Pre-Application Resources for Candidates
Please ensure that you read all the guidance in our ‘How to Apply‘ section.
Pre-Application Webinars
We will be running two ‘Demystifying the PhD Application Process’ webinars in December 2026. We will talk about our application process for both the UNRISK CDT and YES•DTN followed by a Q&A session with current YES•DTN, UNRISK and Panorama PGRs. The webinar dates will be advertised here once they have been arranged:
- Webinar 1 (GMT)
- Webinar 2 (GMT)
If you would like to attend one of our webinars, registration links will be added below.
The recording of the webinar held on the 4 December can be viewed using the link below.
There is also a list of FAQs to help with applications
Post-Application Resources for Candidates
Once you have completed your University of Leeds online application (UoL OLA) you should receive an email confirmation which is automatically generated within 24 hours of you submitting your application. This email will be sent from [email protected]. Please check your email’s junk or spam folders if you think you have not received this email. The confirmation email will provide you with the following information: –
Login ID: Your login ID
Web Login PIN: Your login PIN
Student ID: 123456789 example SID
Applicant Name: Your name
Degree: NERC YES DTN Yorkshire Environmental Sciences (PHP-EYES-FT)
Term: 202526
The information above allows you to manage your UoL OLA via our application portal.
Once you have your Student ID, please complete our separate YES•DTN application form.
Pre-Interview Resources for Candidates
Watch the recording of our pre-interview presentations here.
Competency-Based Interviews
During the interviews we are trying to assess the skills and attitudes of the shortlisted candidates. A recognized way to assess these is via competency-based questions, which allow candidates to describe a situation where they have shown the required skill/attitude, what the task was, how they acted in that situation, and what the result of the situation was and how they reflect on it (i.e. STAR technique). This method is based on the idea that previous behaviour is a better indicator for future behaviour than hypothetical situation.
Question Themes
To make the interview process fair, inclusive and transparent YES•DTN conducts three short (15 min) interviews on different question themes. Each interview has a different pair of panelists, who will ask you questions focussing on both academic and soft/transferable skills, grouped into:
- Academic Panel: focus on past research projects, the PhD project and the required research skills for the project
- Skills Panels A & B: questions probing specific, non-project related personal attributes that are beneficial for a successful researcher