Funding Opportunities

WGSSS Studentships

Aberystwyth University is a member of the ESRC Welsh Graduate School in Social Science (WGSSS) which supports a number of fully-funded studentships in the social sciences. Students can apply for studentships in four research areas or ‘pathways’: (1) Environmental Planning, (2) Health, Well-Being and Data Science, (3) Human Geography and (4) Politics, International Relations, and Area Studies. Information on each pathway is provided in the links below.  

Applicants should consider approaching potential supervisors before submitting their application to confirm that there is appropriate supervisory capacity and to discuss their draft application.

What will the studentship cover:

Studentship awards cover your tuition fees as well as a maintenance grant and include access to additional funding through Research Training Support Grants (RTSG). There are other opportunities and benefits available to studentship holders, including an overseas fieldwork allowance (if applicable), internship opportunities, overseas institutional visits and other small grants.

Eligibility

WGSSS studentships are highly competitive. Applications should come from exceptional candidates with a first class or strong upper second-class honours degree, or appropriate Master’s degree. The University values diversity and equality at all levels and encourages applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation. In line with our commitment to supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and to increase recruitment of currently underrepresented groups, applications from Black British, Asian British, minority ethnicity British and mixed-race British candidates are particularly encouraged and welcomed. We welcome applications for both full and part-time study.

Pathways:

Detailed information on eligibility, topic areas and the application process can be found on the links below.

Environmental Planning

Health Wellbeing and Data Science

Human Geography

Politics, International Relations, and Area Studies

The Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) recently hosted two webinars; ‘How to apply for a WGSSS studentship’ and ‘How to write a research proposal’. The webinars were designed to make the competition more accessible to those who are considering applying in the 2024 WGSSS studentship competition. The webinars covered topics such as; how to find a supervisor, how to prepare for an interview, and how to structure your proposal. Recordings of the webinars are available on the WGSSS studentships page.

WGSSS welcomes applications from students of all backgrounds. We value academic excellence and life skills, as well as the ability to meet challenges and student’s capacity to enrich the life of our community. Widening participation is a key goal for WGSSS and we are keen to receive applications from able and ambitious students. We are a collaboration between Cardiff University (the lead institution), Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, the University of Gloucestershire, the University of South Wales and Swansea University. 

The closing date for applications in the General Competition is the 12^th January 2024 (institutions may have earlier deadlines, these will be detailed in the individual General Competition adverts), the Collaborative Competition will be launching in March 2024.

Isabel Ann Robertson Scholarship

Isabel Ann Robertson, always known as Ann, was a tutor in the Computer Science Department at Aberystwyth University for 25 years from 1984 to 2009. But her links with the University spanned several generations. Ann Davies was born in London in 1932, the eldest of three children. Her mother, Enid Sayers, had graduated in English from the then University College of Wales in Aberystwyth in the 1920s and later (as Enid Davies) was Vice President of the Old Students’ Association. Ann’s father, C W Davies, was also an Aber graduate and was later a professor of Chemistry and Head of the Chemistry Department. Ann studied Physics when the department was still based in the Old College on the seafront, graduating with a BSc in 1954 and an MSc by research in 1957. Her research was on cavitation. She was also a College athlete and a member of the Sailing Club. In 1956 she married David Robertson, whom she had met through the Sailing Club. His work for the Forestry Commission took them to many different parts of the UK, including Glasgow, where Ann took an MSc in Computer Science. They returned to Aberystwyth to live in the 1980s. Their daughter, Sara Robertson, also studied at Aberystwyth from 1978 to 1981 and their granddaughter, Fiona Robertson, followed, from 2011 to 2015.

Ann Robertson PhD Scholarship - Details of the Award & Available Projects

Open to applicants who qualify for Home (UK) fees status only, there are three full-time PhD scholarships available.  These will be allocated on a competitive basis to three of the projects described in the Ann Robertson PhD Scholarship 2025 Project Details. Those awarded an Ann Robertson Scholarship will receive a grant for up to three years which will cover their tuition fees up to the UK rate of £5,006 per annum (2025/26 rate).  A maintenance allowance of approximately £20,780 per annum* and access to a travel and conference fund (max. £1000 per annum*) will also be provided. Scholarships commence in September 2025 (although flexible starts up to February 2026 can be discussed).

How to Apply

Applications will be assessed on a rolling monthly basis and we hope to assess applications after the following dates: 8th May 2025, 5th June 2025, 3rd July 2025.

To be considered, candidates must complete the usual full online PhD application AND the specific  Ann Robertson PHD Scholarship Application Form 2025

The completed Ann Robertson Scholarship Application Form should be submitted via our online Postgraduate Application Portal at the point of application.  

To make a full PhD application, firstly visit our course pages and find the details of the course for which you wish to apply.  Once you have found your chosen course page, select the “Apply Now” button to start your application. 

