PhD Opportunities

The AHRC has awarded Queen Mary University of London a doctoral landscape award to support outstanding original research across the Arts and Humanities. Queen Mary will be awarding five studentships to commence in October 2027.

Each studentship will provide the following:

• A maintenance stipend and tuition fees based on UKRI (home) rates.
• Support for research-related costs.
• Opportunities for full-time or part-time doctoral research (part-time studentships will be offered on a pro rata basis).
• Full-time awards will be 3.5 years in duration, with flexibility to extend up to 4 years to support individual student development opportunities such as placements, training, or additional skills development.
• AHRC DLA students will also have access to cohort-based training and development opportunities offered via the regional AHRC London and South-East Hub, as well as a comprehensive PGR training programme at Queen Mary.

Studentships will be awarded through a competitive selection process. Please note that there is a cap imposed by UKRI on the number of studentships available to international students.

We particularly welcome applications from those with under-represented backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities and applications proposing interdisciplinary research. Research projects must fall within the usual scope of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Candidates wishing to be considered for AHRC DLA studentships must apply to QMUL by Tuesday 1 December 2026 (17:00). In all cases, earlier application is strongly advised. 

Apply: click here for more information on AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards and the application process.

See guidance here for PGR applicants for the Department of Geography. Please note that the programme offer process and the funding offer process are connected, but may run with different timelines. For example, applicants may receive a programme offer before receiving news on the funding application. 

Queen Mary works with numerous international funding agencies to sponsor PhD study including:

• China Scholarship Council Scholarships - Deadline to apply to QM: 27 Jan 27
• Commonwealth Scholarships (high income countries) - https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-high-income-countries-1.html
• Commonwealth Scholarships (low income countries) - https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-low-income-countries-1.html

Please see the PhD funding database for full details of Queen Mary’s international funding partners, including other schemes not listed here.

Details on the 2027/28 Principal PGR Studentships will be available in autumn 2026. 

The Department of Geography invites applications for QMUL Principal’s Postgraduate Research Studentships for self-defined projects relating to any of the Department's Human or Physical geography research themes. Applications are also invited for projects that might involve collaboration with other Schools or Departments within QMUL.  

 Studentships will be awarded in mid-March 2026 to the most outstanding candidates in the Humanities and Social Sciences applying for a full-time or part-time PhD programme starting in September 2026. Applications will also be considered from students who are currently in the first year of a full-time PhD programme, or the first two years of a part-time programme. 

 Awards cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at the QMUL rate (currently £21 874 p.a. full-time, c. £10 937 part-time). Awards are tenable for up to three and a half years full-time or six and a half years part-time. 

BAME Studentships for UK candidates 

We encourage applications from UK candidates in BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) groups who have been previously under-represented in this process. 

For 2026-27 entry, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will be offering one fully funded doctoral studentship (tuition fees and stipend at the QMUL rate) to a UK applicant from a BAME background. 

To be eligible to apply for this studentship you must be a UK permanent resident from a BAME background, and eligible to pay home student fees. You will automatically also be considered for our other studentships. Our goal is to recruit outstanding and diverse candidates across the full range of studentships. 

How to apply 

You should apply for your place at QMUL via the on-line portal. Earlier application is strongly advised. 

On the online application form, you should indicate that you would like your application to be considered for the HSS Studentship Competition. 

Before applying, please read our Guidance to Applicants, which will help you to complete your applications. The guidance is relevant to all applicants, regardless of subject area and type of Studentship. 

If you wish to apply for the BAME studentship, you should specify this in the statement of purpose that will form part of your application. 

 If you have already applied to QMUL to begin a PhD programme in September 2026, you may revise the research proposal and statement of purpose that you previously submitted, to take account of our Guidance to Applicants. However, you are not required to do so. If you wish to submit revised documents, you should email them to the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving the ID number from your application. 

If you have already begun a PhD programme at QMUL, you should email the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving your student ID number and supplying a research proposal and statement of purpose (length and contents as indicated in our Guidance to Applicants). 

The School invites applications for 1+3.5 and +3.5 studentships through the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership, for projects relating to the schemes research areas.  Studentships may be either 1+3.5 (one year MRes followed by a three year and a half year PhD), or +3.5 (a three and a half year PhD only, available for those with masters-level social science research training). Eligibility is based on UK residency, although non-UK resident EU students may apply for a fees only award. See details on ESRC eligibility.

The 2027 Open Competition is expected to open later this year. Further information and application guidance will be published in Autumn 2026.

The Training, Research and Equity in Environmental Science (TREES) Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) is a dynamic new programme for doctoral training designed to equip the next generation of environmental scientists to tackle today’s critical global challenges.

The TREES training programme is designed to equip students with discipline-specific, cross-disciplinary, and employability-focused skills for impactful careers in environmental science. Each student benefits from a combination of cohort-wide modules, immersive field training, and customised, project-specific training. Our curriculum spans essential topics such as communication, entrepreneurship, innovation, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), and sustainability, all grounded in a commitment to environmental research excellence. Through the expertise of our Hosting and Collaborative Partners, students access a rich array of training opportunities, internships, career workshops, and specialised facilities. The TREES programme prepares students to lead sustainable and ethical scientific practices, with core training that includes sustainability literacy, open science, and research ethics.

For more information and how to apply please see the TREES DLA website.

TREES PhD applications are now closed for the 2026/27 intake of students. 

This is open to all Queen Mary University of London alumni and full details are available online.