PhD and MA Research Methods
ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) studentships
The University of Nottingham has been awarded prestigious Doctoral Training Centre status by the ESRC, and has a total of 19 fully-funded studentships to award annually through this Centre. Last year these studentships were augmented with other funding to offer places to 29 students.
The DTC is run by the University Graduate School. In the School of Sociology and Social Policy, the studentships are for +3 (PhD only) or 1+3 (MA then PhD) study within the following ESRC-recognised pathways:
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Sociology
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Social Policy (including Public Policy and Social Work)
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Science and Technology Studies
The DTC also offers interdisciplinary pathways in Digital Society, Energy and Environment, Globalisation and Finance, and Mental Health and Wellbeing, for which you might also be considered, depending on your research proposal.
Applications
The studentship is available to students classed as Home or EU for fees purposes and who meet Research Council eligibility requirements based on residency. The University’s Admissions Office can provide further guidance on fee status.
For entry at PhD level applicants must have a good Honours degree in a related discipline, and have, or expect to have by autumn 2012, a Masters qualification from an ESRC recognised research training course or a Masters degree which includes a substantial research element or equivalent research experience in a work setting.
Applicants must already hold an offer of a place from the School, and so early contact is advised. To apply for a place visit the postgraduate admissions website
The application deadline is 12.00 noon 15 March 2012, but you are encouraged to make contact with the School as soon as possible in order to identify a suitable supervisor.
Further information
Further information about the DTC and how to apply for a studentship are available from the Graduate School DTC pages.
Please check the information on the Graduate School DTC pages if you have any queries. If your question is not answered there then for administrative support, application details and guidance on how to draft a proposal are available from Alison Haigh, Postgraduate Administrator, 0115 951 5354 or email: alison.haigh@nottingham.ac.uk
All other enquiries should be referred to Professor Alison Pilnick alison.Pilnick@nottingham.ac.uk
A DTC Open Day is being held on 1 February 2012 to give more information to prospective applicants.
Collaborative Social Science studentship
The School has one 3-year, full-time PhD studentship available for 2012 entry linked to the following specific project working with Professor Alison Pilnick (School of Sociology and Social Policy) and Dr Jennifer Clegg (Community Health Sciences). The studentship includes 3 years of tuition fees, an annual tax-free maintenance grant of approximately £13,590 a year for three years and an annual £750 Research Training Support Grant.
Successful candidates for this studentship may also be put forward for DTC funding, so early application is again advised.
The use of Discovery Awareness in Intellectual Disability: examining the experience and impact of a European approach to challenging behaviour
People with Intellectual Disabilities (PWID) are more vulnerable to mental health problems than the general population, and 5- 15% of PWID manifest these through challenging behaviour such as physical and verbal aggression, and self-injury. The majority of psychological interventions used in Anglophone services are behavioural; these show good short-term results but have negligible long-term impact. This project aims to assess the implementation of a novel European method to assist staff working with challenging behaviour in ID. The Heijkoop method is grounded in ‘Discovery Awareness’: formalised discussions of video-recordings of individuals by multi-disciplinary teams. At present this method has only been introduced into one NHS specialist service in the UK: the study site, Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust. The project will take a conversation analytic approach to assess the implementation of the method and produce an in-depth understanding of the way it works in a UK context.
Applications
The studentship is available to students classed as Home or EU for fees purposes and who meet Research Council eligibility requirements based on residency. The University’s Admissions Office can provide further guidance on fee status.
Applicants must have a good Honours degree in a related discipline, and have, or expect to have by autumn 2012, a Masters qualification from an ESRC recognised research training course or a Masters degree which includes a substantial research element or equivalent research experience in a work setting.
Please see the further particulars for more information about this studentship and how to apply.
The application deadline is 5.00 pm 22 February 2012
Further information
Please contact Alison Haigh, Postgraduate Administrator, 0115 951 5354 or email: alison.haigh@nottingham.ac.uk
Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness
The School has one 3-year, full-time PhD studentship available for 2012 entry linked to the following specific project working with Dr Rachel Fyson and Professor Alison Pilnick. The studentship includes 3 years of tuition fees, an annual tax-free maintenance grant of approximately £13,590 a year for three years and an annual £750 Research Training Support Grant.
