The department of English Language & Linguistics (ELL) at the University of Kent invites applications from prospective PhD students to commence in September 2018. Proposals are encouraged in any of the areas in which ELL has expertise.
ELL is a member of the Economic and Social Research Council South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). This consortium of universities consists of the University of Kent, City University London, University of East Anglia, Goldsmiths College, University of Reading, Roehampton University, Royal Holloway, University of Surrey, and University of Sussex. For more information, please visit the SeNSS website. The DTP includes thirteen pathways offering (a) 3-year PhD Scholarships (for those with or expected to receive a relevant MA/ MSc with Merit or Distinction) and (b) 4-year PhD Scholarships (for those with or expected to receive an excellent UG degree who wish to study for an MA and a PhD).
SeNSS is one of only 14 UK ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnerships and will be offering a number of fully-funded ESRC doctoral studentship to start in the 2018-2019 academic year. More information on the subject pathways at Kent can be found here.
Interested candidates should secure the agreement of a member of staff willing to act as their supervisor. ELL particularly welcomes applications in pragmatics, discourse analysis, language acquisition in typical and atypical development, bilingualism, second language acquisition, language processing, experimental syntax, intonational phonology and speech prosody. Please note that proposals must be based on the candidate’s own work.
What SeNSS provides:
SeNSS is committed to providing innovative and challenging world-class doctoral training in a dynamic, inter-disciplinary research environment. This includes training in a wide range of general and subject-specific research methods, opportunities for overseas visits and fieldwork, annual conference attendance and support with academic publishing. You will become part of a large cohort of fellow SeNSS students, which will offer support and networking opportunities.
What funding will you receive?
Fully-funded SeNSS Studentships include:
- All tuition fees (UK/EU rates)
- Maintenance stipend: in 2017-18 this is £14,553 per annum
- A research training support grant
- Access to further research funding
To check your eligibility for this funding, please visit the SeNNS website.
How to apply
New students wishing to be considered for ESRC SeNSS funding must apply for a PhD place at the University of Kent by 23.59 on Sunday 21 January 2018.
What happens next?
All applications for PhD study received by 23.59 on Sunday 21 January 2018 will be considered for ESRC SeNSS funding. Candidates shortlisted for an interview will be informed by Wednesday 31 January 2018. Interviews will be held on Monday 12 February 2018 at our Canterbury campus. Interviews will require candidates to talk about the academic and societal importance of their research, their preparedness to undertake the research, and the theoretical, methodological and substantive issues key to their concerns.
Candidates shortlisted for a SeNNS scholarship after the interview will be invited to complete a SeNSS application. These applications will then be forwarded to the consortium’s SeNSS assessment panel. Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application by 30 March 2018. Please review the SeNSS website for guidance about the process.
For further information please contact Dr Tamara Rathcke.