The Postgraduate Admissions Application Portal will ask you to provide us with your personal details, confirm your course selection(s) and upload documents in support of your application.  Please have you supporting documents saved in PDF format and ready to upload to your online application.

At the same time, the completed Ann Robertson Scholarship Application Form should also be sent as an attachment by email to Prof Reyer Zwiggelaar (rrz@aber.ac.uk), Head of Graduate School, with the subject heading ANN ROBERTSON SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION.

Please ensure that you read the Ann Robertson PhD Scholarship Terms & Conditions thoroughly.

Any Questions?

If you have any specific queries regarding the projects listed, please contact the main supervisor associated with the project. 

If you have any queries about the postgraduate application process please contact
 pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk

Ann Robertson PhD Scholarship Project Details

Mathematics

Mathematics

An Ann Robertson PhD Scholarship is available to fund any project offered by the Department of Mathematics. Visit the Mathematics PhD Projects page for descriptions of typical PhD projects on offer and the Mathematics Research pages for further information on the Department's research.

AberDoc

AberDoc Scholarships are part of a prestigious fund for Research Postgraduates.

These awards are tailored to enable students to develop the necessary skills required to meet their career choices and offer a breadth of development opportunities to enhance their research, teaching and transferable skills.

For more information, check out the dedicated page for AberDoc.

AHRC Scholarship

Two AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Programme Awards

Performative interventions in managed landscapes: Enhancing visitor engagement with the Waun Las Nature Reserve.
The History of Herbal Medicine

Aberystwyth University Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship with National Botanic Garden of Wales

1. Performative interventions in managed landscapes: Enhancing visitor engagement with the Waun Las Nature Reserve.

Start date: October 2025
Application Deadline: 30^th May 2025
Interviews will take place on 24^th and 25^th June 2025

Aberystwyth University Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies, and National Botanic Garden of Wales are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2025 under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme.

The student will be based at Aberystwyth University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies and National Botanic Garden of Wales. There will be opportunities to take part in the programme of CDP Cohort Development events and other activities organized for CDP students by the AHRC, as well as training and development provided by Aberystwyth University and the CDP Welsh Culture and Heritage Consortium.

Project Details

This AHRC funded PhD scholarship is a unique opportunity for a theatre or performance maker to develop an innovative practice-based project focused on developing public performance interventions at National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW). Employing the critical concept of ecodramaturgy, and practical approaches from theatre and performance, the project will develop performance interventions that enhance visitor engagement with the ecology of the Waun Las Nature Reserve and the species-level conservation work of the living collections, seed bank, and herbarium at NBGW.

The project will explore how performance can reveal, enact and embody ecological relationships in the managed landscapes of NBGW, increase the ecological literacy of visitors to the garden, and produce transferrable principles for application in other sites and locations.

Working in collaboration with the scientific specialisms of NBGW, the research will result in performative public interventions and a written thesis of around 40,000 words. The performative interventions may take a variety of forms, depending on the student’s existing practice and their fieldwork and collaboration with NBGW. Potential outcomes could involve walking performance, installation, object-based, or intermedial work.

Academic supervision at Aberystwyth University will be provided by Dr Ffion Jones and Dr Andrew Filmer. Dr Laura Jones and Dr Lucy Sutherland will be the supervisors at NBGW.

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Ffion Jones fhj2@aber.ac.uk

Studentship Award Details

CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years) or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of 8 years. Placement and development opportunities, to be shaped in collaboration with the successful candidate, will be embedded into this funding period.

The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the full-time home fee. Research Councils UK Indicative Fee Level for 2024/2025 is £5.006* Students with an ‘overseas’ fee status are welcome to apply but will need to cover the difference between the UK and overseas fees rate (Aberystwyth University overseas research degree fee level for 2025/2026 is £18,060) and will be required to reside in the UK until completion of the PhD.

The award pays an annual stipend for all students, both home and international students. This stipend is tax free, and is the equivalent of an annual salary, enabling the student to pay living costs. The UKRI Minimum Doctoral Stipend for 2024/2025 is £20,780 (rising in alignment with UKRI) plus a CDP maintenance payment of £600 per year.

The student is also eligible to receive an additional travel and related expenses grant during the course of the project courtesy of the CDP4 Welsh Heritage Consortium worth up to £400 per year for 4 years (48 months).

Eligibility Criteria

This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. International applicants will need to demonstrate how they will cover the gap between the studentship and international PGR fees. To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:

Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
Have settled status, or
Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

Further guidance can be found here based on revisions to Training Grant Terms and Conditions for projects starting in October 2025 - Policy statement: review of the training grant conditions – UKRI

The project can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis.

We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to apply for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people of Global Majority backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented in this area.

