PhD Studentship in Immersive Arts

Immersive Arts

An opportunity to apply for a funded full-time PhD in the College of Arts, Technology and Environment, UWE Bristol.

Ref 2425-JAN-CATE01

The expected start date of this studentship is 01 January 2025

The closing date for applications is 16 September 2024.

Studentship Details

We invite applications to undertake a three-year funded PhD, acting as a complementary track to the Immersive Arts programme of funding awarded to 200+ artists across the UK.

Proposals are invited that explore questions related to the Immersive Arts research themes:

Artists and Audience Development:

What appeal and ambition do immersive technologies offer artists? How do they diverge from existing artforms and methodologies? How do we design for diverse access requirements? What concerns artists about the impact of immersive artforms on the wider sector?

What might distinguish audiences for immersive experiences? What do audiences report about the impact and meaning of immersive works? What opportunities can the hybridity of immersive mediums offer to diverse and dispersed audiences?

Infrastructure and ecosystem:

What business models support the development of immersive works? What are the dominant and emerging approaches to exhibition, distribution, and franchising artworks? What challenges obstruct a sustainable practitioner network? What are the gaps in the training and development ecosystem that can lead to the talent drain described in the House of Lords report ‘At risk: our creative future’? What else is needed, now, and next?

We are particularly interested in practice-led research, and welcome traditional PhD proposals, and proposals that involve developing a standalone, creative body of work, complementing, or in critical dialogue with the Immersive Arts programme.

Candidates are invited to develop their own research question (related to the themes above) and UWE Bristol will build a supervision team in response to the interests of the successful applicant.

The PhD student can be based anywhere in the UK, with the option to situate your research in the Pervasive Media Studio, the Immersive Arts Lead Hub in Bristol. The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with the Immersive Arts research team and our national network of production partners.

The successful candidate will be supervised by the Immersive Arts team at UWE Bristol, and benefit from a range of support services that the university offers to our Doctoral Researchers.

We invite proposals for PhD study from home (UK) and international students.

For an informal discussion about the studentship, email Dr Tom Abba.

Funding details

The studentship is available from 01 January 2025 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress and includes a tax exempt stipend, which is currently £17,668 (2022/23) per annum. 

In addition, full-time tuition fees will be covered for up to three years (Home or International).

Eligibility

Applicants must meet our minimum criteria. 

How to apply

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 2425-JAN-CATE01.

Supporting documentation: you will need to upload your research proposal, all your degree certificates and transcripts and a recognised English language qualification is required.

References: you will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application.

Closing date

The closing date for applications is 16 September 2024.

Further Information

It is expected that interviews will take place in October 2024. If you have not heard from us by October we thank you for your application but on this occasion you have not been successful.

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