ESRC CDT Data Analytics and Society PhD Studentship: Understanding the local and regional impacts of immigration on local educational and labour market trajectories

We are inviting applications for a 4-year funded integrated PhD and MSc part of the ESRC CDT Data Analytics and Society starting from October 2023. The student will be based in the Department of Economics at the University of Sheffield.

Immigration remains one of the most pressing political issues of our time. Estimates at the national level suggest that immigration has no material impact on employment, but it’s possible that the effects vary considerably within and between regions. Theoretically, migrants can potentially increase local employment by boosting aggregate demand and helping local firms become more competitive. However, estimates of these effects at the local level are virtually non-existent, particularly with respect to the individual-level impacts on the educational and labour market prospects of (both UK-born and foreign-born) locals.

This project offers an outstanding opportunity to address some of these important gaps in the UK evidence base using cutting-edge methods and data. Working in partnership with the Managed Migration Research (MMR) team at the Home Office, the PhD student will utilise the exceptional Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset to follow the life trajectories of several million individuals in England and Wales. The large sample sizes and fine-grained spatial resolution afforded by LEO will facilitate investigation of the local impacts of migrant inflows into the locality over the preceding decade on individual-level outcomes of residents, and provide new insights into how the impacts of immigration vary geographically in the UK.

The PhD student will be part of an active and multicultural cohort of PhD students based in the Department of Economics, and will also be part of the Sheffield Urban, International Trade and Environmental Economics (SUITE) research group and benefit from access to the doctoral training in economics programme, PhD reading groups, and the annual departmental PhD conference. Visit our website for more information about the PhD programme in Economics at Sheffield. 

This project would be well suited to a student with a background in economics, regional studies, or economic geography. Solid data analysis skills and a strong interest in economic geography and the economics of immigration would be an advantage. The successful student will be supervised by Professor Gwilym Pryce (Economics), Dr Aneta Piekut (Sheffield Methods Institute), and Dr Gurleen Popli (Economics). Interested candidates may contact Professor Pryce (g.pryce@sheffield.ac.uk).

More information about the project and how to apply can be found at the CDT project webpage. Please note that you must apply through the Leeds portal, even if you wish to study at Sheffield.

A standard studentship covers the cost of tuition fees, provides a doctoral stipend of £16,062, (2022 rate- to increase slightly each year with inflation), and a Research Training Support Grant, for four years. Applications are open to both Home and International fee rated applicants.

A minimum 2:1 honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject area is required, and a relevant language certificate for international candidates.

Options to study part-time are available, if you wish to study part-time please indicate this when you apply. If selected for interview, the project supervisor will discuss options with you.

The deadline for applications is 10th April 2023.

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