New funding for arts and humanities doctoral studentships

A successful doctoral training programme supporting the next generation of arts and humanities researchers in the south-east has been awarded funding for a further five years.

The Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-east England (CHASE) – of which Essex is a member – has successfully bid for funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

One of ten AHRC Doctoral Training Partnerships awarded across the UK, CHASE will support over 50 doctoral studentships each year for five years, including a number of Collaborative Doctoral Awards with a range of partner organisations. The new awards will be advertised in October 2018 to start in October 2019.

Dr Matthew Grant from our Department of History worked on the bid, which was co-ordinated by the University of Sussex.

Dr Grant said: “This is wonderful news as it shows the success of the CHASE Consortium that the University of Essex has been a full part of. This funding allows CHASE to continue its work in providing leading interdisciplinary training and supporting doctoral researchers develop their careers.

“The University of Essex and its CHASE partners are at the forefront of changes within the arts and humanities disciplines. We work with students to ensure they are equipped to shape the future of not only academic disciplines, but the creative and cultural life of the UK and beyond.”

Professor David O’Mahony, Deputy Dean of Humanities, Postgraduate Research and Education at Essex said: "This is excellent news for students seeking to embark on PhDs at Essex. It provides both generous funding and state of the art research training opportunities which will prepare the next generation of research students to be the leading academics and researchers in their fields." 

Over the past five years, CHASE has supported more than 400 doctoral students, with AHRC funding enabling member institutions to work together to enhance doctoral training, supervision and cohort development. CHASE provides a student-focussed environment for students to collaborate with their peers, academics and partner organisations through placements, open training calls and biannual Encounters conferences.

Dr Denise deCaires Narain, Director of CHASE, said “I’m excited at the prospect this grant gives us to support an outstanding community of doctoral researchers. We look forward to the many opportunities ahead to engage with our students, academic community, and partners in conversations and research collaborations, in ways that will enrich the doctoral experience.”

Professor Edward Harcourt, the AHRC’s Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation said: “The AHRC is delighted to announce its renewed commitment to the Doctoral Training Partnerships model. Our support for the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector, which accounts for nearly a third of all UK academic staff, is renowned the world over for its outstanding quality, and which plays a vital part in our higher education ecosystem as a whole.

“We were extremely pleased with the response to our call, which saw high-quality applications from across the UK from a variety of diverse and innovative consortia, each with a clear strategy and vision for the future support of their doctoral students.”

Co-ordinated by the University of Sussex, CHASE involves the Universities of Essex, East Anglia and Kent, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmiths, University of London, Birkbeck, University of London and SOAS University of London.