PhD Studentship - Air Power

A PhD studentship awarded by the Freeman Air and Space Institute (FASI) to support the Institute’s research and capacity building work in the field of air power.

Award details

In an increasingly volatile international security environment characterised by the return of great power competition, the Freeman Air and Space Institute (FASI), King’s College London, is seeking applications for a fully funded, full-time PhD studentship, focusing on contemporary aspects of air power and related issues.

FASI is an inter-disciplinary initiative of the School of Security Studies, King’s College London, dedicated to generating original knowledge and understanding of air and space power issues.

FASI places a priority on identifying, developing and cultivating the next generation of air and space thinkers in academic and practical contexts, as well as informing, equipping and stimulating relevant air and space education provision at King’s and beyond. The establishment of FASI was made possible through funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

Award value

The Studentship covers:

• Stipend: at UKRI rate + London Weighting (£22,780 for 2025/26 academic year)
• Tuition fees: UK Home Fees for 3 years

Eligibility criteria

The successful candidate will have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• A Master's degree and a 2:1 honours degree at the bachelor's level.
• Extant UK Right to Work

Desirable criteria

• It is highly desirable (but not essential) to have taken relevant modules in the field at postgraduate level.
• Practical experience in a relevant field (e.g. air, doctrine and operations; integrated air and missile defence; information advantage and future aerospace combat power; artificial intelligence) may be taken into account when evaluating an application.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Conduct PhD research
• Contribute to the analysis and reporting into issues pertaining to air power and related issues as a member of the FASI team.
• Assist in dissemination of project research through written and oral means
• Contribute to FASI’s impact and output including supporting events, submitting grant applications and other activities
• Build internal and external collaborations with research colleagues and develop strong working relationships with professional support staff and external officials.
• Communicate conceptual and complex ideas to a variety of audiences using appropriate media and methods.
• Communicate complex information orally and in writing to a range of stakeholders including those who might not be familiar with the work.
• Attend and present research findings and papers at internal academic meetings and external professional conferences and to contribute to the internal and external visibility of the Institute

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the PhD candidate will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected of a PhD candidate.

Application process

The application should include:

• a curriculum vitae (no more than 2 pages)
• a covering letter outlining their qualification for the studentship
• a research proposal (up to 3000 words), including: your proposed project title, research aims and objectives, outline methods statement, and anticipated timeline. The proposal should use consistent academic citation. Applications not including a research proposal cannot be considered for award of the studentship
• a sample of recent writing
• transcripts of university qualifications
• two academic references

Please email this to georgina.1.lucas@kcl.ac.uk by by Friday 13^th June.

Selection process

Interviews of shortlisted candidates are due to be held end of June.

Contact:

Georgina Lucas (Senior Communications Officer), Freeman Air and Space Institute,

georgina.1.lucas@kcl.ac.uk.

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