to find relevant supervisors
Explore our Funding and Project Opportunities
2. Speak to the team
Please email the department if you have any questions: chemistry-pgr@kcl.ac.uk
3. Apply via the King's Apply Portal
When you have identified a project or developed a research proposal with a supervisor, please submit an online application via King's Apply.
For 'Programme Name', enter 'Chemistry Research MPhil/PhD (full-time) programme'. Please note that a named supervisor is required for your application for this programme: you should mention your intended supervisor and the project in the 'Research Proposal' section of the application form.
Application procedure
You should complete the application form and send all appropriate documentation as listed in the requirements. Any written submissions required by the supervisor/department/research group should be submitted in one document.
Short-listed applicants will be interviewed by at least two academics, either in person or online via Microsoft Teams. Proposed research projects must be approved by the Head of Department before projects can be confirmed and commence.
Please note an ATAS certificate is required for successful applicants applying for this course whose nationality is not listed under the exempt nationalities here. Please consult our International Student Advice pages for further information.
Personal statement and supporting information
You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
| Personal Statement | Yes |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Your personal statement should showcase your research experience, why you want to do a PhD in this particular area. We are looking for evidence of your research potential. |
|---|---|---|
| Research Proposal | No | You must identify a potential supervisor though in the 'Research Proposal' section of the application form, but you are not required to upload a draft research proposal. |
| Previous Academic Study | Yes | A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
| References | Yes | Two references are required with at least one academic. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
| Other | Optional | You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application |
Application closing date
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process. In addition, if you receive an offer, this programme requires all non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals (with some exceptions) to have an ATAS certificate before they can enrol at King’s and this can take some time. We therefore advise applying as soon as possible to avoid any delay in obtaining this certificate.
Some projects and funding opportunities may have earlier deadlines than the listed college deadlines listed below, so please check carefully.
The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.
- February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 for Home fee status
- June 2025 entry – 20 March 2025 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2025 for Home fee status
- October 2025 entry – 25 July 2025 for Overseas fee status and 25 August 2025 for Home fee status
- February 2026 entry – 20 October 2025 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2025 for Home fee status
- June 2026 entry – 20 March 2026 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2026 for Home fee status
For funding opportunities please explore these pages:
- List of funding opportunities
- King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
- Centre for Doctoral Training on Multiscale Models for Life
- London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium
UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full-time tuition fees: £6,936 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £3,468 per year
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full-time tuition fees: £30,240 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £15,120 per year
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full-time tuition fees: £7,500 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £3,750 per year
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full-time tuition fees: £32,400 per year
Part-time tuition fees: £16,200 per year
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
The Department of Chemistry occupies research laboratories at Britannia House - a pharmaceutical industry grade research facility - on Guy’s Campus. The labs house state-of-the art analytical and spectroscopic facilities close at hand, and further analytical and synthetic facilities are available close by at the Waterloo and St Thomas’ Hospital campuses.
In addition to labs equipped for synthetic chemistry, biochemistry and tissue culture, individual research groups have specialist kit laser excitation and microwave spectroscopy as well as access to King’s excellent core research facilities:
· Centre of Excellence for Mass Spectrometry
· Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy
· Nikon Imaging Centre
· NMR Facility
· Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)
· Radiochemistry facilities and medical imaging
Postgraduate students are encouraged to mix with fellow students and other scientists across the Faculty and College, at events from departmental seminars and NMES Graduate School training to international conferences. These offer students the chance to present and discuss their work at many levels and make valuable network connections.
The nature of the research in the Department of Chemistry is highly cross-disciplinary and making contacts and exchanging ideas form a core part of this approach to science. Research projects may be co-supervised by staff from different Research Divisions and Departments to support collaboration and application of chemical innovation, especially in medicine and biology.
Postgraduate training
Department and College induction events are scheduled at the beginning of your degree to prepare you for life as a PhD student. All students are encouraged to complete up to 10 days of training and development each year.
There is a centrally provided programme of training coordinated by the Kings Doctoral College and the NMES Graduate school offers a range of unique training for our students with a focus to support PhD research and the PhD journey. The NMES Graduate School also organises a variety of social and research events for students from hosting the NMES PGR Welcome event, Science walking tours, Winter and Summer social parties, movie and board game nights, to Presentation and Writing coffee mornings, a space for students to present their research work to peers and receive feedback. One of the highlights in the NMES PGR calendar is the Research Competition, where 3rd year students across all five departments present their research in a 3-minute video culminating in an in-person event where all finalist videos are viewed, and the winners receive their prize.
Research students are encouraged to submit papers to conferences and are supported to present papers and posters.
Our research students are also encouraged to engage in paid Graduate Teaching Assistant roles alongside their studies to help prepare them for a potential future career in academia.
UK requirements
-
Bachelors degree with 2:1 honours degree in a related subject.
-
A 2:2 degree may be considered only where applicants also offer a Masters degree with Merit or above
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
D
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Duration:
3-4 years full time and 6-8 years part-time
Contact us
For more information regarding our courses please contact us using the details below
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