PhD Studentship: Waste/Land/Futures: Intergenerational Relations in Places of Abandonment and Renewal Across Europe

Primary supervisor: Dr Melanie Lovatt

Background

This is an exciting PhD opportunity to work on the Volkswagen Foundation-funded project ‘Waste/Land/Futures: Intergenerational Relations in Places of Abandonment and Renewal across Europe.’ Together with researchers from the UK, Germany, Austria and Romania, the project will study communities in places of abandonment, loss and renewal in western and eastern Europe to develop intergenerational, utopian re-stories that allow those who are usually excluded from speculation about the future to have a stake in it.

The PhD candidate will complete their own PhD thesis within the thematic and methodological framework of the research project, and participate in the activities of the international research team (e.g. project meetings, workshops, visits to partner institutions). The specific aim of the PhD will be negotiated between the successful candidate, the supervisory team and the wider project team, but relevant topics include intergenerational relationships in the context of changing demographics and de-industrialised places in the UK. The project has a particular interest in the intersection of materiality (e.g. environments, bodies, places, things), temporality (particularly future-oriented aspects) and intergenerational relationships in time and place.

Person specification

The successful candidate will have very good undergraduate (2:1 or 1st) and Masters degrees in social science or humanities subjects and experience of qualitative research skills. Experience of or interest in ethnographic research would be an advantage.

Training

The University of Stirling provides a supportive training environment for postgraduate researchers and this studentship also provides an excellent opportunity to train with an international, inter-disciplinary research team.

Funding information

This 3-year PhD studentship is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. The studentship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees, an annual stipend tied to UKRI rates – £19,237 in 2024/25 and funds to support travel to conferences and the European partner institutions.

How to apply

Please send a covering letter, research proposal relating to the Waste/Land/Futures project and an academic CV to melanie.lovatt1@stir.ac.uk to apply for the funding and apply via www.stir.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/how-to-apply-for-our-research-degrees for the Sociology and Social Policy PhD course. You can also contact Melanie Lovatt for any informal inquiries about the position.

Start date: 6^th January 2025

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