PhD Scholarship: The Wheeler History of Travel Writing

Applications for 2026-2027 entry to the Wheeler History of Travel Writing studentship are now open. 

The programme seeks to attract talented researchers whose projects may focus on any period or region of the world. Applicants are expected to show that their project is primarily historical in nature, engaging with travel and travel writing as a historical practice and/or source for historical research. Preference may be given to candidates who adopt a global historical perspective and have the ability to work with sources in more than one language. 

Successful applicants will benefit from the wide-ranging expertise represented by Warwick’s Department of History and its Global History and Culture Centre as well as the range of training and development opportunities offered by the Department and Doctoral College. Candidates are encouraged to explain how their proposal fits within the department’s existing research profile. 

We welcome projects that engage with the history of travel and travel writing from a variety of perspectives and disciplinary approaches, including global history, the history of science and technology, environmental history, histories of race and empire, gender history, the history of material culture, and postcolonial studies. Candidates interested in co-supervision across departments (e.g. with English and Comparative Literary Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Politics and International Studies) are invited to indicate their preference on their application. Potential areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

• Travel advice literature, from merchant manuals to commercial guidebooks
• Travel, gender, and intersectionality
• Travel and travel writing from the Global South
• Vicarious travel, from armchair geography to VR
• Underrepresented histories of travel and global inequalities
• Travel, sustainability, and the environment

Candidates will be expected to engage in the intellectual life of the department through participation in the activities of its research centres and to actively communicate the results of their research through conference presentations, publications, and public engagement.

It is essential that applicants identify a potential supervisor and discuss research proposals with them before application. A list of potential supervisors is available via the History Academic Staff index.

For full project details, eligibility criteria and application specifics, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

For further information about the Wheeler Programme, please contact Dr Tom Simpson or for application advice or support, email PG History Office.

Funding Details

The award made for entry in Autumn 2026 will include the following:

• Full payment of tuition fees at the UK or O/S rate.
• A maintenance stipend paid at the prevailing UKRI rate for 3.5 years.
• A Research, Training and Supporting Grant (RTSG) of up to £3000 per annum for 3.5 years.
• A one off £1500 conference and public engagement fund.

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