PhD Studentship: King’s College London’s Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War (CRSW) AHRC Doctoral Studentships

King's College London - Department of War Studies

King’s College London’s Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War is pleased to announce the availability of three fully funded AHRC doctoral studentships from October 2026.

We invite proposals under the themes of:

1. Slavery and the Seven Years’ War within and across the Caribbean Archipelago to be jointly supervised across the History and War Studies departments.
2. Narratives of Enslavement and their Legacies to be jointly supervised across the English and War Studies departments
3. Anticipating African Futures: Pluriversal Approaches to Forecasting Conflict-Related Slavery to be supervised in the War Studies Department.

Full details for each studentship can be found via the links.

More information about the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War here

Eligibility

• This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. However, the CRSW is limited to one Overseas studentship across the three opportunities.
• The project can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis.
• We are committed to welcoming applications from students from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this discipline.
• We require an upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at high merit or above in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent).
• Please see here for the English-language requirements for PhD students in the Department of War Studies (Band B).

Assessment of Applicants

Applicants will be assessed by how well they meet the person specification for this position. This may include:

• An educational and research background that matches this research project.
• The potential to work effectively and inclusively with a diverse team of people
• The potential to take initiative and manage a dynamic and complex workload.
• The potential to develop expertise in new areas related to this subject.
• A demonstrated interest in and understanding of the proposed area of research, including knowledge of current challenges and opportunities.
• The potential to undertake continuous personal and professional development.
• The potential to communicate ideas and findings, verbally and in writing, clearly and effectively.
• An understanding of relevant research methods.

How to apply

Applicants should submit the following to the link provided by 5pm on 1 May 2026

• Curriculum vitae
• A personal statement outlining your reasons for pursuing doctoral research at King’s College London
• A research proposal (5-10 pages in length) that explains your proposed area of focus; primary research question; importance and originality of your topic; initial thoughts on methods and potential case studies; and your familiarity with the existing literature and research on this topic.
• A sample of academic writing
• Transcripts of undergraduate and master’s qualifications
• One academic reference

Please submit all materials in English. All documents should be submitted in either MS Word or PDF format.

The successful candidate will need to formally apply to King’s College London and satisfy its admission requirements following selection. For Overseas students, the deadline to make an application via King’s Apply is 1 June. Overseas candidates are therefore advised to be in a position to apply immediately after selection, which should take place in mid-May. The deadline for Home students to make a College application is 25 August.