




PhD. by Research
The PhD by Research programme at the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST), NUS Faculty of Science, offers an exceptional opportunity for students to engage in cutting-edge research that addresses critical challenges in food science. This rigorous programmes are designed to develop deep expertise and foster innovative thinking in areas such as food chemistry, microbiology, safety, processing, and nutrition.
Candidates of the programmes will be immersed in a vibrant research environment, working closely with esteemed faculty members who are leaders in their fields. The programmes are designed to equip candidates with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute meaningfully to both academic and industry advancements. With access to state-of-the-art laboratories and a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving, candidates will be well-prepared to address complex issues in the global food landscape.
Graduates from our Research programmes are well-prepared for careers in academia, research institutions, and the food industry, where they drive innovation and address global food challenges. Whether your goal is to advance scientific knowledge, develop new food technologies, or shape policy in the food sector, our Research programmes provide the ideal platform to achieve your aspirations.
Please navigate the drop-down sections below for information on how to apply for the programme, programme curriculum, important dates, etc. For more information regarding the programme, you may refer to the FAQ.
Note: From Jan 2026 intake onwards, admission to the MSc. by Research program will be restricted. Applications will only be considered for candidates whose profiles align with specific project needs, and invitations to apply will be extended selectively depending on the availability of research projects. Unsolicited applications WILL NOT be considered.
Qualification Requirements
- A good relevant Bachelor’s Degree and/or Master’s Degree
- NUS graduates should have at least a 2nd Upper Class Honours/Honours (Distinction)
- The ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study
- International students are expected to submit their TOEFL/IELTS & GRE test scores to support their application
Important: The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the rights to reject such applications without reasons.
General Programme Structure and Curriculum
Please click here for more information on the programme structure and coursework requirement for the Graduate by Research Programmes.
Eligible Advisors for the Programmes
Applicants are to refer to the Faculty Members section to view the research expertise of the potential advisors. Please note that Instructors and Senior Research Fellow are not eligible to act as advisors.
Applicants who wish to be considered for NUS-Administered Scholarships (See section on “Funding Opportunities and Fees” below) can only propose Assistant/Associate/Full Professor as their main advisor.
It is not compulsory to contact a faculty member before applying for the programme, but at minimum, applicants should indicate their preferred advisor and proposed research topic in the online application form.
Funding Opportunities and Tuition Fees
Financial assistance for graduate students is available in the form of scholarships, tutorship, and various financial aid schemes.
Scholarships
There are many different types of graduate scholarships available in the university for graduate students. As these awards are highly competitive, they are only applicable to candidates applying for the PhD programme, and are given based on a track record of academic excellence. Most scholarships can be renewed annually subject to satisfactory academic progress. The list of scholarships applicable for PhD graduate students in FST are as follows, and details can be found here:
NUS-Administered Scholarships
- NUS Research Scholarship
- NUS Industry-Relevant Scholarship (Only on nomination basis)
- Faculty of Science Dean’s Graduate Fellowship (Only on nomination basis)
- President’s Graduate Fellowship (Only on nomination basis)
- ASEAN Research Scholarship (NEW from August 2025 intake, only on nomination basis)
- Commonwealth Scholarship (Only on nomination basis)
- NUS-SINGA Scholarship (Please concurrently refer to A*STAR’s website on the application procedures)
- NUS Suzhou Research Institute Scholarship (Only applicable to the NUSRI-affiliated PhD Programme)
External (Non-NUS) Scholarships
Singaporean/PR Graduate Fellowship (SGF) (From AY2025/26 August Intake)
The Singaporean/PR Graduate Fellowship (“SGF”) Scheme is open to exceptional Singapore Citizen/Singapore Permanent Resident candidates. Successful candidate will be regarded as a full-time NUS student and part-time graduate tutor. Candidates will receive a competitive monthly stipend ($5,000 + CPF for Singapore Citizens; $4,600 for Singapore Permanent Residents), and a concurrent tuition fee subsidy. The maximum period of award is 4 years.
As part of their academic training, SGF recipients will be required to complete 416 teaching assistantship hours during the term period, with workload arrangement of 4 hrs per week over 4 years*.
Applicants who are keen to be considered for the scheme should select “Research/Teaching Assistantship” under the Source of Finance section in the online Graduate Admission System.
*Arrangement of workload and total hours to commit are subjected to changes based on the prevailing policies.
Other Financial Aids
Other forms of financial aids include study loans and part-time work opportunities. The part-time work opportunities are for selected students who wish to gain research and teaching experience. Details of the schemes are set out here.
