The University of Aberdeen has secured a major award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to support PhD research across the arts and humanities disciplines.
The eight-year award will provide 15 scholarships to outstanding PhD candidates which will support five years of recruitment, with the potential for further funding to foster collaboration with other Scottish Universities through a regional training hub. The PhD candidates will come from a range of disciplines at the University including the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy and Art History, the School of Law, the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, and the Archaeology department within the School of Geosciences.
Professor Nicholas Forsyth, the University of Aberdeen’s Vice-Principal for Research said: “This award underscores the University’s international reputation for research excellence in the arts and humanities, and also our commitment to supporting and preparing the next generation of scholars to ensure the vitality of arts and humanities disciplines.”
The AHRC Executive Chair, Professor Christopher Smith said: “The AHRC doctoral landscape awards provide flexible funding to allow universities to build on existing excellence in research and opportunities for innovation across the arts and humanities.”
This AHRC award follows other recent successes in securing support for PhD research and training. The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have confirmed a combined £9M investment in a PhD research and training programme led by the University of Aberdeen to prepare the next generation of environmental scientists who can tackle global environmental grand challenges such as the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.
This combined success has been welcomed in a motion raised in the Scottish Parliament by Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, highlighting that “Investment recognises the excellence of the University of Aberdeen’s research and its commitment to training PhD students as innovative research leaders.”
Professor Stuart Piertney, the University’s Dean for Postgraduate Research said: “Securing funding for PhD research and training that spans science to arts subjects allows the University to deliver on its commitments to grow a vibrant and diverse postgraduate community that is empowered to make high-impact contributions to both academia and society.”