Skip to main content
Oxford University

Radcliffe Department of Medicine

The Radcliffe Department of Medicine’s (RDM) mission is to improve health through cross-disciplinary research to understand shared mechanisms of disease and to accelerate the transition from scientific discovery to clinical care. 

Student looking through a microscope in the laboratory, Medical Sciences Division.

A student looking through a microscope in the laboratory, Medical Sciences Division. Credit: Oxford University Images / Ian Wallman

Overview

RDM is a multi-disciplinary department with research interests that span the translational spectrum – from basic biology through to clinical application. RDM’s research is strongly embedded in the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with our researchers leading five of the research themes in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. This ensures a constant dialogue between basic and clinical research. The department's work is underpinned by excellence in molecular medicine, stem cell biology, genomics and clinical laboratory science.

The department has a community of around 140 students, the vast majority of whom are studying for a DPhil. A DPhil typically lasts three to four years, depending on the project and the student. The department has considerable experience supervising clinicians who hold three-year fellowships and tailors research projects for such students accordingly.

Courses offered

Medical Sciences Division

The Medical Sciences Division houses some of the strongest biomedical research in the world; Oxford is repeatedly placed first in clinical, pre-clinical and health in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The Medical Sciences Division at Oxford is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for biomedical and clinical research and teaching, made up of 16 departments.

The Medical Sciences Division's departments and institutes in Oxford and overseas are home to some of the strongest biomedical research in the world, regularly appearing at the highest levels in world rankings and rated world-leading and internationally excellent.

The division’s 2,000 researchers cover a wide range of research, from atomic-resolution molecular structural biology to epidemiology as applied to very large populations. This enables students to work on virtually any biomedical problem.

The division provides a stimulating and challenging environment for more than 2,000 talented graduate students with excellent new facilities and close personal supervision by world-class researchers. To complement research supervision and course teaching there is a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills and developing new skills.

All candidates who apply by the December or January deadline shown on the course page are automatically considered for full funding awards, irrespective of their nationality. The majority of students accepted by the Medical Sciences Division secure full funding, covering both fees and living expenses.

Further information