PhD in Law Studentship

Supervisors: To be determined depending on the candidate

Project Overview

We are currently inviting applications for a funded PhD studentship in any area of law. The School of Law prides itself on providing an inclusive, vibrant, and supportive research environment for our thriving community of doctoral researchers. We have three active research centres in the School:

1. Law, Justice and Society
2. Global Law at Reading
3. The Centre for Commercial Law and Financial Regulation

Eligibility

Only high-quality candidates with strong research proposals in an area where we have supervisory capacity/support will be considered, and we reserve the right to make no award. Specific selection criteria are:

1. Academic excellence of the applicant (as indicated by, for eg. qualifications and relevant experience/publications)
2. Quality of the research proposal (including methodological relevance and innovation, original contribution to knowledge, fit with the School, project feasibility, etc.)
3. Applicants must have an offer of a place to study for a PhD at the School of Law for a September 2025 start (or later in the 2025/26 academic year, as agreed)
4. Candidates must not hold any other scholarship supporting the proposed PhD research

Funding Details 

Home-level fees and a stipend at UKRI – equivalent rate (for 2025/26 the stipend is £20,780 per annum (subject to formal approval)). The funding covers tuition fees at the Home rate ONLY and International students will need to cover the difference between home and international fees. Funding is a 3-year award (or equivalent for part-time students).

Fees can be found on this webpage –

https://www.reading.ac.uk/doctoral-researcher-college/funding/fees/fees-new-students. 

How to apply 

To apply for the studentship, applicants must first apply for a PhD position by Monday 17^th March 2025 and be offered a place. Earlier applications are encouraged. To apply for a PhD position, click Apply for a Programme and create your account, and use the link sent by email to start the application process. PhDs can be undertaken full-time or part-time.

*Important notes*

1. Please quote the reference ‘DRC25-009’ in the ‘Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your on-line application.
2. If the application system prompts you to submit a research proposal, please paste in the project title and move on to the next step in the application.

Application Deadline 

The closing date for submissions is Monday 31^st March 2025 and they must be emailed to phdstudentship@reading.ac.uk via the above ‘Apply’ button. The subject line should be: ‘PhD studentship competition’. Applicants must send:

1. A fully referenced research proposal (maximum 1000 words excluding references and project title). The proposal must articulate clear, analytical research questions. It should indicate clearly how the research will advance the field, and why it is feasible and timely. The originality and significance of the research will be key selection criteria, so these must be emphasised and made apparent for non-specialists.
2. A two-page CV outlining the applicant’s qualifications, experience, and relevant publications/funding etc.

Applicants will be notified of the decision by the end of May 2024.

Further Enquiries:  

Please note that an award will be confirmed via a formal studentship award letter; provided separately from any Offer of Admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria. For further details please contact the Law School’s admissions Administrator Elizabeth Wyeth (m.e.wyeth@reading.ac.uk).  

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