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:

1. relate to the Commonwealth as a whole or to any Commonwealth-wide institution or organisation, or
2. have a strong Commonwealth comparative aspect, or
3. 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:

1. Your CV
2. A studentship plan, outlining:
   1. The work you plan to carry out during the studentship, in non-technical language
   2. The likely impact of your studentship work, and how it will advance knowledge in your field and contribute to greater understanding of the Commonwealth
   3. The planned outcomes and outputs of the studentship
3. Letters of support from referees, one academic (preferably your PhD/DPhil supervisor) and one personal
4. An outline of the intended use of the funds
5. 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