Doctor of Philosophy | Medicine

PhD

Provided by

Programme Type

Full-time, Part-time

LKCMedicine Admissions

[email protected]
Enquire here Apply now

The LKCMedicine PhD by Research Programme​ admits students from a variety of backgrounds – natural science, medicine, social science, and engineering, and exposes them to a range of topics and disciplines such that on completion, graduates will have a deep knowledge and appreciation of both translatable and translational medical research methods.

From Our PhD Programme Director

Dear prospective applicant,

 

I am pleased you are considering joining our PhD programme. This is a very exciting training opportunity. LKCMedicine is renowned for its excellence in areas of neuroscience and mental health, nutrition, skin, developmental biology, microbiome, infectious disease, medical education research, population health and data science.

You will get to learn and work closely with our scientific experts, acquiring strong technical skills and know-how that will set you apart.

You will also benefit from a rigorous yet diverse inter-disciplinary curriculum. We have a wide variety of courses from statistics to entrepreneurship and professional skills. You get to decide how you want to expand your horizons.

Finally, we are very proud of our community of learning and research in LKCMedicine. Beside your chosen PhD supervisor and the graduate student association, you will gain access to your own Postgraduate tutor who will provide you with holistic development opportunities and wisdom. 

You will graduate from our programme with excellent analytical skills and knowledge, well-equipped to take on modern day challenges.
 
We look forward to welcoming you.

Dr Wilson Goh
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
 Director, PhD Programme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
 Director, Biomedical Data Science Graduate Programme
 Co-Director, Centre for Biomedical Informatics
 Head, Good Research Practice Office
 Group Leader, Bio-Data Science and Education Laboratory


Student Testimonials

"The LKCMedicine PhD by Research Programme comes from a medical school that is a marriage between two top universities, Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University, ensuring an endless stream of opportunities for translational medical research and collaborations."

Dr Lee Shuen Yee
Class of 2020

​"The modules have been useful in exposing me to new technologies and study methodologies. I was able to think about my chosen topic in depth and from many different angles and intend to apply this new knowledge to my clinical research projects beyond my PhD."

Dr Barnaby Young, Clinical Appointment,
Class of 2022

"The research atmosphere at LKCMedicine is world-class. I particularly love that there are no barriers between various lab groups and everyone is a part of a big warm scientific family. By the end of this journey, I hope to achieve scientific excellence in my field of research as well as kick-start a career in academia."

Dr Kelly Wong Li Lin
Class of 2022

It is designed to train and equip students with essential skills that will enable them to conduct cutting-edge research in one of the following domains:

The four-year PhD by Research programme has three distinctive features: 

  • Global health awareness attachment  
  • Laboratory rotations & clinical attachment 
  • Three unique research training pathways 

Students’ research proposals should be aligned with one of LKCMedicine’s research themes:

 

To determine your PhD research project, check if your selected PhD supervisor from any of the research programmes listed has a research project that aligns with your research interest. Alternatively, you could propose your own research project to your selected PhD supervisor. 

For both options, you are required to procure an agreement for PhD supervision from your selected PhD supervisor BEFORE submitting your online application for the PhD programme.

Valid test score is required for applicants who are not graduates from autonomous universities in Singapore. Test dates must be within 5 years or less from the date of application. 

Admissions Criteria
Degree Requirements
Non-clinician applicants
At least Upper Second, preferably First class honours degree in a relevant field. A Master’s degree is not a pre-requisite but is considered advantageous.

Clinician applicants
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or Doctor of Medicine (MD) with identifiable research experience, preferably in the form of a Master’s degree​
Other Requirements
TOEFL/IELTS
Good English test score is required. English test scores are required for international applicants except those who are from English-medium institutions or whose undergraduate/graduate degrees are from autonomous universities in Singapore. IELTS may be submitted in lieu of TOEFL
 
GRE
Valid test score is required for applicants who are not graduates from autonomous universities in Singapore. Test dates must be within 5 years or less from the date of application.

