Find your place in Research

These are competitive, student-led scholarships, and prospective applicants should apply through the UWS online system. As part of your application you should include a research proposal of approximately 1,500 words outlining your proposed area of research and a covering letter detailing your motivation for applying and noting interest in being considered for a 50% fee waiver-scholarship. Research proposals should be aligned to the topic areas below.

The scholarships are open to both home and international students applying for PhD study for October 2025. The 50% fee waiver will be applied for each year of study at the appropriate home/international rate. There are no stipends associated with these scholarships. Applicants must possess a minimum of a second-class Honours degree in a relevant subject area. The deadline for applications is 14/07/2025.

After the closing date, applications will be assessed based on the excellence of the proposal, the academic background and wider experience of the candidate and alignment of the proposed research with the priority topic areas outlined below.

Proposals are welcomed in the following broad topic areas:

Business

• Organisational Cultures and leadership
• Embedding Equality Diversity and Inclusion in Employment and Service Delivery
• Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Growth Policy
• Artificial Intelligence in management

Physics

• Nuclear physics and its applications, including the development of radiation detectors.
• Thin-film deposition processes and its applications.
• Theoretical studies of quantum mechanical and optical phenomena.

Engineering

• Mechanical, civil and aerospace engineering and energy; manufacturing, design and production.
• Project, quality, and engineering management.

Psychology

• Applied Psychology, Criminology, and Social Justice - to explore, via a social justice lens, at-risk populations and the promotion of identity, community engagement, and cross-agency collaboration (in association with the Cold Case Unit at Murdoch University, Australia).
• The Psychology of Social Justice, Identity, and Power - to explore, via an applied psychological and creative methods lens, the empowerment of marginalised populations and promote identity, social justice, community engagement, and transformative expression.

Social Policy

• Boredom and the Criminal Justice System - to examine the ways in which the Scottish criminal justice system deals with young people and their needs as they make their way through the CJS.
• Drug Policy and Societal Inequalities - to investigate contemporary drugs policy in Scotland and how approaches to harm prevention are connected to wider societal inequalities and how these are addressed and tackled.
• Lived Experience of Newly Qualified Social Workers in Supported Year of Practice - to investigate how newly qualified social workers experience the initial stages of their careers, and the support systems offered to them.