Fully-funded PhD position at the Aston Institute of Forensic Linguistics

About the Project

The Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics (AIFL) is inviting applications for a fully-funded PhD scholarship commencing in October 2026 and tenable for three years.

Founded in 2008 as the Centre for Forensic Linguistics, and substantially expanded in 2019 following receipt of a £5.5m UK Government grant, AIFL has a focus on language use in legal and forensic contexts. We produce academically rigorous, high-impact research using insights and methods from diverse areas of linguistics to improve the delivery of justice.

Your proposed project can be in any area of Forensic Linguistics, Language and Law or Forensic Data Science. Please submit a Research Proposal with your application in order to be considered.

The successful candidates will be offered wide-ranging training opportunities from AIFL and as part of the Doctoral Training Programme at The Aston Graduate School.

Supervision

PhD supervision at AIFL is currently offered by Dr Andrea Mojedano Batel, Dr Lucia Busso, Dr Emily Chiang, Dr Felicity Deamer, Prof. Tim Grant, Dr Nicci Macleod, Prof. Geoffrey Stewart Morrison, Dr Ralph Morton, and Dr Tahmineh Tayebi. Their research interests can be found on Aston Research Explorer.

Person specification

The successful applicant should hold, or expect to achieve:

A First or Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, and a Masters degree with Merit or Distinction, both in relevant subjects.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be considered, but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Applications

Applications for all of the above opportunities should be submitted through the process below. We strongly recommend approaching your preferred supervisor and discussing your proposal with them before submitting your application.

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Contact Information

Please contact Prof Krzysztof Kredens - k.j.kredens@aston.ac.uk, for more information or for an informal discussion

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Interviews

Interviews will likely take place the first two weeks of June 2026. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Funding Notes

Fees: the bursary will cover three years of standard Aston University UK or international fees.

Stipend: £21,805 annually to cover accommodation and living costs (to match UKRI funding terms).

Conference fund: £1,000 pa to attend national or international conferences at which you will be presenting.

Please note that the successful candidate will be responsible for any costs relating to moving to Birmingham and/or visiting the Aston campus. International students must meet the financial requirements for the visa, flights, and NHS Surcharge. Applicants should be confident that they can meet these costs before applying.