Deadline: July 31 2022
The PhD studentships provide support for research projects on Commonwealth-related themes. Two studentships are available each year, one for UK-registered students and one for Commonwealth students in other countries.
The studentships have a value of GBP 5,500 each.
Proposed research must fulfil at least one of the below criteria:
- Relate to the Commonwealth as a whole or to any Commonwealth-wide institution or organisation
- Have a strong Commonwealth comparative aspect
- Be of relevance to a Commonwealth country other than the UK.
For example, a research project comparing LGBT rights in South Africa and Uganda would be eligible, as would a project on the reform of colonial-era anti-LGBT legislation in India, but a project on the role of Stonewall in advocating for LGBT rights in the UK would not.
Applications are welcomed from a broad range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, but preference may be given to disciplines usually covered by the Round Table journal, including (but not exclusively) politics, international relations, economics, international history, geography, law, development studies, and area studies.
The studentships are funded by The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and the journal’s publisher, Routledge, in association with the ACU.
Eligibility
The first studentship is open to registered PhD students from UK universities, although not necessarily UK citizens.
The second is open to registered PhD students from ACU member universities in Commonwealth counties other than the UK, and to Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarship alumni who are PhD students at any Commonwealth university outside the UK.
Mentorship
As part of the studentship, applicants are required to identify and work with a mentor at an ACU member university in a country other than their own. This should be an expert in a subject linked to the applicant’s subject of research, who will be able to provide support and advice during the studentship. Before applying, applicants are encouraged to informally approach at least one potential mentor and, if their application is successful, will then be required to obtain a letter of support from their mentor to agree to the mentorship before their studentship is confirmed.
The role of the mentor
The mentor will be expected to hold a minimum of two virtual meetings with the student during the period of the studentship. They will be expected to be in contact with the student by email to share their experiences in their relevant field, provide advice around publishing, events and trends in their field, and to challenge and empower the student to consider new ways of thinking.
The mentor will also be expected to contribute to either the podcast or the article and will be paid an honorarium of GBP 500, payable at the end of the studentship. Mentors must read and abide by the mentor code of conduct guidelines.
Mentor code of conduct guidelines
- The relationship between mentor and mentee should not be exploitative in any way, nor open to misinterpretation
- Mentors are responsible for setting and keeping appropriate boundaries that govern interactions with mentees
- Mentors should maintain a clear mentoring relationship with mentees and not allow personal bias to influence their actions
- Mentors should maintain confidentiality, objectivity and equal partnership
- The mentor’s role is to respond to the mentee’s needs and agenda rather than imposing their own agenda
- Mentors will share the responsibility for creating a smooth end to the relationship with the mentee, once it has achieved its purpose
- Any personal data relating to the mentee held by the mentor should be deleted as soon as it is no longer needed.
How to apply
Applications should be submitted by 23:59 UTC on 31 July 2022 via the online application form.
If you already have a MyACU account, you can access the application form here.
If you do not already have a MyACU account, please ensure that you first register for an account here and then follow the instructions in the registration email to log in to the system before accessing the application form.
(We are aware that some applicants are currently experiencing technical problems when submitting their application(s) through MyACU. As a result of this, the option to preview your application form has been turn off. If your application is complete and you are having problems submitting it, please ensure that all sections of your application are ready to submit, then contact us here. Please also indicate which award or grant you are applying for.)
As part of the application, you should submit:
- A CV
- A studentship plan, outlining:
- The work you plan to carry out during the studentship, in non-technical language
- The likely impact of your studentship work, and how it will advance knowledge in your field and contribute to a greater understanding of the Commonwealth
- The planned outcomes and outputs of the studentship
- Two letters of support from referees should include one academic (preferably your PhD/DPhil supervisor) and one personal reference letter.
Post-studentship requirements
Successful applicants will be required to submit, no more than twelve months after the take-up of the award, an article of between 4,000 and 6,000 words based on their research, for consideration for publication in the Round Table journal. Successful applicants will also be required to make a podcast on their research, for publication on the journal’s website.
