Research Scholarships

PhD fee waiver opportunities in the School of Education and Professional Development

The School has a well-established research culture and is keen to recruit high quality full-time PhD candidates in its areas of special expertise. To this end we offer a maximum of 3 full-fee waivers for full-time PhD candidates per academic year. The criteria on which these are awarded are:

-          Excellence of candidates evidenced through previous academic achievements (eg 1^st class honours degree; distinction at Master’s level) together with quality of proposal;

-          The topic must be in an area identified by one of our leading researchers, and that researcher must be able and willing to act as first supervisor;

-          The application (research proposal) must be viewed and deemed worthy of support by the Director of Graduate Education and another leading researcher in addition to the potential supervisor / sponsor.

Please contact the individual professors if you want to discuss any possible application.

Professor James Avis

• Critical analyses of post-secondary education and life-long learning, vocationalism and teacher professionalism.
• Social justice and vocational education and training.
• The lived experience of teachers and learners in post-secondary education and training.
• The political economy of the education and training sector.

Professor Janet Fink

• Children and young people’s experiences of the formal and informal spaces of education, historically and in current times.
• Historical and contemporary studies of childhoods, particularly in the contexts of visual and popular culture.
• The forms and experiences of social inequality that shape children’s everyday lives.
• The potential and challenges of visual research methods for generating knowledge about the experiences of children and young people.

Professor Paul Miller

• The interaction between educational policy and the practice of school leadership.
• Race and educational leadership (access and impact).
• Teacher migration and identity (in particular, overseas trained teachers).
• Corruption in education (in particular, teacher progression/headteacher selection).
• Cross-border approaches to teacher/principal development.
• Cross-cultural approaches to researching in educational leadership.

Professor Kevin Orr

• Vocational education and training experience, policy and practice, including vocational pedagogy.
• Work-based learning.
• Education and training for the professions.
• Teacher education in the further education/learning and skills sectors.

Professor Lyn Tett

• The cultural, class and identity factors that contribute to literacy and numeracy difficulties experienced by adults and the forms of education and learning that are most effective in empowering individuals and communities experiencing educational disadvantage.
• An investigation of the factors that encourage or prevent access to higher education for, and retention of, educationally disadvantaged adults.
• An analysis of how international policy discourses on inequalities impact on UK national and local policies for adult education and lifelong learning.

Professor Robin Simmons

• The changing nature of post-compulsory education, particularly staff and student experiences of vocational education and training – either historically or in contemporary settings.
• Young people’s transitions into adulthood, especially their experiences of education and work. I am particularly interested in those wishing to research the lives of young people classified as NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, or those of those engaged in provision designed to prepare marginalised youth for the world of work. 

Professor Paul Thomas

• Youth, extremism and education - how and why young people become attracted towards extremist groups and ideologies, the role of education and educators in preventing and countering extremism, the Prevent strategy.
• Youth people, ethnic segregation and community cohesion – young peoples’ experiences of ethnic identity and ethnic tensions, the role of education and educators in addressing ethnic tensions and contributing to community cohesion, policy approaches to cohesion and integration.

Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for University of Huddersfield graduates

Research degrees can represent a natural progression for the best graduates. They offer a valuable opportunity to build on promise and realise potential.

At the University of Huddersfield we support academic excellence through the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships - a scheme that aims to provide the best students with free research degrees.

The highest-achieving students deserve every chance to earn higher-level qualifications.

This scheme reflects our commitment to giving the most promising graduates every possible encouragement to further their studies in a thriving research environment.

It also reflects our commitment to cementing the University of Huddersfield’s reputation as an internationally recognised research-led institution.

Professor Andrew Ball, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise

Our research

The breadth of research degrees available at Huddersfield reflects the full range of fields in which the University advances research, innovation and collaboration, including:

• Culture and creative arts
• Engineering and physical sciences
• Energy, sustainability and climate change
• Healthcare, social services and education
• Security and global uncertainties
• The digital economy, business and enterprise

Who can apply?

The Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship is available to University of Huddersfield students, as follows:

• Huddersfield students are eligible to apply for the VC Scholarship if they graduate with: a first-class honours degree; a taught Master's with a distinction; or, at the discretion of the School, a Master's by Research where a compelling case for excellence can be made.
• Successful applicants will normally be required to undertake a research degree on a full-time basis within 12 months of graduation.

How to apply?

To apply please complete our online research degree application form, making sure it is clearly marked that you are applying under the VC's initiative.

More information

For more information please email study@hud.ac.uk.

PhD Studentships in Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Pharmacy

Six new fully funded PhD research studentships are offered in the School of Applied Sciences for a 23 September 2019 start. The School is made up of the Departments of Biological and Geographical Sciences, Chemical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

There is competitive funding for 6 of the 12 research projects outlined. Usually the projects which receive the best applicants are funded.

If you are interested in any of these projects, please contact the relevant supervisor for an informal discussion. To apply, please send an email outlining your motivation and experience to sasresearchadmin@hud.ac.uk, including a CV and the names of two referees by 25 April 2019 (copy to the supervisor).

Successful applicants will be interviewed the week commencing 27 May 2019 which will include a 10-minute presentation of each candidate’s recent research.

