Applications are invited for a Faculty of Social Sciences and International Office funded international PhD studentship granted in connection to a recent GCRF/AHRC-funded research project, Rising from the Depths Network: utilising marine cultural heritage in East Africa to help develop sustainable social, economic and cultural benefits. Applicants for the studentship must be nationals of Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania or Madagascar – countries which are the focus of the project.
The Rising from the Depths projects aims to identify ways in which marine cultural heritage can directly benefit coastal communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.
The successful candidate will be given some latitude as to the scope and approach of their doctorate, but the subject matter should be related to development in the coastal and/or maritime environment of East Africa and its impact on cultural heritage. Topics could include research relating to aid agreements, public private partnership, public procurement and human rights or any aspect of the so-called Blue Economy in one or a combination of the countries which are the focus of the project - Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania or Madagascar. Though not necessarily driven by heritage the proposed topic should demonstrate its relevance to Marine Cultural Heritage in the region and express how the research could help create wider benefits for local communities.
The studentships will be based at the University of Nottingham (there is no provision for distance-learning PhDs) with a period, or periods, of research in the proposed study location if required. This studentship is available for three years full-time study (subject to satisfactory progression each year) and will be supervised by Dr Annamaria La Chimia (Law) and another academic selected dependent on the details of the chosen proposal. It will cover international tuition fees and provide an annual maintenance grant (stipend) matching Research Innovation UK recommendation – for 2017/18 £14,777 per annum, pro rata.
Applicants should have a degree in a relevant discipline (minimum requirement 2i undergraduate level – or international equivalent) and a masters level degree, preferably LLM with a minimum of 65% in both the taught and dissertation elements (or international equivalent) in law or a related discipline. Our English language requirements are IELTS 7.0 overall (with 6.0 for listening and speaking; 6.5 for reading and 7.0 for writing).
The call for applications will close on Friday 28 September 2018 and we hope to interview short-listed candidates shortly afterwards (skype and video conferencing available). Successful applicants will be expected to start the PhD programme in January 2019.
The University of Nottingham's Graduate School's Research Training Programme offers a broad and comprehensive range of research training courses from 'Using Archives in Your Research', to 'Pathways into Publishing'. The Graduate School also runs training targeted specifically at Faculty of Social Sciences students and the Arts and Social Sciences Graduate Centre coordinates training and events that are relevant and useful to research postgraduates in law.
How to apply
Applicants must be a national of of Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania or Madagascar.
Applicants should submit via email a single MS Word or PDF document which includes a curriculum vitae (no more than two pages), a brief letter (no more than two pages) outlining their proposed research project and qualification for the studentship, a sample of writing (c. 3,000 words) and the names and contact details of two academic referees. Please send this document to the email address risingfromthedepths@nottingham.ac.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 28 September 2018. Please ensure the subject line of your email appears as 'surname, first name – Faculty of Social Sciences/Nottingham studentship.'
Informal enquiries may be directed to annamaria.lachimia@nottingham.ac.uk
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete an application for PhD study in the School of Law in advance of the interview (interviews can be conducted over Skype of video conference for those unable to attend in person).
Posted on Friday 31st August 2018