In considering part-time work arrangements, it should be noted that a high level of commitment is expected of all graduate students enrolled in full-time programmes, and the taking on of external part-time work to supplement personal income is not generally encouraged.
Tuition Fees
Fees which are due to the University will be deducted prior to crediting any financial aid (e.g. scholarship stipend/loan/remuneration) to the students’ account.
The full schedule of tuition and other fees can be found here.
Application Procedures, Closing Dates and Outcome
Applicants may apply via the Graduate Admission System. There is no need to post any printed form or physical documents to our department. Applicants are encouraged to refer to the User Guide before commencing the application. Please use a public domain email (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) to apply for our programme as our student portal do not accept primary personal email account with an educational institute or company domain.
Candidates who wish to apply to more than one department must submit separate applications. Application fee will be charged for each application made.
Unless granted approval by our University, no candidate may concurrently be a student for more than one degree or register as an NUS candidate and of another university/institute.
If you have submitted the completed application (with all the required documents) AND paid the application fee before the respective application closing date, your application will be processed and you will be informed officially of the outcome of your application in writing latest as follows:
Intake | Application period | Application Outcome |
Semester 1 (August) | 16 May – 15 Nov of the previous year | 31 May |
Semester 2 (January) | Jan 2025 intake: 16 Nov 2023 – 15 May 2024 | 31 Oct of the previous year |
NOTE: Deadline will not be extended for applicants who apply at the last moment and fail to submit the application/pay the application fee by the closing time. We also reserve the rights to reject applications that are filled up perfunctorily or missing majority of the supporting documents by the closing date.
Important: The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the right to reject such applications without giving reasons.
Application Fees
A non-refundable application fee of S$50.00 inclusive of GST is payable for each application. Application fees must be made online via the Graduate Admission System.
Due to some incompatibility between AliPay and our new Graduate Admission System, applicants are advised to use VISA/Mastercard/AMEX/PayNow until the issues are resolved by our IT administrator.
IMPORTANT: Please note that any PayNow payments made outside of the Admission System will not be recognized or reflected in our records. Applicants are responsible for following the payment procedures outlined in the user guide. The University will not be responsible for tracing or refunding payments made incorrectly due to non-compliance with these instructions.
[MUST READ] Supporting Documents to Provide
NOTE:
- All non-English documents must be presented TOGETHER WITH the translated English version, merged together as a single document (original first, followed by English version). The translated version must originate from the original awarding/issuing unit, or be done by a registered translations office.
- All files must be uploaded as PDF. Please DO NOT upload other file formats like jpg, doc, and etc.
- All files must be named in English with clear, representative labelling.
- There is no need to post any printed form or documents for the department that you applied.
1. Proof of Residence
- Singapore NRIC or citizenship (for Singaporeans)
- Singapore NRIC or Entry Permit (for Singapore Permanent Residents)
- Employment Pass/ Work Permit (for International applicants working in Singapore)
- Passport page bearing the passport number and other particulars (for non-Singaporeans)
For Singapore NRIC/Employment Pass/Work Permit, please scan both the front and the reverse sides.
In the application form, please fill in your name as per your passport/NRIC. For example, if your name is spelt as “CHEN, XIAOMING” in the passport/NRIC, please enter the full name as “CHEN Xiaoming” (Surname in CAPS and no comma in between). Please do not enter “XIAOMING CHEN”, “CHENXIAOMING”, “CHEN.XIAOMING”, “CHEN, XIAOMING” or non-english characters in the application form.
2. Academic Qualification
Please take pictures (not scans) of the full official document in natural light. Any embossed seal (if present) and all corners of the page must be fully visible. Please convert the pictures into PDF file format before uploading. Examples of acceptable document quality are as follows:
If electronic version were to be provided, there must be anti-counterfeit features such as blue ribbon (for US/Canada qualifications), verified digital signature/seal, or unique identifier/QR code.
For applicants who have graduated
- Degree scroll (and graduation certificate for applicants graduated from Chinese Universities). If the degree scroll (and graduation certificate) are not available at the time of application, please provide official conferment/student status letter mentioning that you have met the graduation requirements.
- Verification report from CSCSE (for Chinese students who obtained degree outside of China)/CSSD (for Chinese students who obtained degree from China)
- Final Official transcripts issued ON OR AFTER the date of conferment
- Grade Point Certificate, Ranking Certificate, and Explanation of Grading System (if these information are not provided in the transcripts)
For applicants who are graduating
- Student status letter/enrolment certificate stating the duration of your programme and the expected date of your graduation
- Latest Official exam results/consolidated marksheet/ university transcripts (up till 7th semester results)
- Grade Point Certificate, Ranking Certificate, and Explanation of Grading System (if these information are not provided in the transcripts)
Please note the cut-off dates for providing the degree scroll/provisional certificate and final official transcripts below. If your institution is not able to provide these documents by the cut-off dates, please apply for the subsequent intake instead.
