Swansea University
Perham Education Partnership
Perham Education Partnership
Quantum Scholars
Supply Desk
Perham Education Partnership
The Mill
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY
Supply Desk
Quantum Scholars
Quantum Scholars
Quantum Scholars
Academics
Academics
Academics
Academics
University College Birmingham
Aspire People
TeacherActive
Tradewind Recruitment
A prominent academic institution in the UK seeks candidates for PhD positions in Sociology. The role involves advanced training in various sociological methods and community engagement. Applicants should hold a first or upper second-class honours degree or a master's degree from a UK research organisation. The studentship includes tuition fees and a tax-free living stipend of £20,780 for the 2025/26 academic year.
Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Sociology 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 RS898 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
This pathway will leverage excellent provision and research in sociological methods training at Swansea, to build capacity and realise a networked all-Wales strategy for doctoral training in Sociology and STS, drawing upon FtF, hybrid and blended approaches. Pathway strengths include centres and other UKRI investments, ADR Wales, Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research.
Sociology/STS is an emerging disciplinary strength at Swansea University that currently sits within UoA20, with pockets of excellence that speak to WGSSS crosscutting themes. This is a merger of two DTP2 pathways, that are adjacent in disciplinary terms, with an extension to include Bangor and Swansea, as well as Cardiff.
Research Environment
Training: The pathway offers advanced training in: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods (all HEIs); Ethnography; Interaction Analysis (Audio, Video and Multimodal Approaches); Advanced Approaches to Science and Technology Studies; Theorising Contemporary Social Change and Transformation; Advanced Statistics; and the PGR Summer School on Statistics, from 2024 (Swansea). Students will also be able to participate in training provided by WISERD, which is closely aligned with the pathway, benefitting from its partnership with the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) (2019-2024), a centre for the delivery of innovative training and capacity-building activities. In addition to pooling these resources where possible, we will also use WGSSS training support to develop and package a suite of short on-line methods training courses, as well as create and deliver a pathway/cluster summer school (hosted on a rotating basis as a ‘signal’ event), also open to other pathways and DTPs, where feasible.
Community engagement includes presentations at the National Eisteddfod and Hay Festival and collaborative research with, e.g. National Adoption Service, Care Inspectorate Wales, Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (a formal partner in WGSSS), Shelter Cymru, and Senghenydd Youth and Community Centre (South Wales).
We will open up HEI-focused research groups to all pathway and cluster students. This networked approach will fold these activities into a series of hybrid activities that will be open across the pathway, optimizing opportunities for cohort building and participation. Rotating the summer school acts as an annual cohort signal event.
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.
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.
WGSSS 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.
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). Students also have access to a Research Training Support Grant
Please see our website for more information.
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