PhD Studentship - Wellcome Connecting Science

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We are delighted to launch a unique PhD studentship, perfect for an early career researcher to develop their knowledge on ethical and social sciences, at a world leading genomics institute.

The studentship will be jointly situated within Wellcome Connecting Science and the Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science and the Public in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. It will sit within a broader project led by Dr Richard Milne and Dr Tuba Bircan that aims to further understanding of how public engagement with, and attitudes towards, ethical questions associated with discovery science, particularly in genomics, relates to wider social contexts and value systems. This involves the development of an international survey, collection and analysis of social media data and comparative qualitative studies.

The PhD student will conduct original research related to this study, with scope to develop and refine a project that creates and tests quantitative and mixed-method approaches to understanding the engagement of diverse publics with the ethics of scientific advance across national and/or socio-cultural contexts.

Candidates

We expect you to have an understanding of social science research approaches, ideally including quantitative research skills developed during a Masters’ degree in a relevant area such as social sciences, sociology, psychology, political science or anthropology (science subjects will also be considered if familiarity with social sciences methods can be demonstrated).

You will demonstrate:

• Initial knowledge in survey design and quantitative data analysis methods (e.g., SEM, multilevel models, etc.) with practical experience in statistical packages and/or programming (e.g., R, STATA, SPSS, etc.).
• Keen interest in advanced statistical approaches and/or computational social science methods and applications is desirable but not essential.

Studentship details:

This is a three year PhD Studentship, for entry in October 2023. To ensure that financial barriers do not deter promising candidates, who may have family or other responsibilities, from applying, we are offering a stipend of £30,000 per annum (in addition to University fees). We welcome all applications, but are actively seeking applications from candidates who identify as being from an under-represented background (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) or Mixed heritage background, and will prioritise candidates with this lived experience.

Eligibility:

Candidates will need to meet the following criteria:

• Have (or be expecting to achieve) the equivalent of a good 2:1 UK three-year bachelor’s (honours) degree (or International Equivalent), and the equivalent of a merit in a UK Masters degree in a relevant discipline.
• Meet the Competence in English [postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk] requirements either at the point of application or before admission. 

We welcome applications from those seeking to undertake part-time, as well as full-time study.

This studentship is only open to candidates who meet the University of Cambridge’s eligibility criteria for ‘Home’ fees, i.e. students must be nationals of the UK or have indefinite leave to enter/remain in the UK, and they must not be subject under immigration laws to any restriction on the period for which they may stay in the UK. For more information, see: postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/fees/what-my-fee-status

Application requirements

• Details of two academic referees (references will be taken up immediately).
• Transcript(s)
• CV/resume
• Statement of Interest outlining your suitability, why you are interested in a PhD in this area, your background and research interests

Timeline

Applications should be received by Friday 24th March. For an informal conversation about the studentship, contact Dr Richard Milne (richard.milne@wellcomeconnectingscience.org).

Additional Information

As part of this recruitment opportunity we will be monitoring EDI data collected from all applicants.

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

To discover more about our PhD programme at the Sanger Institute please visit: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/study/phd-programmes/

Working at Wellcome Sanger:

Our flexible-hybrid working environment is designed to support a healthy work-life balance. This means you can work flexibly with a combination of working from home, and working from our Campus to allow you to focus on being productive and part of the team while enjoying the benefits of working flexibly.

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.