Funded PhD Opportunities

Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships

Funding competitions includes opportunities for PhD students to work with partner organisations, which are not higher education institutions, but are, for instance, museums, galleries, archives, heritage organisations, businesses, or charities.

Anyone interested in developing a Collaborative Doctoral Award partnership should contact one of the Directors of Postgraduate Research (James Miller or Joe Saunders)

Chinese Scholarship Council

A full tuition fee scholarship towards Doctoral students in partnership with the Chinese Scholarships Council. The China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarships are available thanks to a partnership with the China Scholarships Council. The scholarships are open to applicants from Mainland China wishing to study for a PhD at Durham.

The application deadline is 16th January 2026. More information can be found here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/international/chinese-scholarships-council/

For any questions, please contact one of the Directors of Postgraduate Research (James Miller or Joe Saunders)

PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities

We are delighted to announce the competition for eight PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities, supported by our AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award and the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences. This scheme will support outstanding candidates beginning a PhD programme in October 2026 on projects related to the themes of our Transformative Humanities framework.

Applications for this scheme will open on 3 November 2025. Please see our website for further information.

Each award will offer a tuition fee waiver, a stipend for 3.5 years (full time) or 7 years (part time) at the level set by UKRI, additional funding opportunities, and access to training and placement resources.

Eligibility.

Only PhD students accepted to Durham University with a supervisory team lead by Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences will be considered for this scheme. The competition is open to both home and overseas students: seven awards are open to home students and will cover tuition fees at home level; one award is open to overseas students and will cover tuition fees at overseas level. In line with the cross-disciplinary nature of the scheme, supervision must include collaboration across at least two departments.

Application Process.

Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisor(s) to discuss their project before applying. Applications can be submitted through our online application portal at this link; in the funding section, under 'Scholarship details,' please select "PGR - Transformative Humanities" from the drop-down menu. The application deadline for this scheme is 23.59 (UK time) on 16 January 2026.

As part of the application, applicants are asked to submit:

a research proposal (max. 1,000 words) that clearly defines research questions and context, the intended approach and methods, the relevance of the project to transformative humanities, and the fit with Durham University.
a CV
an equal opportunities monitoring form (please see the website)
the names of two referees. Upon submission of the application, referees will receive an automated message and will have two weeks to submit their references.

Prospective applicants are welcome to join an information and Q&A session at 3pm (UK time) on 10 November 2025. Please use this link to join the event.

Successful applicants will be notified in March 2026.

For any questions, please contact one of the Directors of Postgraduate Research (James Miller or Joe Saunders) or our office at artsandhumanities.pgrteam@durham.ac.uk.

Global Grand Challenges Studentships

Durham University is delighted to launch The Global Grand Challenges Studentships (Hunt-Raymond GGC Studentships) which are designed to support excellent early career researchers wishing to pursue doctoral research and training in areas aligned to a highlighted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

This call is for research and researchers aligned to SDG13: Climate Action for projects that aim to address issues associated with climate change and building a more resilient global future.

The application deadline is for applications is 6th February 2026 by 4pm, but early contact with the proposed supervisor and the Director of PG Research is very strongly advised. More information can be found here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/postgraduate/global-grand-challenges-studentships-/

Postgraduate funding opportunities

Ready to begin your PhD in 2026/27? Apply for our studentships, including the new Transformative Humanities awards. Learn more and apply.

Discover more

Find out more about our postgraduate funding opportunities.

Data, Race and Empire: African Health, Scottish Missions and the Information Strategies of Dr Archibald Hewan (1832-1883)

This PhD studentship offers an innovative methodology for knowledge-exchange and collaboration on extraordinary biomedical career of Dr Archibald Hewan (1832-1883).

Expression of Interest - Postgraduate Research

Before submitting a formal application, please submit this initial expression of interest form for review by our Directors of Postgraduate Research.