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ESRC Studentships

Closing date for applications - 30th March 2012

The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and hosts the ESRC-accredited
Scottish Doctoral Training Centre. It has up to 80 fully-funded ESRC studentships available for (UK and EU) students commencing
their postgraduate studies in the 2012/13 academic year across 23 subjects or interdisciplinary pathways at any of the
participating institutions.

The Families Relationships and Demographic Research (FRDR) pathway has one studentship to start in September
2012. The studentship will provide world-class postgraduate research and training and is open to a wide range of social science
disciplines. This pathway was developed by the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (www.crfr.ac.uk) with the
Scottish Centre for Population Change. The participating universities are Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
St Andrews, Strathclyde, Stirling.

Further particulars
Applicants must focus on families and relationships and/or demographic change. Families and relationships topics might
focus on for example: children and children’s rights; health and well being; ageing; transitions in living arrangements and
relationships; transnational, mediated and distance relationships; sustainable life-styles, gender equality or gender violence,
interaction between evidence, policy and practice.

Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches are all welcome. If you think your proposal should also be considered
by the Advanced Quantitative Methods pathway please also complete their application form.

The following types of ESRC studentship are funded:

1+3 awards: Funding is provided for students to complete a research training masters degree (one year) and then study a PhD (three years). Students who hold or are just completing an undergraduate degree and wish to study for a PhD must apply for these awards.

+3 awards: Funding is provided for students who already have a masters by research degree and are applying to start a PhD directly.

To be considered for a studentship you should meet the ESRC academic and residential eligibility requirements:

Academic - For all studentships, students must have qualifications of the standard of a good honours degree at first or upper second class level, from a UK academic Research Organisation. In the majority of cases, students will have undertaken an undergraduate course at a recognised UK Research Organisation.

Residential - Full awards are available to applicants with established UK residency. Fees-only awards are available for EU applicants without UK residency.

Fuller details of eligibility can be found in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide: www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Postgraduate-Funding-Guide-2010-11-DTCs_tcm8-14766.pdf

How to apply
Applications should be made via the partnership institution where the student wishes to be mainly based (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Strathclyde, Stirling).

Edinburgh
Applications should be submitted to Vivien Smith, CRFR Business Manager, 0131 651 1918 or vivien.smith@ed.ac.uk.

Your application must include:

• 2012/13 Application Form for Families Relationships and Demographic Change studentships
• Research Proposal (see guidance below)
• CV (see guidance below)
• Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Research Proposal (maximum 1200 words)
Write a research proposal detailing the areas/issues that you are interested in and the research you propose to carry out. Please organise your proposal under the following headings, all of which must be included in whatever order fits your particular topic.

Introduction
Provide a broad introductory statement explaining what your proposed research topic is and why you think it is important to do this. Brief Literature Review
Outline the key theory and research on the topic and how your proposed research relates to it. This must show that you are aware of relevant existing literature and any gaps in your knowledge.
Key Aims Objectives or Research Questions
Discuss what aims, objectives or key themes, issues and research questions you wish the proposed research to explore. Methodology
Comment on what specific method or methods you might use if your research topic involves substantive research. This potentially includes outlining the overall research design, sampling, data collection, analysis, dissemination and use of the research. Not all of this needs to be fully worked out at this stage but you should demonstrate awareness of what needs to be worked out. If yours is a theoretical topic, discuss what analysis procedures or documentary methods you will use to review and analyse the sources you will be working with.
Ethical Issues
Indicate the ethical issues that arise from your research (ethics can be interpreted in a broad sense as well as, for example, issues concerning matters of consent and confidentiality).
Timetable
Provide a timetable covering the period of your research, including research training (unless you already hold a recognised research training Masters or MRes) and also the various periods of writing up your thesis. If you will be carrying out fieldwork overseas, provide details of what this will entail and how it fits into the timetable.
Knowledge Exchange and Impact
Indicate how you expect your research to be useful, and to whom and what you will do to ensure that this usefulness is realised.

CV (maximum 2 A4 sides)
A CV should include your full name and address, education history and academic qualifications, including the discipline, institution and degree class of your undergraduate degree and any postgraduate qualifications. Please list any courses in research methods you have taken, giving the name and grade achieved. Please itemise any other research experience. Provide the names, emails and postal addresses of two academic referees.

Closing date for applications - Tuesday 30th March 2012