ESRC Doctoral Studentships available from Goldsmiths, University of London
- Last Date :: 3 May 2011 -

Goldsmiths, University of London,
New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK
Telephone: + 44 (0)20 7919 7171

ESRC Doctoral Training Studentships Weblink

Ten ESRC-funded studentships in the social sciences (up to £18,590 per annum plus fees) are available as part of the Goldsmiths and Queen Mary ESRC Doctoral Training Centre.

Students interested in applying to this interdisciplinary collaborative venture will need to apply to the relevant disciplinary pathway. The accredited pathways in the social sciences at Goldsmiths are:

• social anthropology
• cultural studies
• media and communications
• politics
• psychology
• sociology

Studentships will cover up to four years of tuition fees and provide a maintenance grant of £15,590 p.a. They will fund a combination of research training with a MPhil/PhD scholarship. Each of the successful students will have the potential for a variety of flexible models of research training where the student can either follow a 1 + 3 model (i.e. a 1 year doing an MA in advanced research training plus 3 years of funding for the completion of the PhD) or more flexible models where the research training is completed throughout the course of the 4 years of the studentship.

The Goldsmiths/Queen Mary Doctoral Training Centre is intellectually distinctive in its commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research that is committed to advanced quantitative and qualitative social science while equally dedicated to methodological innovation and expanding the repertoire of intellectual tools available to researchers working today.

Disciplinary Steer and ESRC Priorities

In recognition of the expertise in quantitative training within the Goldsmiths/Queen Mary Doctoral Training Centre, the ESRC has provided a disciplinary steer, requiring that four of the studentships each year should be awarded in areas of research that utilise quantitative methods. Students recruited as part of this requirement will receive the Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) increased stipend of £3,000, taking their total maintenance stipend to £18,590. The ESRC has also emphasised the importance of encouraging potential students to develop collaborations with government, business and third sector organisations. The expectation is that 20 per cent of the Goldsmiths/Queen Mary allocation (two awards) should involve some form of collaboration with other public, private or third sector organisations. Goldsmiths and Queen Mary particularly welcome proposals utilising quantitative methodologies and analysis and proposals that have been developed through collaboration with non-academic partners

Eligibility

ESRC studentships are available from the Goldsmiths/Queen Mary Doctoral Training Centre for UK and EU students who meet the residence requirements set out by the ESRC. Check the ESRC website for guidance.

Along with other Councils, the ESRC has relaxed the rules around international eligibility in strategic areas, allowing fees and stipends to be paid for students from outside the UK. Doctoral Training Centres will be able to recruit students for awards in Economics or Advanced Quantitative Methods without adhering to the current residential eligibility rules as laid out in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide.

In order to be eligible for the studentships, applicants must already hold a conditional or unconditional offer of a place in an appropriate school or department at either Goldsmiths or Queen Mary.

How to apply

Applicants for these studentships must apply via the schools and departments within Goldsmiths or Queen Mary within their relevant disciplinary areas. In order to be considered for a studentship candidates must have received an offer from the relevant departments. Applicants should signal that they would like to be considered for the ESRC Studentships. Each department or academic pathway will consider the applications and nominate students to the final stage of the DTC studentship competition. Nominated students will submit the following submission through the department postgraduate convenor:

• A letter of application stipulating that you wish to be considered for an ESRC studentship
• An outline research proposal of between 1,500-2,000 words
• A two page CV

How the applications will be assessed

Applications will be assessed both within the academic schools and departments at Goldsmiths and Queen Mary and a specially constituted joint studentship awards panel acting for the Doctoral Training Centre as a whole. The panel will have details of the applications as stipulated above, plus a copy of the paperwork submitted to the institutional admissions office for acceptance onto the programme. Each accredited pathway/department will nominate highly-ranked candidates for consideration to be considered by an studentships panel consisting of academic staff from Goldsmiths and Queen Mary and an external advisor who will be a specialist in the social sciences.

Both the individual department and school panels will make academic judgements based on:

• Evidence of the applicant’s research potential which may include previous academic achievements and degree results; the quality of their academic references and other professional qualifications; relevant experience and previous awards and prizes
• The quality of the research proposal and preparedness for doctoral study
• The potential of the project to contribute to the strategic priorities of the ESRC and the intellectual agendas of the respective departments represented within the DTC

Deadlines:

• 3 May 2011: Deadline for receipt of applications by departments and schools at Goldsmiths and Queen Mary
• 26 May 2011 (week commencing): Joint studentships panel to sit and select 10 successful candidates plus an appropriate reserve list
• Successful candidates notified initially by email by end of May. Formal notification will be by letter including reference to web-link detailing the terms and conditions of award

Further information:

If you would like to find out further information about the Goldsmiths/Queen Mary Doctoral Training Centre or discuss informally the studentship application process please contact Professor Les Back - l(dot)back(at)gold(dot)ac(dot)uk

Find out more about the Doctoral Training Centre on the London Social Science website.

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This was webcasted on April 01 2011.

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