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Welcome to the SABS R3 CDT, also known as the Sustainable Approaches to Biomedical Science: Responsible and Reproducible Research Centre for Doctoral Training.
We train doctoral students in cutting-edge, collaborative systems approaches to biomedical research — and, uniquely within the UK, in advanced practices in software engineering. Our goal is to bring about a transformation of research culture in computational biomedical science.
Nowadays, computational methods are at the heart of biomedical research. From prediction to simulation of the behaviour of complex systems, through the design and automation of laboratory experiments, to the analysis of both small and large-scale data sets, well-engineered software has proved essential to transforming biomedical science.
SABS R3 builds on the internationally leading track record of innovative, interdisciplinary scientific training already established by our EPSRC & MRC Systems Approaches to Biomedical Science (SABS) CDT programme. The original EPSRC SABS Industrial Doctoral Centre (IDC) was established in 2009 as an open innovation partnership between researchers at the University of Oxford and 13 organizations from across the pharmaceutical and biomedical technologies sectors, and now has 30 partners, including some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
You can hear from our students, industrialists, and academics about the SABS programme in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GLrfMyiwK80
SABS R3 builds on the existing SABS Programme to equip a new generation of researchers with not only the knowledge and methods necessary to undertake quantitative and interdisciplinary biomedical research, but also advanced software engineering skills. By embedding this strong focus on sustainable and open computational methods, together with responsible and reproducible approaches into all aspects of the new programme, our computationally-literate students are working with our partners to become ambassadors helping to transform biomedical research.
SABS R3 is based in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre.
May 2024
We are now open and accepting applications to the Sustainable Approaches to Biomedical Science Centre for Doctoral Training (SABS CDT) for entry in autumn 2024: more details can be found on our Graduate Admissions page.
April 2024
We're delighted to announce that applications to the Sustainable Approaches to Biomedical Science Centre for Doctoral Training (SABS CDT) for entry in autumn 2024 will re-open shortly.
July 2023
SABS Welcomes New Programme Manager
SABS R3 welcomes a new Programme Manager, Melanie Witt, whose most recent roles have been managing the EPSRC CDT in Mathematics of Random Systems, and the Administrator for the Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Alzheimer's Research UK Thames Valley Network. Melanie originally moved to Oxford to work in Earth Sciences as a post-doctoral research fellow investigating volcanoes as a source of mercury, she has worked at Oxford for over 16 years, and is looking forward to working with current and future SABS R3 students, and everyone at the DTC.
Tuesday, 29th November, 2022
DTC Applications workshop - December 13-14 2022
The DTC is hosting an admissions workshop specifically aimed at supporting students currently under-represented at Oxford in their applications. The workshop is fully funded and includes travel, food and accommodation. We warmly encourage application by 9am Monday 5th December. For more information and to apply click here.
Friday, 2nd September, 2022
SABS R3 Open Day for Entry in 2023-24
SABS is holding an Open Day on Zoom on Wednesday 16th November 2022, from 1:30 - 3:30 pm. If you're curious about applying to SABS R3 for entry in the 2023-24 academic year, and would like to hear from current and former SABS students, we encourage you to register by emailing sabs-administrator@dtc.ox.ac.uk. We hope to see you then.
Tuesday, April 26th, 2022
SABS Open for Applications for 2022/23
SABS R3 is currently still accepting applications for entry in the 2022/23 academic year, with limited funded places remaining for Home students. Please email sabs-administrator@dtc.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions or for more information.
Tuesday, January 4th, 2022
SABS Welcomes New Programme Manager
SABS R3 welcomes in the new year with a new Programme Manager, Katherine Baysan, whose most recent roles have been in Admissions and Outreach at Corpus Christi College, and the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. Having moved from Glasgow in 2017 she has worked at Oxford for over 4 years, and is looking forward to working with current and future SABS R3 students, and everyone at the DTC. Welcome Katherine!
Monday, 1st November, 2021
SABS R3 Open Day for Entry in 2022-23
SABS is holding an Open Day on Zoom on Wednesday, 24th November, 2021, from 11:30 am - 1 pm. If you're curious about applying to SABS R3 for entry in the 2022-23 academic year, and would like to hear from current and former SABS students, we encourage you to register by emailing sabs-administrator@dtc.ox.ac.uk. Hope to see you then.
Wednesday, 6th October, 2021
SABS Student Andrei-Claudiu Roibu awarded prestigious 1851 Royal Commission Industrial Fellowship
We are delighted to announce 3rd Year SABS student Andrei-Claudiu Roibu (SABS 2019) has been awarded a prestigious 1851 Royal Commission Industrial Fellowship for his project ‘Mapping brain network activity from structural connectivity using deep learning’ in collaboration with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and the University of Oxford. More information on Andrei’s project is available here and on our News page:
"This project will help better understand the structure-function relationship in the central nervous system, a key research topic in neuroscience. In addition, it could also help in the development of treatments and procedures which could improve the lives of patients suffering from rare neurological diseases."
