PhD studentships: Politics and International Relations/Social Sciences, University of Westminst[...]

The School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster is pleased to offer three studentships for prospective PhD researchers starting in September 2026. Located in the heart of London, the School of Social Sciences has an active research culture to which our well-established doctoral research programme makes a vital contribution. The school is home to the Centre for the Study of Democracy, the Centre for Social Justice Research, and the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences, all of which have vibrant communities of PhD researchers. Research in the School across these fields has an international reputation for excellence, as was confirmed by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

The studentships will include a comprehensive personal and professional development training and mentoring programme provided through the University of Westminster Graduate School. The doctoral researchers will join the school that is strongly committed to decolonising and diversifying policies, practices and cultures within and beyond Higher Education. The school is fully committed to creating a supportive and safe learning and working environment that is equitable, diverse and inclusive, based on mutual respect and trust.

The studentships will consist of a full home tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend, currently of £22,780 for the 2025-6 rate, rising each year in line with UKRI increases for three years. This includes London weighting. Please note that whilst overseas fee-paying students may apply, the fee waived would be at the home rate and successful applicants will need to pay the difference in the tuition fee if assessed as overseas.

We are seeking high-quality prospective doctoral students who will contribute to at least one of the key research areas within the school listed below. We strongly recommend discussing your proposal with potential supervisors before submitting, as applications will require their support to be shortlisted. The successful candidates will have exceptional research potential in one or more Social Science disciplines: Criminology, International Relations, Politics, Psychology or Sociology. We welcome and encourage creative and multi-disciplinary approaches. We are particularly keen to see applications from students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Visit the research centre’s webpages for details on our areas of research and supervision:

• Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD)
• Contemporary democratic theory and practice.
• Critical international relations theory and practice.
• Energy security, energy transitions, political economy of resources.
• Governance, public policy, neoliberalism, complexity, anthropocene.
• Politics of identity, gender, misogyny, race, sexuality, technology.

Entry requirements: Candidates should normally have a minimum classification of 2.1 in their Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and preferably a Master’s degree. Applicants whose secondary level education has not been conducted in the medium of English should also demonstrate evidence of appropriate English language proficiency, normally defined as IELTS: 6.5 (overall score with not less than 6.0 in any of the individual elements).