60th Anniversary Doctoral Excellence PhD Studentships

Academic Year 2026-27

For 60 years, Durham University Business School has championed world-leading and world-changing doctoral research with the ambition to tackle the world’s toughest challenges through the collective strength of business, science and society. To celebrate the outstanding contributions of our doctoral researchers, Durham University Business School is proud to offer our 60^th Anniversary Doctoral Excellence PhD Studentships to exceptional postgraduate researchers with a passion for scientific discovery, rigorous, innovative and ambitious research proposals, and the strong motivation to pursue an outstanding career in academia, government or business.

About the 60^th Anniversary Doctoral Excellence PhD Studentships

The fully funded PhD Studentships are open to submissions for international and home candidates who wish to pursue their full-time studies in the PhD and Integrated PhD (IPhD) programmes of the Business School, including all areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance, and Management and Marketing.

Angelo Solarino Memorial PhD Studentship

This year, we are proud to announce a special studentship established in memory of our late colleague, Dr Angelo Solarino, whose life was dedicated to rigorous, curiosity-driven research and the pursuit of academic excellence. His work exemplified the highest standards of scholarship in management theorizing and methodological rigour, and this studentship is intended to support a doctoral researcher who shares these values.

Research Centres and Studentship Topics

Durham University Business School’s postgraduate researchers (PhD and IPhD) are embedded in the strong, facilitative research environment that our 14 world-leading Research Centres offer.

Applicants can view a list of topics that have been suggested by supervisors in the Research Centres via the links below, although we also encourage topics in other areas linked to our areas of research expertise and excellence.

Postgraduate Research Environment

PhD students at Durham University Business School work within a vibrant, diverse and inclusive research community. Durham University is a World Top 100 university league tables and the School holds triple accreditation which places it in the top 1% of business schools globally.

Our PhD students enjoy close supervision by internationally renowned staff that specialise in their research areas and have access to a wide range of advanced research training courses. Students also participate in top-quality research centre and departmental activities, such as seminar series, workshops, and conferences.

We invite applications for entry into our PhD and IPhD programmes (full-time only) covering research undertaken in the areas of Accounting, Economics, Finance and Management & Marketing.

Funding Details

The studentships are open to outstanding students from all nationalities. They support a full stipend at UKRI rates (currently £20,780 per year) and tuition fees for international/home candidates for the duration of the programme.

How to Apply

All details about the application process for PhD programmes at Durham University Business School can be found here.

Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact potential supervisors about their research topic and to seek their advice on developing the proposal they wish to submit well in advance of the deadline. The full proposal (max. 2,000 words excluding references/appendices) is then submitted along with:

1. A University Postgraduate Application Form;
2. A current CV – max 2 pages;
3. Transcripts of past qualifications;
4. Two references.

Submit the documents by the deadline stated below to:

Department of Accounting: business.phd.accounting@durham.ac.uk

Department of Economics: business.econresearch@durham.ac.uk

Department of Finance: business.phd.finance@durham.ac.uk

Department of Management and Marketing: business.phd.mgmt-mktg@durham.ac.uk

Candidates wishing to apply for a PhD studentship must complete the University's Postgraduate Application Form and submit all other supporting documentation.

Further background about applying for postgraduate research at Durham University can be found here.

Timeline

Deadline for applications: 23:59 (London, UK) on 15^th February 2026

Offer: May 2026

Start Date: October 2026

Contact

For enquiries on how to make an application, please contact business.researchhub@durham.ac.uk.

www.durham.ac.uk/business/programmes/phd/phd-scholarships

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