Goldsmiths wins share of £170 million funding for PhD students

Funding for up to 12 arts and humanities PhD scholars has been won at Goldsmiths, University of London as part of a fresh round of financial support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for doctoral study.

The backing has been secured as part of the College’s involvement in the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE).

Goldsmiths is a founding member of this group, which is one of 10 Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) which will in total receive more than £170 million in funding over eight years.

Participating higher education institutions are also providing funding as part of the award – with Goldsmiths investing £1 for every £2 provided by the AHRC funding. The new awards will be advertised in October this year to start in October 2019.

Professor Alan Pickering, Dean of the Graduate School, said: “Goldsmiths has a brilliant community of doctoral students who bring inspiration and insight to our campus.

“Belonging to CHASE is a very important part of the support we can offer to PhDs scholars and we are delighted that this funding is continuing.”

This is the second Doctoral Training Partnership gained by CHASE. The consortium is co-ordinated by the University of Sussex and is a collaboration involving Goldsmiths alongside the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Kent, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Birkbeck, University of London and SOAS University of London.

In total 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.

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.”

• Visit the CHASE website to find out more about applying for the funding.