Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) PhD Scholarships in Sport, Health and Social Care for UK applicants from a minority ethnic background

Applications are invited for two Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) PhD scholarships, one in the School of Sport and Physical Activity and one in the School of Health and Social Care, at Sheffield Hallam University, commencing 1 October 2025. These two scholarships are open to candidates who have UK (home) fee status and identify as being from a minority ethnic background.

Sheffield Hallam University is committed to addressing barriers to higher education for under-represented groups. To help address the under-representation in our postgraduate research student community, we are offering the above scholarships for UK (Home) students from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The scholarship is for 3.5 years full-time study and covers home PhD fees, currently £4,786, and pays an annual stipend at the living wage foundation rate of £20,974 per year in the academic year 2024/25. This stipend payment will increase annually based on the living wage rate for the duration of the scholarship.

As part of the GTA, students will complete PhD study and support research and/or teaching related activities, for a maximum of 180 hours per academic year and not more than 6 hours in any one week, in line with the University’s GTA scholarship policy.  This activity forms part of the scholarship award and there is no additional payment for it.

We invite applicants to submit their own PhD project proposal that fits within any of the following research themes in Sport and Physical Activity or Health and Social Care:

Sport and Physical Activity

·      Physical Activity, Wellness and Public Health

·      Sport Industry Research

·      Sports Engineering Research

·      Sport and Human Performance

To find out further information about what these research themes include, please visit the research themes’ webpage.

Health and Social Care

·      Cancer management

·      Loneliness

·      Children, young people, and families

·      Health and social care workforce

·      Lifestyle, exercise and nutritional improvement

·      Long-term conditions and multimorbidity

·      Maternal and infant health

·      Mental health

·      Applied imaging

 Eligibility

These scholarships are open to candidates who have UK (home) fee status and identify as being from a minority ethnic background. Applicants should hold a BSc degree qualification (2:1 or above, or equivalent) in a relevant area. A Masters degree qualification in a relevant area is desirable.

GTA scholarships involve full-time PhD study and a requirement to teach or complete project related work at the University. This means that successful applicants must have completed all study and any employment by the start date of the scholarship, which is 1 October 2025.

How to Apply

Please follow the steps below to make your application. Steps 1 and 2 are optional, but are there to support you in submitting a high quality doctoral research proposal. It is strongly advised that you complete Steps 1 and 2 before progressing to Step 3.

Step 1: Please complete the following form, briefly outlining your research idea: https://forms.office.com/e/UAC827Zd2D.  We will use this information to identify whether your research idea fits within the Schools’ research themes and identify a provisional supervision team if your formal application is successful. Please complete this form as soon as possible to give yourself the most time possible to work on your formal application.  

Step 2: We will review your proposed research idea and, if it fits our research themes and we have supervisors available in your topic area, we will put you in contact with them to have an initial discussion about your proposed research. The supervisor will provide initial advice to help you refine your research idea for your formal application. Please note that the supervisor cannot write your research proposal or provide in-depth supervision.

Step 3: Please complete the formal application form. The Sport and Physical Activity application form can be accessed here, while the Health and Social Care application form can be accessed here. This application form must be submitted by 14 May 2025 (12 noon). Late applications will not be accepted. As part of your application, please upload a detailed 1,500 word research proposal. We cannot consider applications where a research proposal and any other essential attachments have not been uploaded to the application system before submission.

Interviews

If your application is successful following our shortlisting process, you will be invited to interview in the weeks commencing 9 or 16 June 2025. Please note, we are unable to offer alternative interview slots once allocated to shortlisted candidates.

Any Questions

If you experience issues submitting your online application, or for general enquiries, please contact: Health-PGR-admissions@shu.ac.uk.