Scholarships & funding

ESRC Doctoral Studentship – Mirroring GalGael: An Ethnography of Repair and Belonging

Repair can be understood as a civic practice and an essential form of care, particularly in the face of ecological crises and the need to move towards a circular economy. Most research on repair tends to focus on infrastructure and maintenance labour, rather than community-led approaches. This studentship will focus on understanding the experience of GalGael, a community organisation in Ibrox, Glasgow.

GalGael emerged from an anti-motorway protest to become a focal point for community repair, both through practical work to repair material goods, and the repair of community and social relationships. The studentship has three aims: to contribute to fill a key gap in the social science scholarship on repair; to accurately mirror and provide a source of self-reflection for GalGael to (re)orient its activities and framings; and to offer a source of knowledge to any community organisation engaging in repair work across the world.

A co-produced ethnographic approach is proposed. This will involve reviews of relevant literature and GalGael documentation, standard ethnographic methods of interviews with key informants and participant observation, and collaborative analysis sessions with GalGael members. We anticipate that this approach, unlike standard qualitative approaches, will produce an understanding of what is, rather than what people interpret, therefore producing deep insights into whether, how and why repair work has effects on individuals and the community.

We anticipate a limited series of impactful outputs from the work, balancing feasibility with contribution, including: the thesis, potentially one academic journal article, presentations to the GalGael assembly and board of trustees, and an impact-orientated guide for other third-sector organisations.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Applicants must hold or be predicted a First or a good 2:1 undergraduate degree in the social sciences, or have relevant comparable experience.
• Applicants can have a Masters degree, however this is not a requirement.
• The applicant must also show demonstrable interest in the topic area under investigation.
• Applicants can study part-time or full-time

Students embarking on this PhD will require some experience of anthropological methods, including participant observation. Students without such experience would need to undertake the MRes in Sociology and Research Methods in order to gain this. Specific knowledge of how third sector organisations operate, and/or knowledge of literature in the area of repair and community development would be helpful.

Number of Scholarships

1

Value

The scholarship is available as a +3.5 (3 year PhD and placement) or a 1+3.5 (Masters year, 3 year PhD, and a placement) studentship depending on prior research training. This will be assessed as part of the recruitment process, however you can access guidance here to help you decide on which to apply for. The programme will commence in October 2026. The full ESRC studentship package includes, as advised by ESRC:

• An annual maintenance grant (stipend)
• Fees at the standard institutional home rate
• Students can also draw on a pooled Research Training Support Grant (RTSG)

How to apply

1. Applicants must register on SGSSS Apply, completing their Equal Opportunities data.
2. Applicants must apply via SGSSS Apply, uploading the following documentation:

• Application Questions (answered within SGSSS Apply, no upload needed)
• Academic transcripts
• Academic prizes
• Referee information
• CV
• Other information (if required by the advert)

We strongly encourage applicants review the applicant guidance document for more on the process. 

Please Note:

• This is not an application to the relevant University, this is an application for SGSSS (ESRC) funding.
• Students do not need a Masters/PhD offer from the relevant University before they can apply for funding, i.e. this studentship.
• If successful in obtaining the SGSSS (ESRC) studentship, students can only start the funded studentship once they have an unconditional Masters/PhD degree offer from the relevant University. It is your responsibility to find out the University’s application process, including when you need to secure your offer, as SGSSS plays no role in this process.

Apply now via SGSSS Apply