Candidates may direct general enquiries to the Research Administration team in the School of Applied Sciences, sasresearchadmin@hud.ac.uk, 01484 47 1741/3160. General information about the School and research at the University is available on our website.

The studentships are open to citizens of the UK or EU only, and cover the full cost of tuition fees and an annual tax-free bursary of £15,009 for three years (RCUK rates). Successful applicants will have a very good first or upper second degree or Master’s degree in a relevant subject. 

Proof of Concept Research Bursary 

Following last year’s funding allocation, we are re-running the Proof of Concept (POC) research bursaries.  We have funding allocated to support a number of research bursaries at UKRI level (currently £14,553), aimed primarily at the support of research studentships – either MRes or MEnt, however funding remains flexible to meet needs across as many situations as possible. Overall, the funding is to facilitate the further development and evaluation of promising pre-commercialisation opportunities, and therefore stimulate the commercialisation of early stage intellectual property emanating from the University of Huddersfield.

We are keen to foster collaborative activity between the UoH and our strategic partner NPL and will prioritise such applications. If any academic is keen to make links with potential collaborators in NPL please contact Barry Timmins as soon as possible who will facilitate links and introductions.

Depending on final budget availability we will allocate further funding to the successfully funded bursaries for consumables, travel and subsistence.

Following the outcomes of a research exercise undertaken on this year’s POC bursaries, we have aimed to enhance the guidance and information on the attached application form, as well as introduce some changes to bring improvements to the process as a whole. 

Download the POC Bursary Application Form
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Download an Invention Disclosure Form  if required.‌

Key dates are:-

Application Submission by email to crm@hud.ac.uk end of Friday 1st June

Academic Notifications by email on Monday 4th June

Applications are invited for a fully funded EPSRC Industrial Case PhD studentship in the area of reality capture of infrastructure assets at the University of Huddersfield supported by Network Rail. Applicants should be of outstanding quality and exceptionally motivated. The studentships are renewable for up to 4 years, subject to satisfactory annual performance and progression review, and will provide for tuition fees, a tax-free stipend and research cost.

Please note that this is a competitive application process which including interviews.  Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview in person or via Skype. The most outstanding applicants will be offered the studentship.

The application form is available here: Studentship Application Form 

Queries about the application process are welcome and should be directed by email to Julie Tierney J.Tierney@hud.ac.uk Informal enquiries about individual projects should be directed to the lead supervisor, Professor Song Wu (s.wu@hud.ac.uk).

 

Summary of Award

Type of Award	Industrial Case PhD Research Studentship
Eligibility	UK/EU applicants only; First Class or Upper Second Class Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area (civil engineering, construction and computer science). If you are an international applicant, please contact directly to the lead supervisor, Professor Song Wu (s.wu@hud.ac.uk)
Location	Huddersfield
Details	4 years full time research covering tuition fees and a stipend of funding up to four years at £15,009 per annum for 2019-2020 and increasing in line with EPSRC guidelines for subsequent years Additional funding up to £28,600 is available to cover research cost. Funded via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Industrial Case Account and Network Rail
Closing Date	TBC
Start Date	January 2020 or April 2020

Candidate requirements

Applicants should hold or expect to obtain a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area.

Applicants will, normally, have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least three years prior to the start of the studentship. See https://epsrc.ukri.org/skills/students/help/eligibility/ for details.

Application details

• Complete the Studentship Application Form, save the file in format ProjectReferenceSurname.doc, where ProjectReference = EPSRC_Hud_Icase, Surname = your family name.
• Provide a current detailed CV, identifying any research employment or experience and, where applicable, details of research conference presentations or publications.
• Provide copies of transcripts and certificates of all relevant academic and/or any professional qualifications.
• Provide references from two individuals, at least one of whom should be able to comment on your suitability for postgraduate research. Referees named on this application who are submitting references separately should send them to J.Tierney@hud.ac.uk  and include the Project Reference in the subject of their email.

Completed applications, including all relevant documents should be submitted via-email to J.Tierney@hud.ac.uk and should include the Project Reference in the subject of the email. Please note: if you do not attach all the relevant documentation prior to the closing date of 12 April 2019 your application will not be considered.

Project Description

PhD Title

Discovering and assessing buried infrastructure elements with advanced sensing technology

Project Summary

The performance of buried structures such as tunnels, retaining walls relies on their material and structural integrity and their ability to resist external forces. They can be damaged by impacts, traffic and other structural loads, ground movements, scour, seismic activity and corrosion. Therefore, it is critical to have a good understanding of their condition through regular inspection. However, at present, it is extremely challenging to acquire meaningful condition data for the buried aging infrastructure elements due to lack of the basic design information and practical investigation method. This research aims to develop a method and related technologies to rapidly construct the Building Information Model (BIM) of the aging infrastructure elements and assess their condition through the use of data fusion concept with reality capture technologies and underground sensing technologies. The key objectives of the research are:

• Review the existing buried structure condition assessment requirement and related method
• Review the existing underground sensing technologies to detect and assess buried structure
• Develop a rapid 3D BIM reconstruction method with reality capture technologies (laser scanning and photogrammetry)
• Develop a data fusion technology to integrate data from reality capture technology and underground sensing technology for BIM reconstruction and condition assessment
• Establish a practical method and workflow for buried structure condition assessment