Fully funded PhD Scholarship in the ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) [...]

Swansea University; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK university is seeking PhD candidates for interdisciplinary projects in computational social science. Candidates should hold or be working towards an honours degree or master's. The studentship covers tuition fees and a living stipend in line with UKRI minimum rates. Both home and international students are welcome to apply, with limited fee differences for international applicants.

Benefits

Tuition fees coverage

Annual tax-free living stipend

Research Training Support Grant

Qualifications

• Qualifications or experience equal to an honours degree at a first or upper second-class level.
• Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

• Research projects on human behaviour using computational science methodologies.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams within HEIs.

Education

Honours degree at a first or upper second-class level

Masters from a UK academic research organisation

Job description

Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Computer science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 11 Dec 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number RS886 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

This pathway is looking for students and applications that are interested in pursuing interdisciplinary projects incorporating elements of computational science methodologies in the context of social science challenges spanning the remits of the UK Research Institute’s ESRC and EPSRC. The pathway is seeking to develop expertise in researching human behaviour, combining advanced quantitative and digital analytical methods, applied to data generated through digital footprints, with qualitative research on interaction in on-line spaces. Projects should include some strategies ranging from the analysis of social media posts to the passive capture of movements via accelerometer data and evaluate how current and emerging socio-technical systems respond to and influence situated particulars in human-algorithm interaction. Furthermore, projects that at how the desire for new ways of expressing economic and social needs can drive developments in digital technology and their applications is similarly in scope. Substantive areas of focus for projects include: problems of health and social care; constrained communities; business and innovation; cyber security; and crime and safety.

Students benefit from co-supervision by multidisciplinary teams within HEIs and between them. The pathway is supported by departments: Social Sciences (Cardiff); Computer Science; Law (Swansea, with funding from Innovate UK and NIHR); and by centres: Computational Foundry; EPSRC EPIC CDT (Swansea); Social Data Science Lab and Hate Lab (both ESRC data investments); and the Digital Transformation Institute (Cardiff). It continues the successful collaboration between Cardiff and Swansea in DTP2

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.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.

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 £20,780 for 2025/26) and includes a Research Training Support Grant.

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.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.

Selection process

Please see our website for more information.