PhD Studentship: Social Care, Social Work, Social Policy: ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) Social Care, Social Work and Social Policy
Overview
Swansea University in the United Kingdom offers a PhD studentship through the ESRC Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences, focusing on social care, social work, and social policy within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy houses Social Policy, along with the Centre for Social Change which hosts academic seminars. Swansea University also hosts the ESRC Administrative Data Research Centre for Wales, providing secure access to linked and de-identified administrative data. Social Care and Social Work are located within the School of Health and Social Care, which includes the DEEP initiative dedicated to participatory evidence-gathering for policy formulation.
Who can apply
The Social Policy and Social Work teams seek candidates interested in pursuing doctoral research across their respective academic domains. Supervision is available in numerous research areas, encompassing inequalities and social justice, poverty, the politics of social welfare, state and civil society relations, advocacy, ageing, disability studies, devolution, ethical issues in social policy, children and children rights, the family, communities and social care, the social policy roles of the third sector, co-production, and service outcomes for children, young people, and families.
Additional areas of supervisory expertise cover the rights of excluded groups including asylum seekers and Romani and Traveller families, inclusive practices in social care research, experiences of the care system, experiences of care-leavers, sexuality and social care, safeguarding and child protection, and older people.
What you get
The funded studentship provides coverage for tuition fees as well as an annual tax-free living stipend aligned with UKRI minimum rates, set at 21,805 British pounds per annum for 2026 and 2027.
Key dates
The closing date to submit applications for this studentship is 2026-12-06.