Royal Holloway University of London PhD Studentships for Research in African Architecture and Politics (Fully-funded) 2018

The Royal Holloway University of London is offering two fully-funded PhD studentships as part of the project Understanding Statehood through Architecture: a comparative study of Africa’s state buildings (ASA). 

Application Deadline: 16th April 2018

To Be Taken At (Country): Egham, UK

About the Award: This is a five-year multi-disciplinary project led by Dr Julia Gallagher, exploring African statehood through the architecture of state buildings. It will involve a team of six: the principal investigator (PI), two post-doctoral researchers, two PhD students and a project administrator.

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One project will explore the history of early post-colonial architecture and the other will explore modern Chinese architectural building projects. Both will involve substantial periods of fieldwork in Africa (see Full details in Program Webpage Link below).

This is an exciting opportunity for ambitious and talented graduates who want to do research in African politics. It provides the opportunity to create and pursue your own project on architecture and politics, as part of a major new research project.

The PhDs will be supervised by Dr Julia Gallagher with support from other members of the PIR academic staff and will benefit from being part of a lively PhD programme at Royal Holloway.

Type: PhD

Eligibility: 

• You will have a strong academic record with good bachelors and masters degrees in a relevant discipline.
• You will have a demonstrable commitment to research in Africa, excellent writing and presentation skills, a willingness to carry out independent fieldwork in Africa and be able to demonstrate flexibility and creativity.
• Language skills (French, Portuguese and/or African languages) would be an advantage.
• The project aims to be multi-disciplinary, drawing on theory and methodology from politics, art and architectural history. Applicants with backgrounds in politics, art and architectural history, anthropology, sociology, geography, history or urban studies are therefore welcome.

Number of Awards: 2

Value of Award: Studentships will cover the full fees (home/EU or overseas) plus a maintenance allowance of £16,777 per annum for three years. The studentships come with additional financial support for research and training costs.

Duration of Program: 3 years

How to Apply:

• To apply please send your CV, covering letter, the names and addresses of two academic referees and a five-page proposal based on one of the outlines above, to Dr Gallagher at [email protected].
• We particularly welcome applications from students based in or from Africa.
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview on 9th May 2018.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: The project is funded by the European Research Council and run from the Department of Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London.