What does ‘learning disability’ mean in the real world? Re-evaluating sociological perspectives on learning disability
The term ‘learning disability’ is widely used not only in everyday speech, but also as an uncontested category within Government policy documents and local services. Such common usage hides the complexity and breadth of the disabilities which the term may be used to denote: people with ‘mild’ learning disabilities may be able to live fully or largely independent lives, whilst those with ‘severe or profound’ learning disabilities often have little or no verbal communication and require life-long support with all aspects of daily life. This project aims to clarify what learning disability means in practice to both lay and professional groups, and to assess the impact of this on the way in which it is conceptualised both in sociological and policy discourse.
Applications
The studentship is available to students classed as Home or EU for fees purposes and who meet Research Council eligibility requirements based on residency. The University’s Admissions Office can provide further guidance on fee status.
Applicants must have a good Honours degree in a related discipline, and have, or expect to have by autumn 2012, a Masters qualification from an ESRC recognised research training course or a Masters degree which includes a substantial research element or equivalent research experience in a work setting.
Please see the further particulars for more information about this studentship and how to apply.
The application deadline is 5.00 pm 28 May 2012
Further information
Please contact Alison Haigh, Postgraduate Administrator, 0115 951 5354 or email: alison.haigh@nottingham.ac.uk
Leverhulme studentship
The School has one 3-year, full-time PhD studentship available for 2012 entry linked to the Leverhulme research grant Making science public: The case of climate science and climate policy. The studentship includes 3 years of tuition fees and an annual tax-free maintenance grant of approximately £13,590 a year for three years.
The studentship forms an integral part of two research projects, one on ‘Science, politics and scepticism in the age of new social media’, the other on ‘Models of Managing Science/Politics Boundaries in the Advisory systems’. It provides an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated, academically qualified student with an interest in developing a research career in science, society and politics.
These projects are part of a 5-year Leverhulme Trust programme grant on ‘Making Science Public: Challenges and Opportunities'. The first project aims to explore the emergence and spread of pro- and anti-science movements (around climate science) on the web as societal responses to the increasing tension between science and politics in a context where science is being asked to be more public. The second project examines the role of different forms of expertise in shaping policy debates and policy developments around more and less publicly controversial areas; the PhD project will focus on the specific case of climate change policy.
The academic supervisors are Professor Brigitte Nerlich and Dr Sujatha Raman. Applicants should be committed to pursuing research in Science and Technology Studies at the doctoral level, focusing on debates about transparency, openness and the management of uncertainty in science, society and politics and have an interest in the influence of language and social movements on science and politics, and demonstrate familiarity with the topic of climate change.
Applications
Please see the further particulars for more information about this studentship and how to apply.
The application deadline is 5.00 pm 28 May 2012
Further information
Please contact Alison Haigh, Postgraduate Administrator, 0115 951 5354 or email: alison.haigh@nottingham.ac.uk
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Physiotherapy (Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care) and the School of Sociology and Social Policy
One 3-year full-time studentship for students classed as Home/EU for fees purposes. The studentship include an annual stipend and research allowance.
Applications
Please see the University job pages for more details and how to apply. The application deadline is 11 May 2012
Further information
Dr Kathryn Almack, email: k.almack@nottingham.ac.uk, tel: 0044 (0)115 82 31202, or
Prof Saul Becker, email: Saul.Becker@nottingham.ac.uk, tel: 0044 (0)115 95 15403
School International Scholarship
One 3-year, full-time studentship for students classed as Overseas for fees purposes. The studentship includes a £5000 annual contribution to tuition fees and £750 per year Research Training Support Grant.
The studentship is only available to students holding an offer of a place. To apply for a place visit the postgraduate admissions website
Applications
Please contact Alison Haigh, Postgraduate Administrator, 0115 951 5354 or email: alison.haigh@nottingham.ac.uk
International Office scholarships
Further University scholarships are available from the International Office