Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Criminology » Other Juridical sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 6 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/London) Country United Kingdom Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Criminology sits within the School of Social Sciences, adding complementary interdisciplinarity in legal studies, the Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People, the Centre for Social Change, and the collaborative Centre for Criminal Justice and Criminology (CCJC). The CCJC undertakes interdisciplinary empirical research on areas including youth justice policy, drug policies and criminality, policing, sports criminology, sex work, crimes of the powerful, the political economy of crime in the Global South, terrorism and cybercrime. Swansea University also hosts the Administrative Data Research Centre (Wales), which facilitates access to linked, de-identified administrative data in a secure environment.
The School of Law is located within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences providing a unique setting within which to conduct empirical or socio-legal research connecting with law the concerns and methods of social science. Swansea’s School of Law has an active and vibrant research culture including: CCJC; Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC); Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law (IISTL); Observatory on Human Rights and Social Justice; and the Centre for Governance and Human Rights. Previously the School has supported studentships across a wide range of sub-disciplines, including: public and constitutional law; legal education; human rights; disability law; asylum law; tort law; environmental law; European Union law and governance; family law; perceptions of risk in third sector sporting clubs; banking and environmental risk; comparative Welsh/English housing law/policy; and constitutional perspectives on Welsh Devolution.
Students will predominately be based at Swansea University, although will be invited to attend WGSSS events at other locations in Wales. Throughout the PhD, all WGSSS students come together for joint workshops, residential courses, and annual conferences. Seminars include those organised by the Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice Conference (held at Gregynog, Powys) each year, who also hold residential postgraduate training days. In these, and other events, students work and present alongside established researchers.
English Language: IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here English Language Requirements - Swansea University.
Additional Information
The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees and an annual tax-free living stipend in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £21,805 for 2026/27).
Students also have access to a Research Training Support Grant.
Eligibility criteria
To receive WGSSS studentship funding, you must have qualifications or experience equal to an honours degree at a first or upper second-class level, or a masters from a UK academic research organisation. Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.
The WGSSS is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive environment for all. We welcome applications from all members of the global community irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.
Selection process
Applications may be submitted in Welsh and any application submitted in Welsh will be treated no less favourably than an application submitted in English. Please refer to the University’s Welsh Language Policy on Awarding Grants .
Please see our website for more information on the selection process.
Law and Criminology: Fully funded PhD Scholarship in the ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) - Law and Criminology in Swansea employer: Swansea University
Swansea University is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that prioritises collaboration and innovation within the School of Social Sciences. Employees benefit from professional development opportunities, a supportive environment, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on care-experienced children's educational outcomes in Wales. Located in a beautiful coastal city, the university provides a unique setting for personal and professional growth.
