Student funding opportunities

CoSS/UWI Collaborative PhD Scholarship

The College of Social Sciences (CoSS) are pleased to again offer 1 full PhD scholarship under a Jointly Supervised arrangement with The University of the West Indies (UWI).

This is designed to deepen our partnership with UWI and encourage collaborative PGR and staff research. The initiative is part of the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research (GCCDR), established in 2019 to support joint research on topics relevant to the Caribbean nations.  

Important considerations:

PROJECTS

  • This is a supervisor-led competition in which academic colleagues develop a PhD project proposal which will be considered for funding by the College;
  • Project proposals are encouraged from all research disciplines within CoSS. However, the PhD project proposal should be of relevance to the Caribbean nations;
  • All project proposals should be designed and supervised in such a way that the PhD candidate can realistically complete the research and submit the thesis within the 3-year funded period;
  • The funded project will be required to recruit a PhD candidate openly and fairly through a process that includes interviews and feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

PREVIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS

  • Brief descriptions of previously successful projects can be found at the bottom of this webpage.

SUPERVISORY TEAMS

  • Project Teams must be made up of at least 3 supervisors:
    • 1st Supervisor from within CoSS
    • 2nd Supervisor from within CoSS
    • 3rd Supervisor (External) from UWI
  • Proposals are welcome from academics at any stage of their careers, i.e. from Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to more experienced supervisors. We do ask, however, that if less-experienced academic is applying as the First/Lead Supervisor, that they have one or more members on the supervisory team that are expeirneced in supervising PhD candidates to completion, i.e. a supervisor with at least two PhD completions. Supervisors must have completed Supervisory training at their current institution as per that institution's policy.
  • Colleagues may find the UofG's 'Staff research interests search' and UWI's 'Expert Directory' useful to identify potential co-supervisory pairings, however UofG supervisors must be from within a CoSS School:

*Proposals involving colleagues from the Centre for Public Policy (CPP) should note that the CPP Supervisor/s must be from within the College of Social Sciences organisational structure. Proposals involving CPP supervisors who do not fall within CoSS (i.e. based in a different College or Central Services) will not be considered.

SUPERVISOR LED APPLICATION PROCESS

ASSESSMENT

  • All Supervisor-led project proposals will be reviewed and assessed by a Joint Selection Panel made up of Senior Academics
    • One member of the Joint Selection Panel will be an academic representative from the University of the West Indies
  • Projects will be marked according to the CoSS Supervisor Led Marking Framework 2027-28
  • The projects' relevance to the Caribbean nations will also be considered

STUDENT APPLICANTS/CANDIDATES

  • Student applicants to the successful project must be from the Commonwealth Caribbean and either a current student, staff member of alumni of UWI
  • Successful applicants must meet all entry requirements of the PhD Programme that they will be undertaking
  • This is not a Joint/Dual/Double PhD programme - the successful PhD candidate would only be enrolled/registered at UofG but will have external supervision from UWI
  • The PhD candidate must physically base themselves at the UofG campus their CoSS School is based at. The funding is not provided for candidates to undertake PhD programmes by distance.

SCHOLARSHIP

  • The Scholarship will provide the successful PhD candidate with:
    • A stipend at the UKRI stipend level
    • A 100% tuition fee waiver (Home or International fees)
    • Access to a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of up to £940 per annum (maximum of £2,820 over the 3-year funded period) 
  • The scholarship will also include an additional fund of up to £3,000 per year (maximum of £9,000 over the 3-year funded period) to facilitate research collaboration between the CoSS and UWI supervisors and therefore enable the supervisors to travel between UofG and UWI

TIMELINE

Date Action
06 October 2026 Launch of competition (Supervisors invited to submit proposals)
04 December 2026 Application deadline - proposals to be submitted to CoSS Graduate School
05 December 2026 Project proposals circulated to Joint Selection Panel (representatives from CoSS and UWI)
22 January 2027 Joint Selection Panel meets by this date to select successful project
26 January 2027 Outcomes communicated to all project teams. Student recruitment advert requested from successful project
19 February 2027 Student recruitment advert due to CoSS Graduate School from successful project team
26 February 2027 Student recruitment goes live
30 March 2027 Student recruitment closes
06 April 2027 References due from all applicants' referees
07 April 2027 Complete and eligible student applications circulated to project team for assessment/shortlist/interview
19 April 2027

Interviews to commence (arranged and organised by project team)
11 May 2027

Project team to advise CoSS Graduate School of successful (and reserve if applicable) applicant
12 May 2027

CoSS Graduate School issues funding offer and invites successful applicant to apply to relevant PhD programme.

Outcomes advised to remaining applicants
01 October 2027

Successful applicant to commence PhD.

Please let the CoSS Graduate School know if you have any questions.

PREVIOUS SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS:

CoSS/UWI Collaborative PhD Project Proposal application form

Building Social and Emotional Resilience: A Transformative Framework for Enhancing Education and Mental Health for Pre-school Children in the Caribbean

This study aims to address the significant gap in early childhood social and emotional regulation and mental health education in the Caribbean. Through the development of a trauma-informed, culturally adapted curriculum, the project seeks to enhance emotional resistance, social competence, and academic success among preschool children aged 3 and 4 years. The study will employ a mixed-methods approach to pilot interventions in approximatley 3 preschools across urban, rural, and coastal communities in Belize, reaching an estimated 120 preschool children. The intervention will utilize tools such as storybooks, interactive games, and caregiver workshops. The outcomes will consist of a replicable framework for mental health and social and emotional regulation education, shaped by the distinct sociocultural contexts of the Caribbean, along with a model for global adaptation.