Intake | Latest date to provide the degree scroll/provisional certificate & final transcripts |
Semester 1 (August) | Mid July |
Semester 2 (January) | Mid December |
3. TOEFL/IELTS
Applicants whose native tongue AND medium of university instruction is not completely in English should submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.
TOEFL/ IELTS scores are valid for two (2) years from the test date. If the test has been taken more than two years ago, applicants should retake the test to have the scores reported.
We accept TOEFL iBT (Home Edition) and IELTS Online (Academic). Please note that IELTS Indicator is not a replacement for IELTS Academic Test.
For TOEFL, please quote our University code 9087 and department code 99.
4. GRE
Evidence of strong quantitative, verbal, and analytical skills through GRE scores will be assessed during our review process. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide this document to strengthen their applications.
The minimum score requirement for GRE (General Test) is 320 for Verbal & Quantitative sections, and 3.5 for the Analytical section. GRE scores are valid for five (5) years from the test date. If the test was taken more than five years since, applicants should retake the test to have the scores reported.
We accept GRE General Test At Home Testing version.
Please quote our University code 0677 and the specific department code for FST 0107.
5. Referee Reports
Recommendations from two (2) academic referees are to be submitted via the Graduate Admission System. Applicants should check with their referees and obtain their institutional email address. Email addresses from domains other than “.edu” may be subjected to additional screening and filtering. Once the online application is submitted by the applicant, an automated email will be generated and sent to the referees.
The online referee report form is confidential and MUST be filled by the referees themselves. Applicants are not allowed to fill in the referee report form on behalf of the referees. Any non-compliance found will result in the immediate rejection of the application.
6. Awards/Publication/Patents/Professional Certs
(Optional if there are none to be provided. Compulsory for eligible candidates who wish to be considered for the NUS ASEAN Research Scholarship)
Please submit the first page for each of your published publication(s), if any. In the online application form, please enter your name in CAPS in the author list.
For awards (if any), please only include relevant academic achievements, including but not limited to scholarships, honour roll, dean’s list, merit award, subject award, research excellence award and etc.
If there are more than one award/publication/patent/professional cert, the supporting documents should be merged in chronological order as a single document, from the most recent (first) to the least recent (last).
7. CV
A summary of your education, work experience, co-curricular activities, community service, etc.
8. Research Proposal/Statement of Purpose
Applicants should submit a brief preliminary Research Proposal or a Statement of Purpose of not more than 1,000 words. The statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the programme, your preparation for the field of study, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests that may help in the evaluation of your aptitude and motivation for graduate studies.
The Statement of Purpose is compulsory for applicants who wish to be considered for the NUS ASEAN Research Scholarship.
9. Documentary Proof of Financial Support
International applicants who are not applying for our Research Scholarship or have indicated their wish to be considered for admission in the event that their Research Scholarship application is unsuccessful, must submit documentary evidence of their ability to support their study (e.g. a bank statement) indicating the availability of funding of at least S$300,000 or its equivalent.
Applicants who are sponsored by an individual or organization will need to submit a letter from the sponsor with details/documentary proof of the sponsorship.
Those who are working in Singapore and applying for admission to our part-time programme may submit a copy of their recent pay slip.
Please ensure that all documents are uploaded before submitting the application. After the application has been submitted, please refrain from uploading new documents directly into the admission system, as they will not be monitored by our review committee. For addition of documents, please email food@nus.edu.sg for assistance.
Correspondence from the University
Our department will correspond with you primarily using email (food@nus.edu.sg) during the application period to convey messages such as requests for outstanding documents, interview notification, etc.
Hence, it is very important that you provide a valid email address and maintain your email account regularly. The University will not be responsible for undeliverable emails and their consequences.
Rejection of Application
Inaccurate, false information or omission of necessary supporting documents or no payment of application fee will render your application invalid. The University reserves the right to reject applications that are incomplete or inaccurate. Persons admitted on the basis of inaccurate or false information may be expelled.
International Student Guide
Please refer to the Office of Students Affairs, International students section.
For further information, please refer to Faculty of Science – Graduate Programme
You may also direct your enquiries to Admin Officer at food@nus.edu.sg
Please note that the above information is only for reference. For the official information please visit Graduate Studies in NUS.