Principal’s Career Development PhD Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh will offer a number of PhD scholarships for students starting their PhD research at the University in the 2014-2015 academic session.
Background: In order to attract the best and brightest PhD students, the University seeks to offer not only unparalleled research facilities and superb supervision, but also to provide development opportunities which will support our research students as they progress beyond their PhD, through an innovative programme of integrated research, training and career development. This exciting new scholarship scheme provides a valuable opportunity for postgraduate research students to undertake a package of training and development which will help them to develop the necessary skills required to meet their career choices and offer them a breadth of development opportunities in areas such as teaching, public engagement, entrepreneurship, and research.
Scholars will usually focus on one career development area. These include:
- Teaching: University, and particularly undergraduate, teaching will be the area that many Career Development PhD scholars focus on. The level of teaching contribution will vary among the disciplines, commonly in the region of 180 hours per academic session. This will be combined with associated tasks such as marking or demonstrating, e-tutoring or group facilitation, perhaps with some lecturing or course development experience towards the end of the three years.
- Public Engagement: Other scholars will concentrate on public engagement, disseminating and promoting research to audiences beyond the University. This might include giving public talks; seeking public input into research; or working with science centres or museums. Such activities will help to encourage a greater understanding about the issues and possibilities that develop from research.
- Entrepreneurship: Looking at new ways of encouraging innovative approaches to the utilization of research will be the focus for some scholars. This might include being introduced to such areas as intellectual property and patents, learning how to set up a business or spin-out company, as well as business and industrial placements.
- Research: Some scholars may contribute to other research-related activities beyond their specific PhD topic. Examples include systematic reviews or trials, data collection or analysis, journal editing, preparing briefings and materials for publication and presentation in our Schools, Colleges and Support Groups.
Award: Each scholarship covers the UK/EU rate of tuition fee as well as a stipend of £14,000. Subject to satisfactory progress, the scholarships are awarded for three years.
Eligibility: The awards are open to UK, EU and overseas students applying to start their first year of study for a research degree in 2014-2015. Award applicants should contact the School with whom they intend to study before applying for the award to ascertain whether the funding is available for the discipline involved.
Applicants must have already applied for admission to a full-time PhD research programme of study at the University.
They must be of outstanding academic merit and research potential. Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a UK first class or 2:1 honours degree at undergraduate level or the international equivalent. Other factors such as financial status, nationality and the proposed field of study are not taken into account. The University will not generally consider candidates who have already obtained a PhD, or formal equivalent, as a result of direct research training.
Candidates are required to have good English Language skills with scholarship applicants normally requiring a minimum IELTS of 7.0 acheived within the past two years. Please note that your scholarship application will not be considered if your IELTS results are not known to the University. Please also note that if you have applied for consecutive registration where you will start your Master’s programme of study in 2014 and your PhD the following year in 2015, that you will not be eligible to apply for a Principal’s Career Development Scholarship in 2014. Principal’s awards cannot be held concurrently with fully-funded scholarships but can be held with partial awards such as the Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships.
Applying: Eligible applicants should complete an online scholarship application before the application deadline of 3 February 2014.
