Research Toolkit
Curated links and practical guidance to support Ukrainian academics navigating UK research careers, PhD applications, and professional development.
A curated starting point
The resources below were selected by members of the UK branch of Science for Ukraine to address the most common questions Ukrainian academics ask when applying to UK PhD programmes, preparing academic CVs, writing proposals, and building careers in UK higher education. Each section opens to reveal trusted external guides, templates, and tools.
Three essential first steps
Understand the PhD landscape
A clear overview of what a UK PhD involves, how to find a supervisor, and what admissions panels expect.
Read the guideFind open positions
Search advertised PhD opportunities, funding schemes, and doctoral training partnerships across the UK.
Search FindAPhDWrite your proposal
Structure a compelling UK-style research proposal with guidance from Edinburgh and FindAPhD.
See proposal guidanceBrowse by topic
- FindAPhD
UK's leading platform for advertised PhD opportunities.
- UKRI Funding Finder
Explore PhD funding via UK Research and Innovation.
- Jobs.ac.uk (PhD section)
Academic jobs board including dedicated PhD listings.
- Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs)
Funded programmes including ESRC, AHRC, NERC DTPs.
- UCL Graduate School
- University of Manchester Doctoral Academy
- University of Edinburgh Doctoral College
- Oxford Graduate Course Listings
Direct contact with potential supervisors for unfunded or tailored projects.
- University of Edinburgh — Research Proposals
Official guidance on structure and expectations.
- Edinburgh Philosophy — Help with your Application
- FindAPhD — Writing a PhD Research Proposal
Step-by-step proposal writing guide.
- FindAPhD Blog — 5 Things a Good PhD Proposal Doesnt Need
- FindAPhD Blog — Explaining Impact
A key ingredient for your PhD research proposal.
- FindAPhD Blog — Proposing Your Own PhD Topic
What's it like to propose your own PhD topic?
- Oxford Careers — Academic Applications
Focus on academia — publications, presentations, relevant experiences.
- Oxford — Writing a CV
- Edinburgh Careers — Academic CV
Outline of common academic CV sections and priorities.
- University of Reading — Academic PhD CV Example
Real-world PhD academic CV to model your own after.
- LSE Careers — Academic Applications
Clear structure and presentation tips.
- Fusion Engineering CDT — CV Guidance
What UK PhD CVs should include — research interests, education, skills.
- Prospects — PhD Study
- Jobs.ac.uk — PhD Guides
- Prospects Career Planner
- Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF)
- Jobs.ac.uk Career Advice Hub
- MindTools — SWOT Analysis
Free template and explanation.
- Leeds Career Web — SWOT Analysis
- Indeed — SWOT Analysis
- Liverpool — Networking
- Jobs.ac.uk — Tips for Academic Networking
- Prosper — Career Development for Researchers
- Vitae — Career Management
- Vitae — Careers in Academia
Academic job search and applications.
- Jobs.ac.uk — Career Advice Hub
Interviews, applications, networking.
- Prospects — Academic Interview Questions
- Prosper — Creating a Better CV
- Imperial College — How to Write an Academic CV
- Overleaf — Clean Academic CV Template
- Overleaf — A Customised Curve CV
- Prosper — Career Development for Researchers
CVs, career decision-making, moving beyond academia.
- Vitae — Career Pathways in Research
- UK Research Funding — Simplified Advice
Informative blog post on UK-specific grant applications.
- UKRI — Summary of Key UK Schemes
- UKRI — About UK Research and Innovation
- The Culture Factor — Intercultural Management
Tips for adapting to the UK academic and cultural context.
- Advance HE — Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- ORCID — For Researchers
Build your unique academic identifier.
- University of Derby — ResearchGate Guide
Brief guide to ResearchGate.
- Times Higher Education — LinkedIn Tips for Researchers
- British Academy — Funding
Grant writing resources and opportunities.
- Edinburgh — Writing up Qualitative Research
Self-study pack on academic writing.
- Edinburgh — Study Hub Writing Resources
- Jobs.ac.uk — Using ChatGPT Ethically in Academic Writing
- Vitae — Publication and Research Outputs
- Nature Masterclasses — Publication
- Jobs.ac.uk — Getting Your Research Published
Selecting journals, understanding scope and audience, open access publishing.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- Elsevier Journal Finder
- Student Minds
UK-wide student mental health support network.
- The Wellbeing Thesis
Support for PhD students wellbeing.
- Prospects — How to Beat Imposter Syndrome
- Vitae — Self-Confidence for Researchers
- Times Higher Education — Strategies for Academic Resilience
- Times Higher Education — Building Resilience for Students
- Recipes for Wellbeing — Brief Resilience Scale
- NHS Mental Health Support
Credits
This resource was developed collaboratively by members of the UK branch of Science for Ukraine, including Maria Eichel-Vogel, Arran Reader, Olga Petrovska, Nataliya Rumyantseva, Nelaia Lebid, Diana Nikolova, and Viktoriya Zezekalo.