MPhil/PhD Studentships in the School of Social Sciences (2026)

University of Westminster - School of Social Sciences, the University of Westminster

The School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster is pleased to offer three studentships for prospective PhD researchers beginning in September 2026. Located in central London, the School has a vibrant research culture in which its established doctoral programme plays a vital role. It is home to the Centre for the Study of Democracy, the Centre for Social Justice Research, and the Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences, each with an active community of PhD researchers. Research across these centres has an international reputation for excellence, as confirmed by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Each studentship provides a full home‑fee waiver and an annual stipend, currently £22,780 for 2025–26 (including London weighting), rising annually in line with UKRI increases, for three years. Award holders will also benefit from a comprehensive professional development, training and mentoring programme delivered through the University of Westminster Graduate School. The School is committed to decolonising and diversifying Higher Education and fostering a supportive, inclusive, and equitable learning environment.

Overseas applicants are welcome; however, the fee waiver covers only the home‑fee rate. Candidates assessed as international students will be required to pay the difference.

We seek high‑quality prospective doctoral researchers who will contribute to one or more of the School’s core research fields: Criminology, International Relations, Politics, Psychology, or Sociology. Interdisciplinary and creative approaches are strongly encouraged, and we particularly welcome applications from students from underrepresented backgrounds. Applicants are strongly advised to discuss their proposed project with potential supervisors before submission, as supervisor support is required for shortlisting.

Research Areas

Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD)

• Contemporary democratic theory and practice
• Critical international relations theory
• Energy security, transitions, and resource political economy
• Governance, public policy, neoliberalism, complexity, anthropocene
• Politics of identity, gender, misogyny, race, sexuality, technology
• Postcolonial politics, nationalism, small states, Asian geopolitics
• States, security, development, rights, diplomacy, violence

Centre for Social Justice Research (CSJR)

• Education, critical pedagogies, prisoner education
• Family studies, young people, juvenile justice
• Gender, queer theory, sexuality, embodiment
• Leisure, public space, gentrification
• Media activism, social movements
• Migration, border regimes, terrorism, trafficking, organised crime
• Prisons, probation, criminal justice, convict criminology
• Race and racism, policing, religion, social class
• Sex education and sexual harm

Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences (WCPS)

• Stress, health and wellbeing (including the Psychophysiology and Stress Research Group)
• Learning and development
• Brain, cognition and perception
• Identity, self and society
• Forensic and investigative psychology
• Details of specific advertised projects are available on the WCPS website.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should normally hold at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), and preferably a Master’s degree. Those whose secondary education was not in English must demonstrate proficiency, typically IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in all components). Full entry requirements are available here

How to Apply

Applicants should apply via the research centre most relevant to their project.

Guidance on writing a PhD research proposal is available here

Please include “SSS Studentship” in the application header.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m., Friday 13 March 2026

Interviews: Mid-May (online)

Contacts

CSD
CSJR
WCPS