The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science ESRC DTP PhD studentship competitions are now open for applications.

Further details and guidance can be found on the SGSSS website and must be read prior to registration and application via SGSSS Apply:

• SGSSS Student-Led Open Studentship Competition 2025/26
  • Opens: 12noon, 10th September 2025
  • Deadline: 5pm, 24th November 2025

SGSSS will host an online webinar, "Starting Your Journey Towards a PhD: First Steps in the Application Process" for prospective applicants. See Student-led Open Competition 2024/25 - Scottish Graduate School of Social Science for joining information.

Candidates for ESRC funded studentships, which can be of either 3.5 years (PhD funding for students with relevant Masters research training already) up to 4.5 years (Masters training plus PhD) and should contact the University Pathway Representative for their chosen discipline:

Business and Management disciplines: Dr Anna Spadavecchia and Dr Le Ngujen

Social Work & Social Policy: Dr Louise Brangan

Politics: Dr Sebastian Dellepiane-Avellaneda

Psychology: Dr Susan Rasmussen and Dr William McGeown

Law: Professor Jane Scoular

History: Professor Jim Mills

Architecture/ Built Environment and Planning: Dr Ombretta Romice

ALL PROJECT PROPOSALS MUST BE ALIGNED TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CHALLENGE-PATHWAYS:

Communication, AI and New Technologies

This challenge pathway is interested in processes, challenges and solutions associated with how we communicate with each other and how new technologies (including but not limited to AI) are reshaping our world and our interactions with it. We will take a broad approach to the terms above and the pathway may include research looking at, for example: patterns and mechanisms of language, communication and interaction in changing worlds, employment, and industrial implications of smart technologies; lived experiences of health-care technologies; addressing pedagogical and communicative challenges of AI.

Environment, Migration and Demographic Change

This challenge pathway is concerned with global and local processes relating to environment, migration and demographic change including problems and solutions pertaining to the green economy and biodiversity. The scope for the challenge-led pathway is correspondingly broad and might cover research including, for example: anthropological study of community experiences, differences in the psychology and behaviour of relevant groups, the challenges of longitudinal analysis of demographic data, the concept of the circular economy, sociological theories of othering, the politics and economics of just transitions.

Governance and Institutions

This challenge pathway is interested in how institutions form, operate and impact on lives globally, nationally, and locally. Institutions are meant in the broadest sense to include international bodies, corporations and religions, governments, arms-length institutions of the state, civil society organisations, formal and informal movements. These might be studied separately or in comparison.

Health, Wellbeing and Communities

This challenge pathway brings together interests in research about distributions of health and wellbeing across the lifespan; how mental and physical health and wellbeing are understood, experienced, challenged and strengthened at multi-scalar levels. The pathway is also concerned with the social, political and economic functioning of communities.

Securities: Justice, Economies and Conflict

This challenge pathway is concerned with the societal challenges thrown up by processes relating to justice, economies and conflict at global, national and local levels; on inter- and intra-state problems and resolutions. The scope for the challenge-led pathway is correspondingly broad and might cover research including, for example: comparative studies of justice systems in relation to specific areas of legislation; histories of conflict resolution in particular geographies; studies of macro-economic shocks.

Social Inequalities

This challenge pathway brings together interests in a range of social inequality problems separately or intersecting) at global and national and local levels and in actions to resolve these. The scope for the pathway is broad and could cover, for example, research on the following kinds of topic: understanding changing patterns of inequality using big data; the lived experience of particular populations; evaluations of the contribution of specific solutions; critical analyses of social frameworks to better understand inequality problems.