PhD Opportunity in International Law/History: Empire’s Other Captives: Colonial Prisoners of War, British Diplomacy, and the Laws of War 1872—1977

AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) Studentship

(University of Roehampton and The National Archives)

Start date: 1 October 2025

Application Deadline: 18:00 on Friday, 23 May 2025

We expect interviews to take place online on the week commencing 2 June 2025

The University of Roehampton and The National Archives are pleased to announce the availability of, and invite suitable candidates to apply to, a fully funded, four-year Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2025 under the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme.

Project Overview

This studentship seeks to account for the intersection between the multiracial composition of the British empire’s military forces and British involvement in the making of the modern rules governing the treatment of prisoners-of-war (PoWs). Its core inquiry concerns the extent to which records held at The National Archives confirm that British involvement in the formation of international law norms on PoW captivity, and the content of these norms, have been shaped by the captivity of the empire’s colonial forces—rather than only by military experience accrued in ‘European’ wars fought by metropolitan soldiers.

By surveying intersections between TNA military records of the empire’s campaigns, Colonial Office files on the administration of colonies, and the Foreign Office/Cabinet Office paper trail recording British involvement in the negotiations of treaties on the treatment of PoWs and their implementation, the project will map the complex, multidirectional operation of the race category in the laws of war, recover the legal agency of Britain’s colonial troops, and reveal how modern international law has been shaped by intra-imperial dynamics. The project will produce a thick contextual account combining the routines of imperial administration with wartime and post-war military praxis and arenas of international lawmaking.

The studentship aims to systematically chart the sites, policies, and processes where the captivity of colonial forces had left a mark on British international lawmaking. It will do so by methodically canvassing the extensive TNA collections pertaining to the empire’s governance; records on the composition and deployment of its colonial units; the treatment of its captured colonial troops; and records of the empire’s preparation, negotiations, and implementation of codified international norms on PoWs—and by paying particular attention to contexts of governance and the voices, heard through official channels or expressed informally, of the empire’s non-European PoWs or those speaking on their behalf.  

This studentship presents a unique opportunity to develop the expertise, experience, and skills required for future engagement within both the academia and the Heritage Sector. The student will be expected to shape the project in accordance with their own interests and expertise and develop public engagement outputs related to the project, with an opportunity to work with relevant departments at TNA to enhance future employability.

The studentship will be jointly supervised by Rotem Giladi and William Butler. The student will be expected to spend time at both the University of Roehampton and The National Archives.  The studentship can be studied either full or part-time. The student will become part of the wider group of CDP funded students across the UK, with access to events and training delivered in partnership with a range of cultural heritage institutions.

Funding

CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years), or part-time equivalent.

The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) full-time home rate for PhD degrees. Roehampton university will waive the difference between the home and overseas fee to ensure that overseas students can also apply for this award. The award also pays a stipend to cover living costs, which will be paid in regular instalments. This stipend will be a minimum of £20,780 per year, plus London Weighting of £2,000 per year. CDP students also receive an additional maintenance payment of £600 per year. Further details can be found on the UKRI website.

The student will be eligible to claim up to £4,000 worth of research-related expenses from The National Archives. Students can also apply for up to £1,750 of research support funds from Roehampton over their time at the institution.

Training

CDP students will have access to training and development opportunities throughout the course of their PhD, supported and facilitated by the CDP Consortium, the University of Roehampton, and The National Archives. CDP students would be expected to undertake a work placement or development opportunity for a period of 1 to 3 months (or part-time equivalent).

Eligibility

• This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants.
• To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
  • Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

Further guidance can be found on the UKRI website. 

All applicants must meet the UKRI terms and conditions for funding.

Person specification

• Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification in law and/or history, or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a setting involving knowledge of and critical reflection on relevant topics.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate an interest in the archives sector and potential and enthusiasm for developing skills more widely in related areas.
• Applicants must be willing to spend time working with the University of Roehampton and The National Archives, both in person and online

Reasonable adjustments and support for applicants

Should you require any reasonable adjustments or support throughout the application process, please contact Graduateschool@roehampton.ac.uk or research@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Support or adjustments may include (but are not limited to):

• Opportunity to speak with supervisors about the project and the process (for this, please contact Rotem.Giladi@roehampton.ac.uk).
• Opportunity to speak with contacts within the University of Roehampton and/or The National Archives regarding institutional support systems (e.g. Neurodiversity, Racial Diversity and LGBTIAQ+ networks, mental health support, support for carers, and more).
• Insight into the interview process (for this, please contact Rotem.Giladi@roehampton.ac.uk).
• Opportunity to speak with active CDP students to ask questions regarding student experience as part of the CDP scheme.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The National Archives is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities, and are especially keen to hear from candidates from underrepresented communities and different disciplinary backgrounds, language skills and  familiarity with relevant historical and geopolitical contexts. The University of Roehampton’s EDI policy can be found here. At Roehampton, the student will have the benefit of appropriate workload, emotional, and ethical training offered by the Graduate school, enjoy the Research and Ethics support mentorship programme and the services of the Student Well-Being Team. 

Find out more

For more information, please contact Rotem Giladi and William Butler.

How to apply

We understand that you might use artificial intelligence (AI) and other resources to assist with your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Eligible candidates should apply through Roehampton's online portal by 18:00 on on Friday, 23 May 2025; please click the 'Apply' button, above.

We expect online interviews to take place online on the week commencing 2 June 2025.

Please include in your application:

• CV;
• A statement, up to 1,200 words, explaining your interest in and reasons for applying to the project, how your background and experiences makes you a suitable candidate for this project, and how you would like to approach the questions it asks;
• A sample of relevant writing (around 1,000 to 3,000 words);
• A transcript of all university-level grades;
• 2 references from academic referees; and
• Test results demonstrating your proficiency in English (if required).

Please do read the application guidance here and ensure that you meet the Roehampton application criteria. Feel free to contact pgresearch@roehampton.ac.uk if you have any further application questions.

On the application form, you may choose either ‘Law’ or “History’.  

Privacy notice

The University of Roehampton will share applicant data with The National Archives for the purposes of recruitment and diversity monitoring. Anonymised diversity monitoring data will also be shared with UKRI for the purposes of monitoring the CDP scheme. For more information about how this data will be shared, please see The National Archives’ privacy notice and the University of Roehampton’s privacy policies.

Anonymised data on the number of applicants for the CDP studentship and their declared gender, age, ethnicity and disability with be shared with the National Archives.