Postgraduate research opportunities Funded PhDs and Masters+ in Leverhulme Doctoral Programme of Responsible Hybrid Intelligence - Cohort 1 Recruitment
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Wednesday 11 November 2026
- Deadline: Wednesday 16 December 2026
- Number of places: Up to 15
- Duration: (48-month) PhD or (60-month) Masters+
- Funding: Home fee, Stipend
Overview
Help establish the science of Responsible Hybrid Intelligence. Join the Leverhulme Trust’s founding Cohort 1 at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow in October 2027, and tackle one of the research challenges of how people and intelligent systems learn together, share control, and remain accountable. Home Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships cover tuition and a maintenance stipend at UKRI domestic rates, with £10,000 per scholar for approved research and training.Eligibility
Eligibility by route:
PhD Route:
- Up to 12 (48-month) home PhD scholarships
- Applicants must be UK-domiciled.
- Be able to undertake full-time study.
Masters+ Route:
- Up to 3 48-month master’s plus PhD scholarships
- Applicants must be UK-domiciled and must not already hold a master’s degree from the host institution. They must be from a low-income household and/or identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black Other, Mixed - White and Black Caribbean, Mixed - White and Black African, or another mixed background including Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other.
- For Cohort 1, Masters+ is offered at the University of Glasgow.
- Masters+ applicants must meet the published prior-study and evidence requirements.
International PhD Route:
- Up to 2 highly competitive international differential tuition fee waiver awards
- International scholars cannot pay any tuition-fee shortfall themselves. This route does not apply to those who take the Master+ Route.
Self-funded Route:
- We welcome self-funded applicants who want to join RHI and be supervised by its research team. Send a brief outline of your proposed topic and how it fits Co-adaptation, Agency or Grounding to the programme contacts below. Places depend on project fit, supervisory capacity and the host university’s entry requirements.
- This is a separate admissions route from the scholarship competition.
- This route does not confer Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar status.
For the application deadline for the 18 research proposals, check the How to Apply page on the RHI-Leverhulme website.
Essential Skills/Qualifications
- Meet the host university’s PhD entry requirements and be eligible for UK domestic tuition fees for a home scholarship.
- Relevant experience in AI, computing, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, philosophy or law, depending on the project.
- Bring depth in a discipline relevant to your chosen project.
- Show how you have investigated a question independently and why you want to work across disciplines.
- Be able to undertake full-time study.
Desirable Skills/Qualifications
- A strong track record relevant to the chosen proposal.
- Excellent communication skills and research methods suited to the project.
- Interest in responsible research and collaboration across disciplines.
- Research, analytical or practical methods suited to the chosen proposal.
- Publications in leading venues or journals relevant to the chosen proposal.
Project Details
What becomes possible when the human brain and an AI system learn together? Imagine a brain-computer interface that learns to interpret neural signals while the user learns to move a cursor on a screen using those signals. Each changes how the other behaves. Understanding that feedback could change how we design technologies for communication, memory and decision-making. It also raises questions that no single discipline can answer. How does control shift as both learn? Who is accountable for the actions they shape together?
The University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow are assembling a team across neuroscience, artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, engineering, psychology, philosophy and law to establish the foundations of Responsible Hybrid Intelligence. As part of the founding cohort, you’ll help define the field by tackling one of 18 research challenges across Co-adaptation, Agency and Grounding. You’ll work with researchers whose methods differ from your own, bringing new evidence and perspectives to questions about how people and intelligent systems learn and act together.
Programme Themes:
- Co-adaptation. Study how biological and artificial systems learn and respond to one another, from adaptive brain-computer interfaces and memory support to wearable sensing and AI-assisted search.
- Agency. Investigate how people experience and retain control when AI shares decisions or actions, including in communication, brain-computer interfaces, memory and information search.
- Grounding. Examine how law, ethics and philosophy can guide the design of brain-AI systems and help assign responsibility for their actions.
