ESRC NINE DTP
We enjoy continuing high levels of ESRC funding success through four pathways within the school: Human Geography, Sociology and Children, Youth & Families and Conflict, Security & Justice.
The Human Geography training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.
Students following the Human Geography pathway engage with research which is conceptually rooted, theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous. Our research has research-user impacts, and we have significant global academic impact as well.
Opportunities exist for PhD research training and to conduct research across a wide range of human geography fields, including political, economic, social and cultural geography.
Students applying to this pathway on a 4.5 year basis receive Masters-level research training via the MA Human Geography (Research). This programme combines core geography research training with more generic training in research skills, methodologies and theories. Students awarded 4.5 funding can then proceed to their PhD here at Newcastle in Geography.
Students who already have advanced training in geography research at MA level, and those with some Masters-level research training, are eligible to apply for funding on a 3.5 or 4 year basis. For these applicants, further research training is available and is undertaken in conjunction with primary research on their PhD topic.
Pathway contact – Dr Matthew Benwell (matthew.benwell@ncl.ac.uk)
The Sociology training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.
Students in the Sociology pathway engage with research which is theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous. Opportunities exist for PhD research training and to conduct research across a range of fields in sociology. You can get a sense of our key research interests by exploring the work of our three research clusters: Imagining Pasts and Futures; Identities, Embodiments and Selves; and Power, Inequality and Citizenship.
Students applying to this pathway on a 4.5 year basis receive Masters-level research training via the MA Sociology and Social Research. This programme combines provision of advanced-level grounding in key sociological theories, perspectives and concepts with the opportunity to engage in more generic training in research skills, methodologies and theories provided by the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences faculty. Students awarded 4.5 year funding can then proceed to their PhD here in Sociology.
Students who already have extensive advanced sociological research training at MA level, already holding a recognised sociology research training qualification at MA level, and those with some Masters-level research training, are eligible to apply for funding on a 3.5 year or 4 year basis. For these applicants, further research training is available and is undertaken in conjunction with their primary research on their PhD topic.
Find out more about our research community, expertise and facilities here – or look at the individual profiles of potential academic supervisors in Sociology.
Pathway contact – Dr Ruth Graham
The Children, Youth and Families pathway of NINEDTP is available to prospective students through the school of Geography, Politics and Sociology (GPS).
The pathway is open across four of the NINEDTP institutions:
- Newcastle
- Durham
- Teesside
- Queen’s University Belfast
Choosing to base your studies with us at Newcastle in the school of GPS however will give you access to specialist research expertise from our staff in the following areas:
- Participatory and collaborative research with children and youth for social change
- Children, young people and social inequalities
- Political geographies of childhood and youth
- Young people’s climate activism
- Children and young people's environmental concerns
- Climate and intergenerational justice
- Critical environmental education
- Children, youth and poverty
- Youth transitions and subcultures
- Youth leisure, alcohol/drug use
- Youth, crime and criminal justice
- Night time economy
- Geographies of religion, faith and spirituality among young people
- Refugee and migrant youth and children
- Race, nationalism and migration
- Cooperative living and family life
- Ethnographies and infrastructures of young people’s everyday lives
- Marriage, gender and family; Masculinities and gender-based violence
- Geographies of gender and generation
- Childhood disability
- Domestic divisions of labour
- Identities, embodiments and selves
- Imagining pasts and futures
- Power, inequalities and citizenship
- Young people, everyday life and friendships
- Medicine, community and family
- Geographies of (street) play
- Children’s emotional geographies
- Decolonised childhoods
Prospective PhD applications should not be limited to the topics listed above and interdisciplinary and inter – as well as intra – institutional applications are also encouraged.
Find out more about the Children & Youth research group
Current director of the Children, Youth and Families pathway is Dr Matej Blazek (matej.blazek@ncl.ac.uk), Matej is happy to speak with potential candidates and to help facilitate student/supervisory connections.
The Conflict, Security and Justice training pathway is offered at Newcastle University through four key disciplines: Human Geography, Politics, Sociology and Politics. It is an inter-disciplinary pathway that offers students the opportunity to pursue cutting-edge research supported by scholars working across a range of areas.
Within these subject areas we have particular strengths in geopolitics, migration, military, war and security related research, as well as in human rights and social justice scholarship. The establishment of secure, peaceful and just societies requires insight and innovation from all disciplines, and as an inter-disciplinary pathway, Conflict, Security and Justice provides crucial opportunities to support and encourage cross-cutting research that addresses global challenges in novel ways.
The Conflict, Security and Justice pathway offers funding for 3.5 years (PhD), 4 years (PhD with additional research training), 4.5 years (MA+PhD) and 5.5 years (research training Masters and a language-training Masters + PhD). Students will be based at Newcastle University, but can have additional supervisors based at Durham, Ulster or Northumbria University.
A list of potential supervisors at Newcastle can be found by following the links to the four subject areas:
We encourage anyone interested in applying to contact potential supervisors to discuss their ideas, or to contact the Pathway lead who can help facilitate connections.
Pathway contact – Dr Ingrid A. Medby
The Politics and International training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.
Students in the Politics and International Relations pathway undertake research which is innovative, theoretically and empirically rigorous, and which contributes to knowledge both inside and outside academia.
We are theoretically and methodologically pluralist, providing students with the opportunity to conduct research across the full breadth of Politics and International Relations. Our three research clusters are indicative of the wide range of research undertaken by staff and students: International Politics, Governance and Political Organisations, and Political Theory.
In addition we have active research groups within Politics in Gender and Politics and Quantitative Research. We also actively participate in a number of cross-School and cross-faculty research groups including the Eastern European and Russian Research Group, the Gender Research Group, the Military, War and Security Research Group, the Postcolonial Research Group and the Visualities Research Group.
Applications to this pathway are welcome from students with and without Masters-level qualifications. Applicants without a Masters degree are eligible to apply for a 4.5 year studentship which includes Masters-level research training in the MA Politics (Research). Applicants with a Masters in a relevant subject but without 60 credits of research training are eligible to apply for a 4 year studentship during which they will complete a 60 credit Research Training Certificate. Applicants with a Masters that included 60 credits or more of research methods training are eligible to apply for a 3.5 year studentship. These students have the opportunity to undertake further research training in conjunction with their primary research on their PhD topic.
Pathway contact: Nick Randall (nick.randall@newcastle.ac.uk)
The NINE DTP studentship competition for entry 2024 is now open. The application deadline to the Institution’s Department or School is 4pm on Monday 22nd January.
Full details of eligibility criteria can be found on the NINE DTP website.
Contact: PGR Administrator Ruby Mar via gps.pgr@ncl.ac.uk