Language and Social Interaction, Communication, Conversation Analysis, Discourse Analysis

About the Project

The Department of Communication and Media at Loughborough University leads international research at the cutting edge of language and social interaction using conversation analysis, discourse analysis and rhetorical analysis. Members of our DARG Discourse And Rhetoric Group have extensive experience in supervising doctoral research into different uses of language in society with a focus on applications to real-world problems.

We invite proposals from prospective PhD candidates with projects relating to the thematic areas of language and social interaction. This could include areas such as:

• mental health, wellbeing and therapy;
• end-of-life and palliative care;
• political discourse;
• criminal justice and domestic violence;
• morality and minority identities;
• communication with conversational AI and interaction between human and non-human animals.

PhD researchers in these areas would be embedded and supported by a lively and diverse research culture, within the Communication and Media department. They would also be part of the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture (CRCC), which is one of the largest centres of this kind in the UK. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework ranked us 5th in the UK and the 2022 QS World University Ranking placed us in the top 100 for communications and media research.

Supervisor

• Dr Michael Skey - M.Skey@lboro.ac.uk

Tuition fees for 2026-27 entry

• UK fee - £5,238 Full-time degree per annum
• International fee - £23,100 Full-time degree per annum

Fees for the 2026-27 academic year apply to projects starting in October 2026, February 2027 and July 2027.

UK tuition fees for 2026/27 are currently to be confirmed pending the release of the UKRI recommended rates. Once published, these rates will be subject to formal approval by the University before being confirmed.

Opportunity Details

• Target Start Date: October 2026
• Full time or part time available.
• Open to UK and international applicants.

How to Apply

We welcome discussions with interested candidates.

• Step 1: Interested applicants should first contact Dr Michael Skey (M.Skey@lboro.ac.uk) to discuss your research interests and funding options.
• Step 2: Applicants are then strongly encouraged to contact potential supervisors with a CV, academic transcripts, and confirmation of funding sources or planned funding sources.
• Step 3: following any informal discussion, applicants are invited to make a formal application on the Loughborough Website.