PhD studentship: From Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green: Empowering Port Communities in the Global South (Peru)

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD, with opportunities for a visiting scholarship in Callao (Peru), to commence in February 2025.

The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, in the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures (PCMC), and will be supervised by the project leaders Dr Rudolph Ng, Dr Melanie Bassett and Dr Karl Bell. Additional mentorship will be offered by Professor Jose de la Puente Brunke at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP).

The overarching theme of ‘Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green’ is to seek to understand the role of local knowledge and the impact of sail to steam shipping on communities and the infrastructure of international sea ports in the Global South. This will be underpinned by studies which will provide rigorous scholarly research for comparative analysis of the heritage and attitudes of people in the Global South in regard to maritime technological change and its consequences. The advertised PhD programme will focus on the port city of Callao (Peru).

This programme will consist of a cross-disciplinary study combining historical research and social scientific data collection. The study will set the context for an identified port city throughout the period of sail to steam energy transition, and also measure its effects and impacts on the communities and cultures which have remained or have grown from the creation of global port cities. The project focuses on the past, present and future importance of urban-maritime cultures and communities within a global context. Working with academics, creative practitioners, funders and local community groups, the project will explore the relationships between urban and maritime spaces and seek to bring in local voices.

The PhD is funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF). Additional research and dissemination support is offered by the Naval Museum of Callao.

Entry requirements  

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in History or an appropriate subject

If English is not your first language, you’ll need English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Specific candidate requirements

• You must be eligible and prepared to live and work for periods of time in Portsmouth and Peru (Lima and Callao).
• You must be willing to collaborate and co-produce outputs with community groups and other stakeholders.
• Willingness to work with members of the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures (University of Portsmouth), and Lloyd’s Register Heritage and Education Centre to produce podcasts, blogs and educational material based on your research.
• You must be fluent in Spanish language skills (speaking and reading)

  How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Dr Melanie Bassett (melanie.bassett@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code SASS9271024.

Application deadline: 7 October 2024

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