The Law unit of assessment has up to four studentships this year. The unit of assessment includes the work of the School of Law and the Transitional Justice Institute as well as the Ulster University Law Clinic and the Legal Innovation Centre.
We welcome applications in specified thematic areas: law and social justice; human rights; international law; law and innovation; transitional justice; public law and legal theory; gender, justice and security. Ulster is part of the GCRF funded Research Hub on Gender, Justice and Security. This Hub supports research at the overlap of Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
We welcome applications related to projects within this Hub such as: Gender and peacebuilding, including masculinities analysis and the experience of sexual and gender minorities; gender in international legal and policy frameworks for the regulation of conflict; Women, Peace and Security; gender and constitution-making in transitional societies; the role of women’s movements in peacebuilding. The role of economic social and cultural rights and transformative justice in addressing the root causes of conflict. How are socioeconomic claims bargained into peace agreements and what form do those bargains take? How transitional justice addresses issues of colonialism.
Research in this project will address such questions as: (1) When deciding to deal with ‘the past’, how far back should policy makers and legislators look? (2) How do the colonial past shape conditions conducive to contemporary conflict (3) How should engaging this past shape contemporary conflict ending solutions?
The following staff are interested in supervising in one or more of these areas: Prof Fidelma Ashe, Prof Cath Collins, Prof Brandon Hamber, Dr Thomas Hansen, Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, Dr Khanyisela Moyo, Prof Rory O’Connell, Dr Shauna Page, Dr Anne Smith, Prof Siobhán Wills.
Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in good time to discuss draft research proposals. For general enquiries please contact the Research Director for Law Prof Rory O’Connell or one of our PhD coordinators, Prof Cath Collins, Dr Thomas Hansen. Allocation of supervisors will be made during the selection process. The supervisory team will depend on the proposal. We list a number of named supervisors on the web pages for contact purposes but please note they may or may not be included on any supervision team.
We welcome interdisciplinary research proposals and may appoint supervisors from outside the law unit of assessment. A sound research proposal should be about 2000-3000 words. Please see our guide to putting a proposal together. It should have the following headings:
1) A tentative title
2) Research question(s) and any related hypotheses
3) Literature review/survey of existing scholarship
4) Methodology
5) Contribution of the conclusions
6) Assessment of feasibility
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.
We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.
In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.
If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.
The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.
Appointment will be made on merit.
The University offers the following levels of support:
The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:
These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.
Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.
Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.
The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,237 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).
This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.
Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living
Submission deadline
Monday 28 February 2022
12:00AM
Interview Date
25/26 April 2022
Preferred student start date
mid September 2022
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Email
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