Supervisors

Dr Leila Dawney - University of Exeter - Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy

Dr Karen Bickerstaff - University of Exeter - Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy

Project Description

This award provides annual funding to cover Home tuition fees (for international students, international fees will be waived), and at least £19,237 per year as a tax-free stipend. 
The studentship will be awarded on the basis of merit for 3.5 years of full-time study to commence on 6th January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The student will contribute to the social science theme of a large multi-disciplinary, and inter-university team working on geological disposal and other aspects of radioactive waste management. The successful candidate will join a leading cohort of 10 students from universities across the network, and will have a range of opportunities to participate in NWS RSO events throughout the studentship. There is generous funding in place to support the PhD research.

This is a match funded PhD in partnership with Nuclear Waste Services Research Support Office (NWS RSO)

The collaboration with the NWS RSO is subject to contract.  Please note full details of the project partner’s contribution and involvement with the project is still to be confirmed and may change during the course of contract negotiations.  Full details will be confirmed at offer stage.
International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.

Summary

The studentship explores how communities who live near major public infrastructure projects experience their relationships to the past and the future, drawing on current thinking from the humanities on infrastructure and time. Through creative participatory research with families living near the Hinkley Point nuclear sites in Somerset, the project will generate data on participants’ understandings of the everyday rhythms of their lives, their intergenerational relationships with place, and their sense of the distant future. It will use speculative writing and interview methods to explore the experience of time and place in communities who live alongside major nuclear infrastructures. As part of the project, a collection of co-produced stories will be published and displayed locally. The project will inform how arts-based interventions can deepen traditional community engagement and participation processes.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements:

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of the humanities and social sciences. Other experience will be taken into consideration. A Masters level degree in an appropriate area is desirable.
If English is not your first language you will need to meet the required level (Profile B) as per our guidance at https://www.exeter.ac.uk/pg-research/apply/english/

How to apply

Apply now

How to apply

In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents. 

• CV
• Letter of application (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project).
• Research proposal (max 1500 words including references).
• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)
• Names of two referees familiar with your academic work. You are not required to obtain references yourself. We will request references directly from your referees if you are shortlisted.
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English in the form of at least 500 words of extended academic prose.
The closing date for applications is midnight on 18th July 2024.  Interviews will be held virtually in September 2024.
If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email pgrapplicants@exeter.ac.uk or phone 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) +44 (0)1392 722730 or +44 (0)1392 725150 (EU/International callers) 
Project-specific queries should be directed to one of the two supervisors: Dr Leila Dawney (l.a.dawney@exeter.ac.uk) or Dr Karen Bickerstaff (k.bickerstaff@exeter.ac.uk).

Summary