General Information:
The ‘Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach’ (RENEW) project will work with landowners, businesses, and communities to restore woodlands, wetlands and farmland across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The project will put people at the centre of action on biodiversity renewal and build expertise across different sectors and communities to address the environment and climate crises.
The RENEW project is inherently interdisciplinary and encompasses biosciences, social sciences, politics, humanities, environmental intelligence, biodiversity economics, and conservation and is being managed in collaboration with the National Trust. In addition the project is working alongside 33 project partners to deliver its aims.
A principal goal of the RENEW Studentships programme is to create a new generation of interdisciplinary, solutions-focussed researchers who have experienced a rich culture including fundamental research and engagement with key partners.
The RENEW programme has nine fully funded studentships available for January 2023 entry.
A fully funded RENEW studentship will cover:
• A stipend for 4 years (currently £16,062 for 2022-23 entry) in line with the UK Research and Innovation rates
• Payment of the university tuition fees
• Research and Training costs
Project Information:
This PhD studentship will allow you explore how socially engaged practices and methods drawn from a range of creative disciplines and social sciences may shape and reflect the collaborative co-production of research across the RENEW project. In the light of transdisciplinary innovations made in the area of participatory research, we welcome applications from a range of disciplinary backgrounds including science and technology studies, sociology, anthropology, human geography, creative writing, drama, art and design. The applicant should ideally have direct experience of community-engagement work and feel confident and self-motivated to co-produce field-work research with the public and the RENEW research team. In return, you will have the opportunity to work with our world-class team of researchers and extensive range of partners to find new solutions to the biodiversity crisis as you develop your project.
You will work as part of the X3 (Collaboration in Practice) team and study the RENEW research programme as it develops, helping RENEW to see itself and reflect on its processes. You will explore and document ‘what’s working’ and engage wider research, conservation and local communities with your findings. You will also explore the ways in which scientists and lay people alike respond creatively to ‘biodiversity’ (landscapes, ecosystems and the animals and plants living in them). Our understandings of changing environments can be intellectual, but are often also emotional, aesthetic and story-based, helping to make sense of the world around us. These understandings need to be incorporated into new knowledge, changing policies, professional practice and everyday habits, if we are to engage everyone in renewing biodiversity.
You will help develop new methodologies for eliciting and recording broader thinking about biodiversity renewal alongside collaborative practices; and explore how that thinking changes over time. Your findings will form a feed-back loop that shapes the everyday routines and social interactions which make up the day-to-day research collaboration. Your techniques should not only record data but encourage creative action and reflection on the research processes and wider biodiversity crisis amongst RENEW participants. Your work will help everyone involved to make sense of our collective work. The creative-critical balance of your research outputs will be negotiated with your research team but may include a creative practices-as-research component alongside a critical thesis, according to the successful candidate’s abilities and interests.
A good first degree is required, plus an MSc/MA or equivalent professional experience.
Eligibility for funding
RENEW studentships are open to UK and Irish nationals who, if successful in their applications, will receive a full studentship including payment of university tuition fees at the home fees rate.
A limited number of full studentships are also available to international students, which are defined as EU (excluding Irish nationals), EEA, Swiss, and all other non-UK nationals.
International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.
The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Entry requirements
Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate discipline to the project. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Master’s degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.
How to apply
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 18th May 2022 2359 GMT. Interviews will be held week commencing 20th June 2022.
In the application process, you will be asked to upload several documents.
• CV
• Letter of application outlining your academic interests, prior research experience, and reasons for wishing to undertake the project.
• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying.
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English.
Reference Information
You will be asked to name two referees as part of the application process, please ensure that you include this information, and where possible upload the reference documents. Your referees should not be from the prospective supervisory team.
• Please note that we will not be contacting referees to request references, if you do not upload them at the time of submitting your application you must arrange for them to be submitted to us by the application deadline.
• If your named referee would prefer to send us their document directly please ask them to forward the documents to [Email Address Removed]
For further information and to submit an application please visit https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4443
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