Scholarships & funding

ESRC Doctoral Studentship – Random Fields in Continuous-Time Overlapping Generations Models: Wealth Inequality and Macroeconomic Dynamics

Project details

Economics at Glasgow is housed within the Adam Smith Business School, one of the UK’s leading centres for research and teaching in economics, finance, and management. The Economics subject area has a strong international reputation for high-quality research across macroeconomics, financial economics, econometrics, public economics, political economy, and applied microeconomics.

Research in Economics is embedded within a dynamic seminar culture and international collaboration network. The subject regularly hosts distinguished international scholars and maintains active research clusters in:

• Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
• Financial Economics and Asset Pricing
• Econometrics and Quantitative Methods
• Public Policy and Political Economy
• Development and Applied Microeconomics

Faculty publish in leading international journals and contribute directly to contemporary policy debates, including work related to financial stability, inequality, macroeconomic dynamics, and institutional reform. The quantitative orientation of the subject makes it particularly attractive for students interested in stochastic modelling, dynamic optimisation, and data-driven policy analysis.

Postgraduate researchers are supported through the College of Social Sciences Graduate School, which provides structured doctoral training, professional development, interdisciplinary networking opportunities, and dedicated research skills programmes. Doctoral students benefit from:

• A formal research training curriculum tailored to methodological and subject-specific needs
• Access to advanced quantitative and computational training
• Funding for conference participation and research visits
• A strong peer cohort across economics and related disciplines

The University offers extensive research infrastructure, including access to secure data facilities, high-performance computing resources, and specialist econometric and statistical software. Glasgow’s location as a major UK city provides proximity to policy institutions, financial services, and governmental bodies, facilitating engagement with applied and policy-relevant research.

Why Glasgow for a Quantitative Economics PhD?

• Intellectual heritage rooted in Adam Smith’s tradition of combining theory and policy relevance.
• Research-intensive environment within a Russell Group university.
• Strength in quantitative macro-finance and stochastic modelling, aligning closely with frontier developments in continuous-time methods and dynamic general equilibrium modelling.
• Supportive doctoral community with structured training and interdisciplinary opportunities.
• International outlook, attracting doctoral researchers from across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Overall, the University of Glasgow provides an intellectually rigorous and internationally visible environment for doctoral research in advanced quantitative economics. It is particularly well suited for candidates seeking to combine mathematical sophistication, empirical calibration, and policy relevance within a historically distinguished and forward-looking academic setting.

Eligibility

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

Number of Scholarships

1

Value

Funding

As per guidance published by UKRI in October 2020, a maximum of 30% of all studentships awarded can be made to international students, with the remaining 70% going to home students. 

Residential Criteria

To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

For more on the UKRI eligibility guidance, click here

Award details

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

Selection process

Applications will be ranked by an internal institutional selection panel, and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted for interview on 6 April. Interviews will take place on 23 or 24 April.

This studentship award is subject to the successful candidate securing admission to a PhD programme within the University of Glasgow. The successful candidate will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programme.

Applications are due 24 March 2026, 5 pm GMT and

References are due 26 March 2026, 5 pm GMT

For more information contact: team@sgsss.ac.uk