CEELBAS CDT Doctoral Studentships: Application Guidelines
The CEELBAS Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) comprises four CEELBAS universities with extensive expertise in and resources for the study of the languages, literatures, cultures and histories of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia:
- UCL (School of Slavonic and East European Studies)
- University of Cambridge (Department of Slavonic Studies)
- University of Manchester (Department of Russian and East European Studies)
- University of Oxford (Sub-Faculty of Russian & Slavonic Languages)
in collaboration with five external partners:
- British Library
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Open Democracy
- Pushkin House
- Calvert 22 Foundation
The CEELBAS CDT is currently able to offer AHRC Doctoral Studentships to candidates who have been offered a place on a relevant doctoral programme at one of its four partner universities.
Eligibility
CEELBAS invites applications from all students intending to undertake doctoral research in its subject area of Russian, Slavonic and East European languages and culture. UK citizens, citizens of other EU member states, and citizens of states from outside the EU are all able to apply. However, the eligibility of applicants for AHRC funding will be determined by the residency eligibility rules for UK Research Council funding.
Note:
These eligibility criteria are based on the Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations 1997 and subsequent amendments. These regulations cover England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Applications from students who are not eligible for AHRC funding, or who are eligible for ‘fees only’ awards, will still be considered by CEELBAS. If such applications are very highly ranked, CEELBAS will explore the possibility of securing matched funding from its consortium universities so that an offer of a studentship can be made. In such cases, the studentship holder would become a CDT ‘affiliate student’ and would have the opportunity to participate in CDT training events and activities. Please note that CEELBAS is unable to guarantee that institutional funding will be available to support potential CDT affiliate students in this way, and that capacity to award institutional studentships will be likely to vary across institutions and from one year to the next.
Funding Criteria
Studentship applications will be assessed by the CEELBAS CDT Steering Group, comprised of representatives from the four partner universities and an external academic advisor. The allocation of CEELBAS Studentships will be made strictly on the basis of merit and in pursuance of the consortium’s strategy and vision. The assessment criteria are:
- Applicant track record (as detailed in the application to the home university (and including supervisor’s support statement in the case of current students)
- Quality and relevance of the research proposal
- Fit with the consortium’s strategy and vision
- Appropriateness of proposed supervisor(s) and home university Candidates should note that, as with all forms of research funding, competition for these Studentships is likely to be extremely fierce.
The CEELBAS CDT Strategy and Vision
The overarching vision of the CEELBAS CDT is to create a national centre of excellence for the postgraduate study of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, thereby helping to realise the UK’s strategic commitment to the study of the region. More specifically, CEELBAS aims, through its studentships and training programme to:
- Promote outstanding postgraduate research and top quality training in Russian, Slavonic and East European languages and culture
- Lead in the exploration of new directions for research and serve as a hub for postgraduate training in this field
- Promote inter-regional collaboration covering global modern languages and cultures
- Provide a flow of expertise that augments national capacity to understand and respond to European and global developments
CEELBAS contends that contemporary political configurations, developments in the global economy and transnational flows all attest to the continuing necessity of advanced, nuanced scholarship of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, including in historical, comparative and global contexts. Central and Eastern Europe and Russia should be understood as part of a fluid and dynamic transnational neighbourhood, in which shared historical and cultural legacies continue to be fought over. CEELBAS sees this region as part of an increasingly global space in which new borders and new social relations are increasingly evident. Without the cultural and linguistic dimension, understanding will be incomplete. Advanced research in the humanities offers a uniquely nuanced perspective for understanding these processes and makes a major contribution to the UK’s capacity to appreciate and respond to developments in the region.
The CEELBAS CDT encourages postgraduate researchers to see their doctorate as a professional training; to recognise that the end product of the doctorate is not only the research itself, but also the researcher. Researchers are trained to recognise and maximise the potential applicability of their expertise, and their advanced research skills, to a wide range of possible futures, not limited to the Higher Education sector.
Supervision and Expertise
The CEELBAS CDT is able to draw upon a total of no fewer than 35 supervisors for research in Russian, Slavonic and East European languages and culture. Additionally, Studentship holders benefit from the opportunity to engage with a large cohort of scholars in i) the history of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, ii) the politics, society and economics of the region, and iii) other modern languages, who form part of the larger multidisciplinary and collaborative environment of the consortium.
The CEELBAS CDT encourages its studentship holders to benefit from a pool of complementary ideas and approaches to research training. Joint supervision, including with supervisors from two different universities, can also be arranged should this be appropriate to the proposed research project. Financial support will be available to cover essential travel costs for purposes of supervisory meetings outside the home university.. The supervisory teams for successful applicants will be agreed by the CEELBAS CDT Steering Group, in discussion with the applicant, once offers of Studentships have been made
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ceelbas/