ESRC WRDTP Studentships at the University of Leeds
The call for student nominations of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership (WRDTP) social sciences studentship funding for doctoral research/masters students starting in October 2025, has been announced.
About WRDTP studentships
The WRDTP offers a range of social sciences PhD studentships starting in October each year at our partner universities (of which the University of Leeds is one).
- WRDTP Pathway Awards (including our Interdisciplinary Research Awards and our WRDTP/Stuart Hall Foundation Awards for Black British students)
- WRDTP Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) Awards
- WRDTP Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) Awards
- WRDTP Collaborative Awards
The Pathway, Advanced Quantitative Methods and Advanced Data Analytics Awards fund student-led research projects.
WRDTP Collaborative Award projects are designed by academic colleagues at our partner universities, and fund collaborative research with partners in the private, public or third sectors. Students can then apply for a studentship linked to their preferred project in early Spring each year.
Our award types are:
- +3.5 programme: funding for a 3.5-year PhD (for students with a social science Masters degree, and with 60 or more credits of M-level social science research methods training)
- +3.75 programme: funding for an integrated PGCert/PhD (for students who already have a social sciences Masters degree but have fewer than 60 credits of M-level social science research training)
- 1+3.5 programme: funding for a 1 year Masters programme, followed by the 3.5 year PhD, (for students without a social science Masters degree, the Masters programme will deliver the core social sciences research methods training requirements)
All awards are available for study on either a full-time or part-time basis.
Applicant Information Sessions
Applicants who are interested in the WRDTP Pathway, AQM, ADA and WRDTP/SHF Awards are invited to attend an information session for guidance on the application process. The session will be held online on the following date:
Pathway, AQM, ADA and WRDTP/SHF Awards:
● Tuesday 8 October 2024: 17:30 – 18:30 To book your place on a session, please follow this link.
The session will run on a virtual basis, via Zoom. You will receive a reminder email with the link to your session, nearer the time of your workshop. If you are unable to attend but would like to receive further information, please indicate this via the form. Slides/recordings from the event will be posted on our website in due course, and you will be emailed once these are available.
Drop-in sessions
Two drop-in sessions will be offered as a follow-up to the information sessions detailed above. These will be held on the following dates:
● For student applicants - Thursday 7 November 2024, 17:30 – 18:30
● For academic supervisors - Tuesday 5 November 2024, 10:00 – 11:00
The purpose of these sessions will be to offer an opportunity for supervisors/students to ask questions about the studentships schemes and application processes following the substantive content provided in the information sessions.
All sessions will run on a virtual basis, via Zoom. To register your interest in the drop in sessions, please click here.
For full details, including eligibility criteria and key dates please visit the WRDTP website.
Information
Research In Practice Placement
A Research in Practice (RiP) placement is an integral component of all new studentships funded by the ESRC from Autumn 2024. Students spend 3 months away from their research, working with an external host partner on a discrete project, challenge or research question. This gives them a practical opportunity to develop their transferable skills, and to apply their theoretical knowledge and methodological skills in different contexts. It also develops their awareness of the breadth of careers open to them as social science graduates.
Please visit the WRDTP placements page for further information.
Interdisciplinary, Thematic Training Pathways
The Thematic Interdisciplinary Training Pathways are as follows. Each link will direct you to further information about the Pathway:
Each pathway has a pathway director and deputy director who coordinate activities within the pathway. Contact details for the pathway Directors and Deputies can be found on the pathway pages.
Researchers whose projects straddle the remit of the ESRC and another Research Council may be awarded an Interdisciplinary Research Studentship. Researchers intending to use Advanced Quantitative Methods, in particular using large-scale datasets, are required to provide extra information in the application form.
Eligible Schools at the University of Leeds
The following schools/divisions are affiliated with the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership and can therefore accommodate Postgraduate students with ESRC funding (managed through the White Rose DTP)
Leeds University Business School (LUBS)
Institute for Transport Studies
School of Computing
School of Earth and Environment
School of Education
School of Geography
School of Health Sciences
School of Healthcare
School of History
School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
School of Law
School of Media and Communication
School of Politics and International Studies
School of Psychology
School of Sociology and Social Policy