Essex receives funding boost for arts and humanities research students

Essex is one of only 50 UK universities to receive funding to support PhD students in the arts and humanities.

The money, granted through the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) new Doctoral Landscape Awards scheme, will fund 15 students over five years, with three enrolling each year.

The first students funded through the scheme, which will widen opportunities for research students, will start their studies in 2026.

Essex will be part of an East of England and London Hub, which includes 11 other institutions across the region, each with their own separate funding allocation.

As well as covering the cost of tuition fees, the money will support living costs, development opportunities and research activities for the students, and collaborative projects that will enhance the research environment regionally.

In total, the Landscape Awards will support the equivalent of at least 150 discovery-led student projects per year.

The exact amount awarded to each university will be announced by the AHRC later in the year.

Professor Shane Martin, Essex’s Dean of Postgraduate Research Education, said: “I am thrilled that our colleagues and postgraduate research students will have the opportunity to participate in the AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards.

“We are deeply committed to advancing the arts and humanities and fostering excellence in postgraduate research. This recognition underscores our dedication to quality-driven growth in our postgraduate research community, exemplified by our recent investments, including the launch of a new Doctoral and Postdoctoral College later this year.”

Dr Lisa Smith, Faculty Dean Postgraduate (Arts and Humanities), added: “These awards are a great opportunity for us to invest in curiosity-led research that can shape new knowledge and practices in arts and humanities, from placements with local partners to collaborations with researchers at other universities in our region.

“We look forward to developing exciting opportunities for training with nearby universities to build a strong regional cohort of postgraduate researchers.”

The AHRC funding scheme recognises universities with strong research environments and the capacity to provide high quality support for PhD students, whilst ensuring good regional coverage across the UK.

Speaking about life as a research student at Essex, Ellie Hibbert, who is in her second year of a history PhD studying mother and midwife experiences in the long eighteenth century, said: “I have always been made to feel that anything is possible here. I have been given the freedom to pursue my passions and research what I choose, whilst being supported by experts in my field every step of the way. At Essex I feel that not only is my research valued, but that I am valued too.”

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.

“They will support the development of talented people and, alongside our other doctoral schemes, contribute to a vibrant, diverse and internationally-attractive research and innovation system.”