RNCM PRiSM and The National Archives Doctoral Award An AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) in Music Composition

Sounds and Silences in the Archives of Empire: exploring the records of Empire through the composition of new music and multimedia works; a partnership between PRiSM, the RNCM Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music, and The National Archives.

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and The National Archives invite applications for a 45 month (3.75 year) collaborative PhD studentship beginning in October 2021, fully funded by the AHRC under the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme.

The studentship can be undertaken either full or part-time, and is open to both UK and international applicants.

The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) full-time home rate for PhD degrees. International fees will be capped at home rates for this studentship and therefore covered by the award. The UKRI Indicative Fee Level for 2021/22 is £4,500.

The award pays full maintenance for all students, both home and international students. The National Minimum Doctoral Stipend for 2021/22 is £15,609, plus an allowance of £1000/year and a CDP maintenance payment of £550/year. Further details can be found on the UKRI website.

The studentship has the possibility of being extended for an additional 3 months to provide professional development opportunities, or up to 3 months of funding may be used to pay for the costs the student might incur in taking up professional development opportunities.

Background:

Sounds and Silences will embed a composer at The National Archives to explore the records of Empire through the creation and public dissemination of a portfolio of new music and multimedia works, aiming to recontextualise collections. Working with Colonial Office (CO) material, you will reinterpret and challenge the official records of the British Empire in three principal ways:  

i) Using Machine Learning to uncover core themes and biases,  

ii) Sonification of data and generation of new texts to inform original musical compositions, 

iii) Engagement within communities impacted by this research, whose voices are often absent in the official record. 

Applicant:

 Applicants for studentships will usually have a first-class or upper-second undergraduate degree, and either have achieved a merit or distinction level in a Masters degree, or achieved a significant track-record as a composer, for example, through commissions, performances and publications.

We encourage applications from applicants who may have acquired the required skills and experience through an alternative route. If an applicant doesn’t have the above formal qualifications, their portfolio should be accompanied by commentary and explanations sufficient to demonstrate facility to complete the academic elements of a PhD.

We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to study for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area

We welcome applications from Disabled candidates and are pleased to accept applications in a format that is accessible to you.

Timeline

Applications must be received by midnight on 27 June 2021. Online interviews are expected to take place during the week beginning 12 July 2021.

Find out more

For more information about the project, eligibility details and how to apply, please see the RNCM website.