Friday, 14th May 2021
Bernadette Stolz wins Thesis Prize
Bernadette Stolz, a SABS 2014 student, has won the Mathematical Institute's Thesis Prize 2020 for her DPhil, Global and Local Persistent Homology for the Shape and Classification of Biological Data.
Tuesday, 21st October, 2020
DTC involved in pilot scheme addressing conscious and unconscious bias in graduate applications
Inspired by discussions with its students, scientific communities, and ongoing global events, the University is running a pilot with a limited number of courses to test actions aimed at minimising conscious and unconscious bias in its admissions procedure for graduate students.
Friday, 4th December, 2020
EPA Cephalosporin-Linacre Scholarships
SABS R³ is pleased to announce the availability of EPA-Cephalosporin-Linacre Scholarships for eligble applicants. They are funded by the EPA Cephalosporin Fund in association with Linacre College and will provide full scholarships for students in the Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) and the EPSRC Sustainable Approaches to Biomedical Science: Responsible and Reproducible Research Centre for Doctoral Training (SABS R³). Scholarships will be awarded to students from socio-economic backgrounds that are under-represented in doctoral research. More informatiion can be found on our Funding and EEDI pages.
Tuesday, 21st October, 2020
DTC involved in pilot scheme addressing conscious and unconscious bias in graduate applications
Inspired by discussions with its students, scientific communities, and ongoing global events, the University is running a pilot with a limited number of courses to test actions aimed at minimising conscious and unconscious bias in its admissions procedure for graduate students.
Wednesday, 7th October 2020
On 30th September 2020 the University of Oxford announced a new scholarship scheme for Black graduate students. The Black Academic Futures programme will provide up to ten new scholarships to Black UK research students starting studies next year. This new scholarship is part of a programme to transform its graduate population by creating more funding opportunities for under-represented groups.
Thursday, 17th September, 2020
One in Eight Million
Congratulations to SABS alumnus Joshua Bull, a graduate student in Mathematics, who topped a field of more than eight million to win this year's Fantasy Football Premier League competition. You can find out how he did it by watching his public lecture which has already had more than 44,000 downloads. Well done, Josh!
Friday, 3rd July 2020
Congratulations to Dr Eoin Malins and the DTC, as one of the winners of this year's Vice-Chancellor's Education Awards for 'An Introduction to Computer Programming for Life Scientists'.
Thursday, 12th March, 2020
SABS Has a New Home!
We are pleased to announce that the newly-renovated Doctoral Training Centre opened at the start of March, and SABS has moved in. We are now located at 1-4 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP.
Thursday, 12th March, 2020
UNIQ+ now closed for 2020 applications
SABS R³ was proposed the pilot UNIQ+ programme last year, which proved to be a great success, with four D.Phil programmes joining in.
UNIQ+ gives talented UK undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to discover what postgraduate study is like at Oxford through research experience in the University’s state-of-the-art facilities, working alongside our students and staff. The 2020 programmes will run from 6 July for seven weeks (with the exception of Humanities subjects, which will be four weeks). SABS R³ will be recruiting 6 graduates again this year.
Applications for 2020 are now closed. The deadline was 12 noon on Monday 24 February 2020. Eligibility criteria: www.ox.ac.uk/graduateaccess
Friday, 13th December 2019
This year's ChemBiOx Conference was a resounding success -- to find out more, please see the organizer's report.
Wednesday, 20th November 2019
On Wednesday, December 4, 2019, at 2-4 pm, come and meet the SABS R³ Directors and current students at our annual Open Day. We will be in the Department of Statistics, University of Oxford (24-29 St Giles', Oxford, OX1 3LB).
Monday, 2nd September 2019
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has appointed SABS Director Professor Charlotte Deane as Deputy Executive Chair.
Friday, 9th August, 2019
© Phil Brooks, OU
Today was the last day of the UNIQ+ Summer School—the University of Oxford's first ever postgraduate access programme. The 33 UNIQ+ Students gathered in the morning in the Mathematical Institute, and gave excellent summaries of their research projects, including the six SABS UNIQ+ Students who spent their first two weeks learning about best practices in software engineering. UNIQ+ is an initiative of SABS R³, and we thank one of our industrial partners, Roche, for their support.
Wednesday, 3rd July 2019
The first UNIQ+ Students were taken on a tour of New College, Oxford, before their first UNIQ+ Dinner. They were welcomed by the Warden of New College, and the Vice-Chancellor, Louise Richardson.
Wednesday, 20th March 2019
Curious about research at Oxford?
The SABS R3 CDT has launched UNIQ+, a pilot six-week Summer School for talented individuals who would find continuing into postgraduate study a challenge, because of socio-economic or financial circumstances. The programme, designed to give the chance to experience what postgraduate study is like at the University of Oxford, will run 1 July to 9 August 2019, and is currently limited to subjects in medical, biological, mathematical, and physical sciences.
The deadline for applications to the UNIQ+ programme is 12 noon on Monday, 29 April 2019, and you can find out how to apply here.