Applicants should ideally have, or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification and/or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a professional setting. Suitable disciplines are flexible, but might include dance and physical performance, installation, performance art, scenography, and performance design, etc. Bilingual (Welsh/English) ability is not a requirement for this studentship.

All applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding. See:

https://www.ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/grant-terms-and-conditions/

How to apply

Please make an online application through Aberystwyth University’s PhD application portal: https://courses.aber.ac.uk/?study_level=&search_text=phd#postgraduate-courses

The application must include the following:

Two references.
A research proposal (of 1000 words) based on the project remit and outlining your practice, your previous experience, and your ambitions for the project.
A portfolio consisting of documentation of previous performance and/or scenographic work.
an up-to-date CV (with a link to a website if available).

We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary EDI monitoring form here. All responses are anonymous.

For further specific information about the studentship, please contact Dr Ffion Jones fhj2@aber.ac.uk

We are committed to supporting applicants from a variety of backgrounds. For further information on the process, or to request reasonable adjustments, please contact Postgraduate Admissions at Aberystwyth University: pg-admissions@aber.ac.uk

Aberystwyth University AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship with the National Library of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales

2. Hanes Meddygaeth Lysieuol yng Nghymru, 1840 i 1948
(The History of Medical Herbalism in Wales, 1840 to 1948)

Start date: 1 October 2025
Application Deadline: 30 May 2025
Interviews will take place in: the first two weeks of June

Aberystwyth University, and the National Library of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2025 under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme.

The student will be based at Aberystwyth University and the National Library of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales. There will be opportunities to take part in the programme of CDP Cohort Development events and other activities organized for CDP students by the AHRC, as well as training and development provided by Aberystwyth University and the CDP Welsh Culture and Heritage Consortium.

Project Details
This research project considers the history of herbal medicine – the use of plants to treat illness and ensure good health – in Wales during late nineteenth century and early twentieth century and asks what it tells us about Welsh people's understanding and experiences of health and illness, nature and the environment, and medicine in the modern period.

Through study of nineteenth-century medical and herbal self-help books located at the National Library of Wales, collections of herbal recipes and tapes of oral history interviews at St Fagans National Museum of History, and the plant collection, herbarium, and seed bank of the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the project explores the varied influences that shaped herbal medicine in Wales and the ways in which Welsh people attempted to look after their health and well-being. The successful candidate will also benefit from the skillsets and expertise of the project partners to develop a range of different outreach and impact initiatives at sites in Wales.

The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Steve Thompson, Department of History and Welsh History, and Dr Bleddyn Huws, Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies, at Aberystwyth University, in addition to Dafydd Pritchard, National Library of Wales, Dr Sioned Williams, Amgueddfa Cymru, and Dr Laura Jones, National Botanic of Wales whilst on placements at those institutions.

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Steve Thompson, sdt@aber.ac.uk

Studentship Award Details
CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years) or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of 8 years. Placement and development opportunities, to be shaped in collaboration with the successful candidate, will be embedded into this funding period.

The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the full-time home fee. Research Councils UK Indicative Fee Level for 2024/2025 is £5.006* Students with an ‘overseas’ fee status are welcome to apply but will need to cover the difference between the UK and overseas fees rate and will be required to reside in the UK until completion of the PhD. The UK and overseas fees rate for 2024/25 is £18,060 .

Eligibility Criteria
This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. International applicants will need to demonstrate how they will cover the gap between the studentship and international PGR fees. To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:

Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
Have settled status, or
Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

Further guidance can be found here based on revisions to Training Grant Terms and Conditions for projects starting in October 2025 - Policy statement: review of the training grant conditions – UKRI

The project can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis.

We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to apply for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply.

Applicants should ideally have, or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification and/or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a professional setting. Suitable disciplines are flexible, but might include History, Welsh, Ethnobotany, and Ethnopharmacology. The ability to speak Welsh is an essential requirement for this studentship as the work will involve extensive use of Welsh-language historical sources.

All applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding. See:

https://www.ukri.org/funding/information-for-award-holders/grant-terms-and-conditions/

How to apply
To apply please visit: https://courses.aber.ac.uk/?study_level=&search_text=phd#postgraduate-courses and complete the application form.

Secondly, please contact Dr Steve Thompson sdt@aber.ac.uk to indicate that an application has been submitted.

We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary EDI monitoring form here. All responses are anonymous.

For further information about the studentship, please contact Dr Steve Thompson, sdt@aber.ac.uk

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South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)

Aberystwyth University is one of a number of institutions in the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) and has successfully secured funding for PhD scholarships in the arts and humanities. Successful students may benefit from potential supervision and training opportunities available at more than one university within the DTP.

Please note that these awards are only available to UK students and are for new PhD students rather than current PhD students.

Please visit the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership website for further information.

Other Funding

Other funding opportunities are available. For more information check the dedicated Other Funding page.