Application Deadline: Sunday 30 June
Funded by The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and the journal’s publisher, Routledge, in association with the ACU, these two new PhD studentships provide support for research projects on Commonwealth related themes.
Two studentships are available each year for study in the UK, one for
UK-registered students (to the value of £4,000), and one for
Commonwealth students in other countries to undertake a short study
placement in the UK (to the value of £8,000).
Proposed research must either:
- relate to the Commonwealth as a whole or to any Commonwealth-wide institution or organisation, or
- have a strong Commonwealth comparative aspect, or
- be of relevance to a Commonwealth country other than the UK.
For example, a research project comparing LGBT rights in South Africa
and Uganda would be eligible, as would a project on the reform of
colonial-era anti-LGBT legislation in India, but a project on the role
of Stonewall in advocating for LGBT rights in the UK would not.
Applications are welcomed from a broad range of disciplines in the
humanities and social sciences, but preference may be given to
disciplines usually covered by the Round Table journal, including (but
not exclusively) politics, international relations, economics,
international history, geography, law, development studies, and area
studies.
Eligibility
The first studentship is open to registered PhD students from UK
universities, who are resident in the UK at the time of applying for the
award, although not necessarily UK citizens.
The second is open to registered PhD students from ACU member
universities anywhere in the Commonwealth, and to Chevening and
Commonwealth Scholarship alumni who are PhD students at any Commonwealth
university outside the UK, who wish to travel to a UK university for
their period of research, before returning to complete their PhD at
their home university.
Chevening alumni would need to wait at least two years after the end
of their Chevening award before applying for a Routledge/Round Table
Commonwealth Studentship, in order to satisfy the criteria for the
Chevening award.
Research should fall within the broad range of humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Requirements
Applications should be submitted by the deadline, midnight on Sunday 30 June via the online application form.
Applications should consist of:
- Your CV
- A studentship plan, outlining:
- The work you plan to carry out during the studentship, in non-technical language
- The likely impact of your studentship work, and how it will advance
knowledge in your field and contribute to greater understanding of the
Commonwealth - The planned outcomes and outputs of the studentship
- Letters of support from referees, one academic (preferably your PhD/DPhil supervisor) and one personal
- An outline of the intended use of the funds
- Applicants from outside the UK will also need to provide a letter
from a UK university willing to provide academic mentoring support. It
will be the responsibility of the successful applicants to arrange
flights, accommodation, and visas.
The note outlining the intended use of the funds should include such
information as: the intended period of study; the specific topic of the
proposed research; explanation of why the applicant is hoping to
undertake this research; what Commonwealth value the findings might
have; and what the applicant intends to do after obtaining a doctorate.
Applicants from outside the UK will also need to provide a letter
from a UK university willing to provide academic mentoring support. It
will be the responsibility of the successful applicants to arrange
flights, accommodation, and visas.
Funding
The first studentship for UK-registered student has a value of £4,000.
The second studentship for Commonwealth students to travel to the UK has a value of £8,000.
How to apply
To apply, please complete the online application form.
For further information or clarification, email Alex May.
Timeline
Applications open: Wednesday 15 May 2019
Deadline for applications: Midnight on Sunday 30 June 2019
Judging period: July and August
Announcement of winners: Early September 2019
Take-up of awards: 1 November 2019 to July 2020,
although there may be exceptions in the case of Chevening Scholars doing
graduate work who are unable to return to the UK for two years after
completion of their scholarship.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the ACU Routledge/Round Table Commonwealth Studentships Program