ESRC Studentship – Blockchain Technology and Shipping Law

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded London Interdisciplinary Social Science (LISS) Doctoral Training programme (DTP) (a partnership of Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), King’s College London and Imperial College), is funding a 4 year studentship (1 year MRes programme + 3 year PhD) at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at QMUL, to commence in September 2019, to support research in the field of IT and Shipping Law.  Specifically, the successful candidate is expected to complete a doctoral research project titled “If blockchain is the answer, what is the question? The legal and economic implications of using blockchain technology in container shipping”.

Topic of Research

The project will examine the legal implications for all stakeholders in cross-border trade of replacing paper transport documents with blockchain records in container transportation. The use of blockchain can result in many advantages: as a secure technology, it has the potential to reduce fraud, as an electronic platform granting simultaneous access to real-time data to multiple stakeholders, it has the potential to reduce delays and because it does away with the need for manual processing of information recorded on paper, it would inevitably reduce administrative costs and errors. However, the legal framework to enable and regulate potential blockchain alternatives to paper is as yet very undeveloped and there is a risk that there will be a formal legal void surrounding their use and the associated risks. The project will be undertaken with the support of Maritime UK, QMUL’s CASE partner for this project, giving the researcher access to a wealth of market knowledge and practical experience of the shipping business.

The successful candidates will undertake research for an MRes & PhD degree within the field of IT and Shipping law under the supervision of Dr Miriam Goldby and Prof. Christopher Reed.

About the award

• The funding awarded will cover tuition fees, at a Home/EU rate for a +3 (PhD only) or 1+3 (Masters + PhD) programme, and provide an annual stipend of £17,009 per year.
• Whether +3 or 1+3 funding is provided depends upon whether the candidate selected has a Master’s degree which meets the foundation training required by the ESRC. Only applicants who have an eligible Master’s degree can start directly on the PhD.
• Click here for more information on the ESRC’s core training requirements.
• The required training may be obtained through our MRes in International Business programme which would need to completed prior to the 3-year PhD programme by the successful candidate should they not already have previously obtained the necessary training. Information on how to make an application to the MRes in International Business, what the programme’s entry requirements are and what supporting documentation is required, may be viewed here. Please note, by clicking on the ‘full-time study’ button on the right hand side of this screen, applicants can then go directly to the on-line application portal and complete the application.
• Applicants who have met the ‘Core Training Requirements’ in social science research training of the LISS DTP scheme already via previous degrees taken may be eligible to start directly on the PhD programme, and not take the MRes degree.
• All candidates need to meet the PhD programme’s entry requirements.
• All applicants must apply via the MRes route initially.
• The award is renewable over four years of study while in full-time enrolment. For MRes students, to progress to the PhD they must obtain a Merit in their MRes, and for PhD students, progression is subject to satisfactory annual progress reports;
• The studentships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence. The application process for these awards is highly competitive.
• Shortlisted candidates may be required to attend an interview.
• For information about the LISS DTP ESRC CASE Studentships, please see their web page (from which you can also download the relevant LISS DTP Collaborative (CASE) Application Form).
• If you have any queries relating to the funding application process, please e-mail the School of Law PhD/MRes Admissions Administrator, Mr G Skehan.
• If you have any queries in relation to the nature of the research question required, please contact Dr Miriam Goldby.

The Application Process

Applicants must submit, by the deadline date:

• An application to the MRes in International Business;
• All required supporting documents as part of this, which are:
• A research proposal (of 2-3,000 words maximum). This would outline how you would answer the research question mentioned above via 3 years of doctoral research, and would include information on how you would research this question – your research design and methodology. The 2-3000 word count does not include the bibliography or title.
• A Statement of Purpose
• Transcripts from any under-graduate or post-graduate degrees taken
• 2 references – at least one of which must be from a staff member who taught you on more recent course of study
• In addition, applicants must submit (either via e-mail or uploaded to their MRes application) a completed LISS DTP Collaborative (CASE) Application Form. This form can be downloaded from: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/case-studentships-student-applicants/

Eligibility Criteria

• The award is for postgraduate research students only, who will reside in or around the London area for the duration of their doctoral studies;
• The award is open to applicants wishing to study on a full-time basis.
• To be considered, an applicant must have submitted an application (and uploaded all required supporting documentation) to our MRes in International Business by the time of the funding deadline
• The applicant must meet the QMUL academic entry requirements for the MRes in International Business.
• Preference will be given to applicants with a legal academic background and a knowledge of shipping law. Some knowledge of Information Technology law and/or experience in the shipping industry would be considered an asset.
• Existing PhD students who have already enrolled prior to September are not eligible to apply for the award.
• The applicant must also meet the residential eligibility requirements of the ESRC LISS DTP funding scheme.
• To be eligible for a full award (including a fee waiver and a stipend), the applicant must:
  
  (i) Have settled status in the UK, meaning there are no restrictions on how long they can stay.
  (ii) Have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the studentship grant (i.e. September 2019). This means applicants must have been normally residing in the UK (apart from temporary or occasional absences).
  
  
• To be eligible for a fees only award (with no stipend), an applicant must:
  
  (i) Be ordinarily resident in an EU member state, in the same way as UK students must be ordinarily resident in the UK.
  
  
• Thus, applicants who are classed as ‘overseas’ or ‘international’ for fees purposes are not eligible for these funding awards.

Deadline

The deadline for Studentship applications to the School of Law Monday, 22 July 2019.

You must have submitted both your application to the MRes programme (including all required supporting documents) and your ESRC LISS DTP Collaborative (CASE) Studentship 2019-20 Application form by this date.