Project title: Beyond Reporting: Transforming Police Responses to Gender‑Based Violence Against Black and Ethnic Minority Women in England
SENSS/CAM Institution: University of Essex and Anglia Ruskin University
Primary supervisor: Dr Phoebe Kisubi Mbasalaki, Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology
Second supervisors: Dr Pamela Knight, Senior Research Fellow,
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care Anglia Ruskin University
SENSS Theme: Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Degree structure: The structure of the studentship offered will depend on your personal training needs. However, the minimum duration of a SENSS-funded studentship will be 3.5 years: this covers a PhD and a mandatory placement of approximately 3 months. The maximum duration of a studentship will be 4.5 years: this covers a Masters degree followed by a PhD, as well as the mandatory 3-month placement.
Training opportunities
A comprehensive training package will be developed collaboratively, between the candidate and supervisors. This training may include specialist training in trauma‑informed interviewing, anti‑racist and culturally competent research methods. Elements of training will be provided by the supervisors, Essex Police, and by other providers.
Project aims and objectives
Aim: This project seeks to understand and address racialised disparities in police responses to gender‑based violence affecting Black and ethnic minority women. It will generate new empirical evidence and co‑produce practical interventions. These will inform efforts to enhance safeguarding, accountability, and greater trust between policing institutions and minoritised communities.
Objectives
To investigate the experiences of Black and ethnic minority women who have engaged with the police following incidents of gender‑based violence, with particular attention to how race, gender, immigration status, language, and culture shape access to protection and justice.
To identify barriers and opportunities for culturally competent and equitable policing within existing safeguarding, risk assessment, and multi‑agency frameworks.
To develop, pilot, and evaluate co‑produced interventions that enhance trust, improve police responses, and strengthen protection for Black and ethnic minority women experiencing gender‑based violence.
Project background
Black and ethnic minority women in England and Wales face disproportionate harm when seeking protection from gender‑based violence (GBV). Research suggests that police responses can reproduce and exacerbate these harms, contributing to poorer outcomes for survivors. This PhD will explore the survivorship experiences of ethnically minoritised women and the ways in which police respond to gender-based violence. Through collaboration with ‘by and for’ organisations and the application of co-design methodologies, the student will undertake rigorous scientific research, combing it with knowledge exchange to inform the development of an intersectional, multi-level model aimed at transforming policing practices.
Studentship details
Studentships are advertised as being between +3.5 and +4.5-year. The standard length of an ESRC-funded studentship is +3.5. This includes the standard +3 PhD, plus an +0.25 (one term) for the integrated placement which you must take as part of your studentship, and a further additional +0.25 (one term) to enable you to undertake training relevant to your research project (including career progression). All studentships are offered on either a full-time or part-time basis.
The studentship award covers your university fees up to the home rate and provides you with a stipend (£21,805 for 2026/27). You will also be able to apply for additional funding via the SENSS Research Training Support Grant to support your training needs.
Residential eligibility
All applicants, whether Home or International, are eligible for a full award, that is, you will receive a stipend (salary) and you will not have to pay any university tuition fees during your studentship award.
Essential and/or desirable attributes/skills
The funded student will undertake the full arc of this research: conducting qualitative interviews, carrying out ethnographic observations, analysing Domestic Homicide Reviews and IOPC investigations, facilitating co‑production workshops, and piloting interventions within a police force.
Applicants should have a background in social science research with a strong focus in gender studies. They should ideally hold a master's degree in a relevant social science discipline and possess strong academic communication skills, including ability to write effectively, engage with diverse communities and work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary professional settings.
How to apply for this studentship
To be considered for this SENSS-CAM studentship, candidates should apply via HEIApply by 9am GMT on Wednesday 6 January 2027. No extensions to this deadline will be permitted.
Candidates whose studentship application is successful will need to make a separate application for a place to study at Essex. You will be prompted and supported to do this once the studentship selection process is concluded.
For advanced information on how to make your application for a place to study at Essex, please visit our PGR admissions webpage: https://www.essex.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/applying-to-essex
Applicants must read the SENSS-CAM Collaborative Studentship Application Guidance notes before completing the HEIApply application form.
They are available on our websites: https://www.senss.ac.uk/senss-cam-studentship-competition and https://www.cam-dtp.ac.uk/senss-cam-dtp-studentships/.
About the studentship
An ESRC-funded PhD studentship with SENSS and CAM-DTP provides:
Tuition fees for the duration of the studentship up to the value of the home fee rate for all students; international students are welcome to apply and will not be expected to use their own resources to pay tuition fees at the international rate;
An annual tax-free stipend (salary) at the UKRI rate (£21,805 in 2026-27 for full-time students), and a contribution towards research and training costs;
A personalised training programme, to develop research, communication, employability and personal skills;
Support to carry out a required three-month placement with an academic or non-academic partner during the course of the studentship.
The studentship award will be a minimum of 3.5 years up to a maximum of 4.5 years. The length of the award will depend on whether the successful applicant has appropriate skills for the project, as well as general social science research methods training as set out in the ESRC Postgraduate Training Guidelines.
ESRC’s academic and residential eligibility requirements will apply for this scheme
Enquiries:
For enquiries about this research project, please email: Dr Phoebe Kisubi Mbasalaki, University of Essex: phoebe.kisubi-mbasalaki@essex.ac.uk or Dr Pamela Knight, Anglia Ruskin University, Pamela.knight-davidson@aru.ac.uk
For enquiries related to your eligibility for this studentship, and/or the application process, please email: Laura Ruddick, Senior Postgraduate Research Education Manager, laura@essex.ac.uk
About SENSS
The South and East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) is a consortium formed of eight leading UK universities, all of which are engaged in cutting-edge social science research and training. The SENSS consortium members are:
City St George’s, University of London
Cranfield University
Goldsmiths, University of London
Middlesex University
University of East Anglia
University of Essex (the co-ordinating institution)
University of Lincoln
University of Roehampton
SENSS offers a world-class inter-disciplinary PhD research and training environment. It is committed to supporting its internationally recognised researchers and to producing the next generation of talented social scientists. SENSS has been accredited as a prestigious Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the national body which funds research and training in economic and social issues.
We pride ourselves on our rigorous doctoral training programme, making the most of our members’ diverse specialisms and offering our students a wide array of subject specific as well as advanced training opportunities. SENSS offers high-calibre supervision, driven by our members’ emphasis on formal training and research culture.
For further information about SENSS, please visit the SENSS website
About CAM-DTP
The CAM Doctoral Training Partnership [DTP] is a consortium between Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the University of Bedfordshire (UoB) and the University of Cambridge (UoC).
Its collective environment of excellent research and impact is an ideal complement for the interdisciplinary training of diverse social scientists. CAM-DTP PhD students will join a hub for regional change addressing key societal challenges and the DTP is keen to attract talented doctoral researchers from a wide range of backgrounds. www.cam-dtp.ac.uk