City St George's, University of London and the South-East Network for Social Sciences invite applications for Economic and Social Research Council PhD studentship awards.
City St George's, University of London is proud to be involved in the South and East Network for Social Sciences funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
SENSS is a consortium of 8 leading universities across the South and East of the UK promoting inventive and inclusive research training and collaboration.
Fully funded ESRC studentships are currently available to Doctoral Researchers for entry in October 2026. If you have already started your course, you may still be eligible for SENSS studentship funding provided that at the start of the SENSS award, you still have at least 50% of your fundable period of study remaining (this does not include unfunded/writing up periods of study).
Benefits
As a SENSS student at City St George's you will have opportunities and access to training and development activities across the consortium.
If you are successful in attracting a SENSS studentship you will:
- Have your fees paid and receive a stipend to cover your living expenses.
- Be eligible to apply for further financial support for training and research expenses, such as conference trips, overseas fieldwork and learning a language or other skill integral to your research project.
- Benefit from an inspiring research training environment that empowers you to develop your skills and knowledge and contribute to City St George's body of research programme.
- Benefit from the location of City St George's in central London which puts you at the heart of business, finance, the creative industries, law and government.
Eligibility
Applicants for social science-led research or interdisciplinary research crossing into social sciences can apply for funding across 6 thematic pathways.
- Sustainability and Climate Emergency
- Justice, Institutions and Social Change
- Resolving Uncertainty and Addressing Crises
- Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
- Digital Social Sciences
- Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research.
Full information about eligibility and guidance, including links to webinars and to the applicant portal can be found on the SENSS website.
Potential supervisors can find information and guidance around their eligibility to supervise a SENSS funded project from our For Research Supervisors page.
How to apply
The process for application requires you to first apply for a place to study on a Postgraduate Research Degree at City St George's, University of London.
SENSS has two schemes for training doctoral research students: the collaborative partner call and the student-led call. The collaborative partner call is supervisor-led; the project proposals involve a non-academic partner who contributes something of value to the research. The student-led competition accepts applications from students who develop a research proposal under one of the six interdisciplinary themes in SENSS. Students will have approached potential supervisors who need to support the application and provide supporting statements.
You will need to apply to SENSS for the studentship via the SENSS Funding Opportunities page. The deadline for students to express their interest to apply for the collaborative partner call is usually around February. The deadline for the student-led SeNNS call is usually in January. Please check the SeNNS website or ask our team for the upcoming deadline dates.
Duration
The structure of the student-led studentship offered will depend on your personal training needs. However, the minimum duration of a SENSS funded studentship will be 3.5 years, covering the PhD and a mandatory placement of around 3 months. The maximum duration of the studentship will be 4.5 years.
Value
The student-led studentship covers tuition fees and a stipend, per year for full time study including London weighting. It also includes access to training and development funds. Please check the SENNS website for this year’s studentships budget.