See the RHI-Leverhulme website for the aims, host university and supervisory team for each of the 18 research proposals and for information on how to apply.
Funding details
PhD Route:
- Up to 12 (48-month) home PhD scholarships cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at UKRI standard domestic rates for full-time study. The annual stipend amount will be confirmed for the intake.
- The Trust ring-fences £10,000 per Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar for approved research and training needs, such as specialist courses, research travel or conference participation. This is separate from the stipend.
Master+ Route:
- Up to 3 48-month Master plus PhD scholarships to cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at UKRI standard domestic rates for eligible UK-domiciled applicants for one-year Master’s followed by a four-year PhD, subject to successful progression. Funding covers Master’s tuition at the university’s standard rate up to £12,000, a UKRI domestic-rate stipend and PhD fees at the UKRI domestic rate as described in the PhD Route above.
- Applicants must be UK-domiciled and must not already hold a Master’s degree from the host institution. They must be from a low-income household and/or identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black Other, Mixed - White and Black Caribbean, Mixed - White and Black African, or another mixed background including Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other.
- For Cohort 1, Masters+ is offered at the University of Glasgow.
- Masters+ applicants must meet the published prior-study and evidence requirements.
International PhD Route:
- Up to 2 highly competitive international differential tuition fee waiver awards are available. The Trust contributes towards the university’s standard international tuition fee, up to £25,000 per year, and funds a maintenance stipend at the UKRI standard domestic rate.
- International scholars cannot pay any tuition-fee shortfall themselves. This does not apply to those who take Master+ Route.
Additional Support:
As a Leverhulme doctoral researcher, you will have access to:
- Supervision across both universities, with a team that brings together expertise relevant to your project.
- Access to specialist facilities and methods suited to the research, from neurotechnology and brain imaging to AI and computational research.
- A research secondment to develop expertise in a complementary discipline.
- Joint induction, tailored researcher development, cross-university seminars and an annual research workshop.
- The programme also plans competitive postdoctoral opportunities for Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar graduates, subject to Trust approval.
Self-funded Route:
- We welcome self-funded applicants who want to join RHI and be supervised by its research team. Send a brief outline of your proposed topic and how it fits Co-adaptation, Agency or Grounding to the programme contacts below. Places depend on project fit, supervisory capacity and the host university’s entry requirements.
- This is a separate admissions route from the scholarship competition. This route does not confer Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar status.
For the application deadline for the 18 research proposals, check the page on the RHI-Leverhulme website.
While there is no funding in place for opportunities marked "unfunded", there are lots of different options to help you fund postgraduate research. Visit funding your postgraduate research for links to government grants, research councils funding and more, that could be available.
Supervisors
- Professor Yashar Moshfeghi, Programme Director, Artificial Intelligence, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Simon Hanslmayr, Deputy Director, Brain Rhythms and Cognition, University of Glasgow
- Professor Shuzo Sakata, Systems Neuroscience, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Keith Mathieson, Neurophotonics, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Aleksandra Vučković, Neurotechnology and Rehabilitation Engineering, University of Glasgow
- Professor Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Child Development, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Guido Noto La Diega, Law, Technology and Innovation, University of Strathclyde
- Professor Monika Harvey, Cognitive Psychology, University of Glasgow
- Professor Patricia Connolly, Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde
- Dr William McGeown, Psychology, University of Strathclyde
- Dr Emma C. Gordon, Philosophy, University of Glasgow
- Dr Brianna Vandrey, Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow
Apply
How to apply:
See the RHI-Leverhulme website for the aims, host university and supervisory team for each of the 18 research proposals and for information on how to apply.
Number of places: Up to 15
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Contact us
For programme enquiries, contact:
- Professor Yashar Moshfeghi (yashar.moshfeghi@strath.ac.uk)
- Professor Simon Hanslmayr (simon.hanslmayr@glasgow.ac.uk)