Colt Foundation Fellowships

The Foundation awards Fellowships each year to persons who are qualified in science or medicine who are carrying out research within the area of occupational and environmental health at a UK university.

The PhD Fellowship is normally for three years (FTE). The stipend rate for 2025-2026 is £ 25,301 and rises roughly with UK inflation for the following two years. Payments will include UK / home fees; and overseas candidates applying would be expected to meet the difference in home and International rates.  The grant does not attract any taxation.


In recent years grants have been made in respect of:

  • Exploring mental health practitioners’ experiences of the coroner inquest after the unexpected death of a patient
  • A molecular approach to understanding the mechanism(s) of silica-induced lung carcinogenesis
  • Chronic respiratory disease and lung function decline in relation to occupational exposures in the multinational BOLD cohort
  • Genotoxic effect of occupational chronic low dose ionising radiation in nuclear medicine technologists
  • High aspect ratio nanomaterials and the asbestos pathogenicity paradigm
  • Occupational risk factors affecting mental health: developing simple, theory-driven preventative strategies to target flashbacks associated with post traumatic stress in the workplace
  • Assessing the effectiveness of an integrated line manager intervention to promote workplace mental health
  • Investigating the Biological Impact of Nanoplastics Interacting with Environmental Pollutant
  • Workplace bullying in an evolving landscape: A longitudinal investigation of vulnerabilities and outcomes
  • Exertional heat illness: genetic risk factors and muscle performance
  • Health Outcomes in Female Military Veterans in Scotland
  • Long-term cardiovascular risk from low levels of ionising radiation: endothelial damage mechanisms

Applications should be submitted in word format to the Foundation’s Director, Mrs Tash Heydon by email: tash@coltfoundation.org.uk

Applications should be submitted by prospective students, and not by their supervisors, although it is expected that the supervisor(s) will have had input to ensure that the project can lead to a successful PhD. We do not have an application form, but we ask that applications include:

  • An outline of the proposed research, including the scientific questions that it will address, the data that will be collected, and how they will be analysed to answer the study questions.
  • The applicant’s CV.
  • A detailed letter of support from the proposed supervisor.
  • Contact details of two referees.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 27th May 2025.


After initial short-listing, a subset of applicants is invited to interview in London, on the basis of which, the final selection is made.  


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