Economic and Social Science Research Council PhD studentships in Education, Management & Business Studies and Sociotechnical Futures and Digital Methods (interdisciplinary)

The ESRC accredited South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP) funds places for doctoral students in the social sciences across 8 participating institutions.

As a member of the SWDTP, supervision is available at Bath Spa University for PhD studentships within the following eligible pathways, where there is a strong track record in advancing knowledge through high quality research:

• Education
• Management and Business Studies
• Sociotechnical Futures and Digital Methods (interdisciplinary)

Expressions of interest are invited from potential doctoral students who would like to explore supervision opportunities at BSU. Candidates will usually be invited to discuss their research proposal with potential supervisor and/or Pathway Lead. Where there is a strong proposal that has a good fit with a BSU supervisor, Pathway Leads will then nominate candidates to apply to the SWDTP.

The closing date for Expressions of Interest to be submitted to Bath Spa is Monday 17^th November 2025 at 11:59pm. This is to allow time for proposals to be reviewed and supervision discussions to take place ahead of the SWDTP application deadline on 9^th January 2026.

To submit an Expression of Interest, please submit your research proposal to pgradmissions@bathspa.ac.uk indicating that you wish to apply for an ESRC SWDTP studentship.

More about Research Degrees at Bath Spa and to Find a Supervisor.

Please note – for successful candidates of the Expression of Interest process - this is not a guarantee of funding, but an opportunity to be put forward for the application process for SWDTP funding. For further information about the SWDTP application process, please visit Prospective Students and Fellows | SWDTP

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