Research Opportunities

The Schools of the Business and Management invite applications for Doctoral Research Studentships open to UK and international students. Studentships will be awarded in mid-March 2026 to the most outstanding candidates in the Humanities and Social Sciences applying for a full-time or part-time PhD programme starting in September 2026. Applications will also be considered from students who are currently in the first year of a full-time PhD programme, or the first two years of a part-time programme.

In order to be considered for an award, applicants should have (or expect to have by the end of the 2025-26 academic year) a master’s degree or equivalent qualification in an appropriate field. Awards cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at the QMUL rate (currently £21 874 p.a. full-time, c. £10 937 part-time). Awards are tenable for up to three and a half years full-time or six and a half years part-time.

BAME Studentships for UK candidates

We encourage applications from UK candidates in BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) groups who have been previously under-represented in this process.

For 2026-27 entry, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will be offering one fully funded doctoral studentship (tuition fees and stipend at the QMUL rate) to a UK applicant from a BAME background.

To be eligible to apply for this studentship you must be a UK permanent resident from a BAME background, and eligible to pay home student fees. You will automatically also be considered for our other studentships. Our goal is to recruit outstanding and diverse candidates across the full range of studentships.

How to apply

You should apply for your place at QMUL via the online portal by Friday 16th January  2026 (17:00). In all cases, earlier application is strongly advised.

On the online application form, you should indicate that you would like your application to be considered for the HSS Studentship Competition.

Before applying, please read our Guidance to Applicants, which will help you to complete your applications. The guidance is relevant to all applicants, regardless of subject area and type of Studentship.

If you wish to apply for the BAME studentship, you should specify this in the statement of purpose that will form part of your application.

If you have already applied to QMUL to begin a PhD programme in September 2026, you may revise the research proposal and statement of purpose that you previously submitted, to take account of our Guidance to Applicants. However, you are not required to do so. If you wish to submit revised documents, you should email them to the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving the ID number from your application.

If you have already begun a PhD programme at QMUL, you should email the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving your student ID number and supplying a research proposal and statement of purpose (length and contents as indicated in our Guidance to Applicants).

How your application will be assessed

Your application will be considered and ranked by a Discipline selection panel. Selected applications will then be considered and ranked by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. If a candidate has already begun their PhD, selection panels will be looking for a research proposal that is concomitantly stronger than the proposal of someone yet to begin their thesis.

The Discipline panel will evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:

• Quality of proposal (50%) – i.e. the significance and originality of the proposed research; its underpinning ideas, aims, and research questions; the research design, methodology, and/or sources; the suitability of the proposal for doctoral research; opportunities for dissemination and potential impact; and any ethical considerations that the proposal may raise
• Preparedness of applicant (25%) – i.e. previous academic achievements in relevant subject areas; any relevant professional/practitioner experience (particularly for applicants with non-standard academic trajectories); and relevant knowledge, skills, and/or training for the proposed research
• Feasibility of project (25%) – i.e. the project’s likely completion within the timeframe; the identification of training needs; justification of fieldwork and study visits; and fit with the expertise and interests of the two named supervisors

The Faculty panel will then evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:

• Quality of proposal (40%) – defined as above
• Preparedness of applicant (20%) – defined as above
• Feasibility of project (20%) – defined as above
• School ranking (20%)

At both Discipline and Faculty levels, if two or more candidates are equally ranked, preference will be given to the candidate scoring more highly on the following criterion: quality of proposal; if still equal, preparedness of applicant; if still equal, feasibility of project.

Offers will be made to successful candidates in mid-March 2026, to be accepted or declined within one week.

The studentships cover all tuition fees and provide a grant for living expenses at the QMUL stipend (currently c. £21 874 p.a. full-time, c. £10 937 part-time).

Please note that these awards cannot be deferred to the following academic year.

Application Deadline - Friday 16th January 2026 (17:00)

The School of Business and Management is delighted to be able to offer China Scholarship Council scholarships for entry in 2026/2027.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates in the following subject areas: Accounting and Finance; Behavioural Economics; Climate Policy and Environmental Change; Complex Networks and Innovation; Employment Relations; Equality and Diversity; Human Resource Management; Inequality and Poverty; Information Systems and Digital Technologies; Labour Economics; Management and Organization Studies; Marketing; Monetary and Financial Economics; Operations Research; Public Economics and Management; Strategic Management and Leadership; Supply Chain Management; Urban and Regional Development

Submission Deadline

The deadline is 28th January 2026, at 16.00 GMT.  Applicants must submit their PhD application to QMUL by that date, and include notification within their application that they wish to be considered for the CSC award. 

Read more on the Scholarship here.

 

The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded Queen Mary University of London a doctoral landscape award to support outstanding original research across the Arts and Humanities. Queen Mary will be awarding five studentships to commence in October 2026.

Each studentship will provide the following:

• A maintenance stipend and tuition fees based on UKRI (home) rates.
• Support for research-related costs.
• Opportunities for full-time or part-time doctoral research (part-time studentships will be offered on a pro rata basis).
• Full-time awards will be 3.5 years in duration, with flexibility to extend up to 4 years to support individual student development opportunities such as placements, training, or additional skills development.

AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) students will also have access to cohort-based training and development opportunities offered via the regional AHRC London and South-East Hub, as well as a comprehensive PGR training programme at Queen Mary

Studentships will be awarded through a competitive selection process. Please note that there is a cap imposed by UKRI on the number of studentships available to international students.

We particularly welcome applications from those with under-represented backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities and applications proposing interdisciplinary research. Research projects must fall within the usual scope of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Submission deadline: Monday, 1 December 2025, 17:00 (GMT).

Apply: click here for more information and to apply.

Please contact doctoralcollege@qmul.ac.uk for any queries related to the application process