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
The project below is one of a number that is available under the RENEW programme.
Project Information:
You are invited to apply for a creative-writing practice-as-research PhD studentship. The studentship will allow you to explore how your practice as a published poet, with a demonstrable interest in public engagement and creative-writing pedagogies, may gather precise biodiversity information and emotional and cultural information about biodiversity loss and renewal. We believe that poetry is uniquely capable of listening to, and articulating, why local and global biodiversity may or may not matter to individuals and communities.
We are looking for a poet with a growing profile of publications capable of composing high-quality work in response to RENEW’s transdisciplinary research. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with world-class researchers and a wide range of national and international partners, including The Poetry Society, where you will undertake a residency. This is an extraordinary opportunity to discover new ways of thinking about how to make poems in response to the science of biodiversity renewal, and about the role of the poet-educator during the current biodiversity crisis. You must be self-motivated and have a strong interest in working at the intersection between arts, humanities, STEM, business, social sciences and other disciplines. One of your supervisory team will be an ecologist.
Your findings, both through your practice as a poet and your public engagement work, will be integrated with RENEW's big-data mapping to develop emotional and cultural charts that will allow us to navigate between existing biodiversity levels and the impact of RENEW’s activities. It is crucial that while we acknowledge our losses in this area, we renew our sense of wonder, and find patterns of meaning commensurate to the ecological complexity that grows from reversing biodiversity decline. You will use your public engagement and poetry pedagogical skills to explore how metaphors for biodiversity may alter according to individual and collective experiences of biodiversity. The holistic evidence drawn from your research will shape the evolution of our research focus and the narratives RENEW presents to the public. You will be expected to think carefully about the best ways to communicate your findings to a range of interested communities and individuals – this is a project in which we hope poetry will play an important role in making things happen.
The full scope of your research will be negotiated with your supervisory team. Your PhD practice-as-research output will include a full collection of poems directly related to the themes of RENEW. Supplementary outputs may include performances, exhibitions, education materials etc. agreed with your supervisory team. You will also produce a critical thesis on an aspect of your research.
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.
If English is not your first language, you would need to meet our English language requirements by the start of the project http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/.
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.
For further information and to submit an application please visit https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4445
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