School of Social Sciences PhD Studentships (Business & Management Studies)

Amount: Annual stipend for 3.5 years (matched to UKRI stipend, currently £18,622; stipend rate for 2024-25 to be confirmed), plus tuition fees waived and a research support allowance of £2,250.

Level: Postgraduate research (campus-based; full-time)

Entry date: 9^th September 2024

Closing date: 2^nd April 2024, 11:59pm (UK time)

The School of Social Sciences is offering a number of full-time PhD studentships to start in September 2024. Studentships include a tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend currently set at £18,622. The duration of the studentships is 3.5 years. The School also offers a research support allowance of £2,250 over the registered period of study. In addition, full-time scholarship holders are normally offered an opportunity to undertake paid teaching support each academic year.

The School of Social Sciences is home to Edinburgh Business School, alongside the Department of Psychology and the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies. Edinburgh Business School is committed to practice-oriented business education and research that transforms lives and organisations for the betterment of societies globally. Research students have access to a range of training and other activities supported by the School, and through the University’s Research Futures Academy.

The following projects are available in areas related to business management, accountancy and finance – learn more about these projects on our projects and application page.

Teamwork as a foreign language: Learning and teaching non-technical skills in medical education (SoSS-2024-001)

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Andrew MacLaren (a.maclaren@hw.ac.uk)

Understanding the work experiences of neurodivergent women across the life course: Intersections of gender and neurodiversity (Ref. no. SoSS-2024-002)

For informal enquiries, please contact Prof. Kate Sang (k.sang@hw.ac.uk)

Exploring cold chain for sustainable freight (Ref. no. SoSS-2024-003)

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Paulus Aditjandra (p.aditjandra@hw.ac.uk)

Evaluating the influence of freight stakeholders in shaping urban freight systems (Ref. no. SoSS-2024-004)

Board dynamics, shareholder engagement, and ESG reporting: unraveling influences on disclosure and sentiment (Ref. no. SoSS-2024-005)

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Abdelrhman Yusuf (abdelrhman.yusuf@hw.ac.uk)

Ownership structure and environmentally sustainable firm outcomes (Ref. no. SoSS-2024-007)

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Eddie Jones (e.jones@hw.ac.uk)

Further details of these project areas can be found by following the link to the scholarship pages on our website. Applicants are strongly encouraged to get in touch with the relevant named contact(s) for an informal discussion prior to submitting their application.

Entry Criteria and Application

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree with a minimum classification of 2:1 in a field relevant to the project for which they are applying. A Master’s degree is desirable for all projects, and essential for some. Any additional project-specific entry criteria can be found in the project summaries on the scholarship pages on our website. In addition, candidates for whom English is a second language should meet the University’s minimum English-language requirements. If you have not already studied a degree programme that was taught and examined in the medium of English, the minimum overall IELTS score is 6.5 with no score lower than 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Applications for more than one project from the same candidate will be considered.

Please note that possession of the minimum qualifications does not guarantee shortlisting for interview.

Applicants should submit their application here or through our scholarship page. When completing the online application form, please indicate that you are applying to the ‘SoSS 2024 PhD scholarship competition’ in the field that asks how you will fund your studies, and include the name of the main supervisor for your chosen project in the field that asks who your supervisor will be.

Applicants should supply:

1. A full Curriculum Vitae.
2. Copies of full academic transcripts from all previous academic degree courses and copies of degree certificates for degrees already awarded. If you are currently pursuing a degree course please provide all available marks to date. If your degree is from a non-UK institution, please provide evidence of the UK equivalency of your qualification.
3. A brief covering letter outlining why you want to study for a PhD at Heriot-Watt University, and what makes you an excellent candidate.
4. An outline research proposal (max. 1500 words). This should clearly identify how the proposed research question and modes of inquiry align with your chosen project area. The proposal should clearly identify which project area has been selected by referring to the project title and ref. no. You should also ensure that the name of the main contact for your project area listed above is included in your application when prompted to enter your proposed supervisor.

Interviews will be conducted via video conferencing (e.g. Microsoft Teams or similar). Interview support for those with disabilities will be available where required (e.g. a BSL interpreter).

If you have any general queries about the applications process, please contact soss.pgr@hw.ac.uk

At Heriot-Watt University we understand that being diverse makes us better which is why we support a culture of respect and equal opportunity, and value diversity at the heart of what we do. We want to increase the diversity of our workplace to underpin a dynamic and creative environment and welcome applications from underrepresented groups. Heriot-Watt is committed to giving access and opportunities to student carers, and received the Going Higher for Student Carers Recognition Award from Carers Trust Scotland in 2020.

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