ESRC North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnerships at the University of Liverpool
The Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool invites applications for fully funded ESRC studentships.
The ESRC studentships are offered through the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) and will be supported through any of the Department’s four Research Clusters: Screen & Film Studies; Culture, Space & Memory; Discourse, Data & Society; and Media, Politics & Society.
We invite applications from well-qualified students whose research interests connect with department staff’s expertise in these areas.
The Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool was one of the first universities in Britain to offer Communication and Media Studies as an academic subject, starting in the mid-1970s, and over the last five years the Department has considerably expanded. REF 2021 results recorded an impressive 89% of research rated as world-leading or internationally excellent (4* and 3*). These results place the Department of Communication and Media in the top quartile for 4*overall (Outputs, Impact & Environment). Our vibrant research environment is reflected in a thriving Postgraduate Research community, with students pursuing a wide range of topics. As part of the School of the Arts, the Department benefits from research collaborations with all other Departments in the School and Departments across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in co-supervising PGR students and co-leading cutting-edge research projects. We host ESRC-funded projects, collaborative doctoral studentships with Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Gallery Liverpool and the BBC, and provide shared co-supervision for a number of XJTLU-based (China) projects.
The North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership
The ESRC NWSSDTP provides funding for postgraduate researchers to undertake doctoral research and training in the social sciences in the North West of England. The NWSSDTP is a consortium of the Universities of Central Lanchashire; Keele; Lancaster; Liverpool and Manchester. Between 44-60 postgraduate studentships are awarded each year. Please see the NWSSDTP website for full details: https://nwssdtp.ac.uk/
What can you expect from NWSSDTP doctoral funding:
- Fully paid tuition fees at UK home fee rates
- An annual maintenance stipend (full-time: £19,237, part-time: £9,618.50 in 2024/25)
- Reimbursement of research expenses via the Research Training Support Grant
- Opportunities to apply for additional funding for internships, fieldwork and overseas institutional visits
How to apply
The deadline for submitting NWSSDTP applications is Monday 3rd February 2025.
To apply for an award via the department of Communication and Media, candidates MUST have applied for a place on a programme at the University of Liverpool by Monday 13 January 2025.
To apply for doctoral study at the University of Liverpool, please complete the pro-forma at this link at the earliest opportunity: https://uolmediaenquiries.info/ so we can consider your proposed PhD project and determine whether we would be able to offer you a supervision team for it. Alternatively, you can contact the Department Director of Postgraduate Admission, Dr Richard Stupart, who can advise you further about the ESRC NWSSDTP scheme.
Once you have submitted an application to your chosen institution, you are then eligible to apply to the ESRC NWSSDTP scheme. You can start your application here: https://nwssdtp.ac.uk/how-to-apply/
Please note, these are two separate application procedures – one for doctoral study at the University of Liverpool, followed by one to the NWSSDTP scheme.