ENAIBLE is structured as a coherent four-year doctoral journey, deliberately designed to integrate interdisciplinary training with focused doctoral research.
The design is deliberate: breadth first, then depth.
Year 1 is an intensive, cohort-based foundation delivered through Oxford’s interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) and the associated Departments (Computer Science, Mathematics, and Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences). Years 2–4 are dedicated to an ambitious, original DPhil research project hosted at one of the partner institutions, supported by cross-institutional supervision and ongoing professional development.
Year 1
Building Foundations Across Disciplines
Year 1 places you within a focused ENAIBLE cohort of six, embedded inside the much larger interdisciplinary community of the Oxford Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) and other partner institutions.
Each year, the DTC brings together more than 90 doctoral researchers across multiple programmes spanning mathematics, computation, engineering and the life sciences. Many elements of the core training are delivered across these streams, expanding both the scope and the quality of the teaching you access.
This means you benefit from two complementary scales at once:
- A small, high-calibre ENAIBLE cohort with dedicated academic leadership and identity.
- A broad interdisciplinary doctoral community where you learn alongside peers working in adjacent and sometimes radically different domains.
Based primarily within the Oxford DTC, you develop shared language, shared standards and shared ambition across AI and the biosciences, while also building relationships with researchers whose expertise may later become central to your own career.
Induction (2 weeks)
The programme begins with a structured induction introducing:
- Doctoral research expectations and research integrity.
- ENAIBLE’s five research themes.
- Individual Training and Development Planning (ITDP).
- Cohort-building activities and mentoring.
From the outset, you are embedded in a supportive interdisciplinary environment.
Fundamentals (Terms 1 & 2)
The core training phase develops technical depth and interdisciplinary fluency, tailored to each student's entry background.
The modules a student will take will vary depending on their research path and existing skills. Options student may take include topics such as:
- Bioethics
- Responsible AI
- Bioscience data management
- Machine learning
- Professional and life skills.
Additional modules tailor your learning to your background and future doctoral direction.
Throughout, teaching integrates computational and experimental perspectives, emphasising reproducibility, ethical awareness and real-world datasets.
Rotation Projects — Discovering Your Direction
You undertake two interdisciplinary rotation projects with different supervisory teams.
Rotations allow you to:
- Experience distinct research cultures and facilities.
- Test methodological approaches across themes.
- Refine your doctoral focus.
Each rotation concludes with a written report and presentation to the cohort, strengthening your research communication skills.
Interdisciplinary Team Project
Alongside rotations, you participate in a longer-format team project guided in collaboration with industry and external research partners.
This component develops:
- Team science capability.
- Engagement with real-world datasets.
- Exposure to regulatory, ethical and translational considerations.
By the end of Year 1, you transition from broad exploration to a clearly defined doctoral research direction.
Years 2–4
DPhil Research
From Year 2, you take ownership of a substantive, original doctoral research project aligned with one of ENAIBLE’s five themes.
From Year 2 onwards, your research will be conducted at the institution aligned with your project and supervisory team. This will be one of the degree-awarding partner universities — the University of Oxford, the University of Birmingham, or Aberystwyth University — and may involve research hosted at the Francis Crick Institute where appropriate.
If you are registered at Oxford, you will be awarded a DPhil. If you are registered at Birmingham or Aberystwyth, you will be awarded a PhD. There is no transfer of academic registration during the programme.
Supervision Model
You are supported by:
- At least two academic supervisors.
- Complementary computational and experimental expertise.
- Cross-institutional collaboration where appropriate.
- Access to industry mentors where relevant.
This structure ensures both disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary reach.
Milestones and Progression
Your doctoral progression includes:
- Development of a detailed research proposal at the start of Year 2.
- Formal progression reviews in Years 2 and 3.
- Ongoing review of the Individual Training and Development Plan.
- Thoughtful consideration of ethical and societal implications throughout your research.
You remain connected to your cohort through annual symposia, thematic activities and professional development workshops.
Placements
You are likely to undertake a placement with a partner organisation as part of the programme.
Placements provide you with:
- Exposure to non-academic research environments.
- Experience working with applied datasets and translational challenges.
Professional network development.