 

Applicant​s are also assessed on the feasibility of the research proposal, research experience and fundamental knowledge in their area of interest.​

NTU Research Scholarship

The NTU Research Scholarship is awarded to outstanding graduate students for research leading to a higher degree at the University. The Scholarship consists of a monthly stipend plus a tuition fee subsidy. It is tenable for one year in the first instance and is renewable subject to good progress. The maximum period of the award is up to four years for PhD candidates, subject to good performance and progress, as well as the availability of research funding. The School, at its discretion, may appoint scholarship recipients to assist in academic or administration work not exceeding 10 hours per week. For details and other available graduate scholarships, please click here.

Application Procedures

Before You
Please take note of the following when you submit the research proposal in your application

- Please submit a summary of your research proposal (maximum two pages). If the research proposal is based on your selected PhD supervisor’s research project, you are to write your research proposal in your own words.

- You are required to select THREE potential supervisors from HERE. Please indicate your selections in the online application. At least one of them must agree to be your PhD supervisor or your application would not be considered. The school has the final say on the matching of PhD applicants with selected supervisors. This depends on factors such as the PhD supervisors’ commitment level, supervisory load and supervisory track record


*Please write in to [email protected] if you need any clarification.


How to Apply

​Submit an online application here.
When to Apply


​There are two intakes each year -  August and January. Please apply before the closing date for the preferred intake:

Admission IntakeApplication Period
August1 October - 31 January
January1 June - 31 July

 

The application and all supporting/additional documents (including referees’ letters) must be completed and submitted by the closing date. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Enquiries

For enquiries, you may e-mail to [email protected].

NOTE: The above details are subject to change without prior notice.

 

Students are expected to complete the programme in four years. The programme is open to applicants who are keen to pursue PhD studies on a full-time or part-time basis (self-financing).
 
The minimum and maximum candidatures are as follows:*
  • Full-time: minimum 3 and maximum 5 years
  • Part-time: minimum 3 and maximum 7 years
  • Full-time and Part-time: minimum 3 and maximum 5 years (For students admitted from AY2020-21)​
For enquiries, please email to [email protected].
* NOTE: The above details are subject to change without prior notice.

 

 

The LKCMedicine PhD by Research Programme is designed to train and equip students with the technical and analytical skills essential to address the School’s key research in Cardiorespiratory & Metabolic Health, Infectious Diseases, ​Neuroscience & Mental Health, Population Health & Health Services Research, Systems Biology, Medical Education Research, Regenerative Medicine & Developmental Biology, Health Technologies and Nanomedicine and Bioengineering. Students receive broad exposure to a wide range of expertise within the School and NTU before specialising in their chosen research area. 

LKCMedicine PhD students must undertake the following: 

 

 

YEAR 1

Courses offered to LKCMedicine PhD Students:

LKCMedicine PhD programme Year 1

The following are the curriculum requirements for clinician and non-clinician PhD students:

 

Assessments

Students will be assessed on the following during Year 1:
  1. Performance in in-course assessment and/or written examinations of the courses conducted at the end of each semester
  2. Quality of written reports and presentations of the lab rotation projects. Results (if any) of each mini-project should be written in the form of a scientific paper (1 to 2-page), for evaluation at the PhD Qualifying Examination in due course
  3. Quality of written reports (1000 to 1500 words) of the Global Health and Clinical Awareness attachments
Pass the PhD Qualifying Examination between 12 to 18 months from the start date of candidature. The examination includes: (i) literature review, (ii) research proposal and (iii) a report on research undertaken to date. Oral presentations are also required for items (ii) and (iii).

*The selection of the lab rotations will be guided by the student's preferred PhD research focus and in consultation with his/her supervisor. The rotations are meant to broaden the student's exposure to research within the School at an early stage of their training.

Years 2 and 3

  • Attendance at Research Seminars
  • Commence main research project and choose one of the following Pathways: 

Year 4

  • Attendance at Research Seminars
  • Students on all three pathways complete their main project at LKCMedicine and prepare their thesis for submission
  • The PhD Thesis Examination consists of thesis, thesis defense in the form of an open seminar followed by a closed viva voce examination

Enquiries​

 

VinGroup Graduate Scholarship

This scholarship applies to Vietnamese nationals who are interested in pursuing a full-time PhD or Master’s degree (by research or coursework) at NTU.

Interested applicants may click here for more info.

For more info on the LKCMedicine PhD by Research programme, please click here.