SENSS-CAM Studentships
ESRC-funded PhD studentships offered jointly by SENSS and CAM Doctoral Training Partnerships
South and East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) and CAM-DTP are pleased to announce a call for two ESRC-funded studentships.
The purpose of this joint scheme is to promote collaboration between our two DTPs. The supervisory teams include a supervisor from each DTP and the topics offer students a genuine cross-DTP and cross-disciplinary approach.
Studentships are available within the following topics:
Healthy Learning in a Digital Age: The Role of Educational Media in Early Development. Dr Carina De Klerk, University of Essex
Integration of GAs-Splitting hydrogen production pathway into the UK economy: cross-sectoral view encompassing the solid carbon co-product (IGASH). Prof. Nazmiye Ozkan, Cranfield University
Codeveloping the Approaches to Picking Packed Lunches (APPLe) Toolkit with parents and carers. Dr Suzanna Forwood, Anglia Ruskin University
Beyond Nature vs. Nurture: A Sociogenomic Analysis of Life Outcomes. Dr Weilong Zhang, University of Cambridge
If you are interested in one of these projects, please click the relevant picture above to find out more. You may wish to consider contacting the supervisory team directly to find out more before making your application.
About the studentship
An ESRC-funded PhD studentship with SENSS and CAM-DTP provides:
Tuition fees up to the value of the national UKRI rate for Home students; international students are welcome to apply but will need additional scholarships, from alternative sources, to fund the remainder of their fees and any immigration costs;
An annual tax-free stipend (salary) at the UKRI rate (£20,780 in 2025-26 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.
Successful candidates will be required to submit their PhD within the duration of the studentship award.
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.
How to apply
To be considered for a SENSS-CAM studentship, candidates should apply via HEIApply by 09:00AM GMT on 7 January 2026. No extensions to this deadline will be permitted.
For a studentship within a CAM-DTP institution, candidates will also need to have applied for a place to study at the host university by the same deadline.
For a studentship within a SENSS institution, candidates whose application is successful will need to make a separate application for a place to study at the host institution.
Please read the SENSS-CAM Studentship Application Guidance Notes before completing the HEIAppy application form. The Guidance Notes are available here.
A flowchart of the competition process can be found here.
An example of the application form you must complete on our online application system can be found here. Do not complete this example application form. Instead, you MUST complete the online application.
About SENSS DTP
The South and East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) is a consortium of eight leading universities across the south and east of the UK promoting inventive and inclusive social science research training and collaboration.
SENSS builds on three pillars: interdisciplinary research that can address the grand challenges humanity is facing; equality, diversity and inclusivity to bring innovation to thinking through differences; and, finally, engagement that leads to impact in the world of practice.
SENSS DTP universities are:
City St George’s, University of London
Cranfield University
University of East Anglia
University of Essex (the co-ordinating institution)
Goldsmiths, University of London
University of Lincoln
Middlesex University
University of Roehampton
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.