Experts of the future brought to Wales

Wales’ leading universities have won a multi-million pound award to train top-level social scientists on a range of issues affecting society today.

The establishment of a Doctoral Training Centre will allow 33 new postgraduate studentships to be offered every year in Wales for the next five years.

The postgraduates will be trained in a range of important disciplines, including social policy, psychology, economics, environmental planning and linguistics.

Cardiff University will lead a Wales consortium with Bangor, Aberystwyth and Swansea in creating the Doctoral Training Centre, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Bangor will lead on three subject areas across the DTC: Psychology, Bilingualism and Economics and Finance, although all social science doctoral students in Wales will benefit from the closer collaboration across the four institutions.

In addition to those listed above, subject areas which will attract the fully funded studentships across the DTC include education, human geography, management and business studies, political science and international studies, science and technology studies, social work and social care, criminology, sociology, language based area studies and empirical studies in law.  

Full details of the studentships and how to apply will be available soon via the websites of the collaborating universities.

The Wales consortium forms part of a national network of 21 accredited Doctoral Training Centres across the UK judged by the ESRC to deliver truly excellent postgraduate training provision.

Bangor University Director of Research, Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone said: ‘The DTC arrangements will add valuable new dimensions to the experience of postgraduate students by providing more varied pathways, more advanced training, and enhanced support.  Training will be delivered in an interdisciplinary research environment across the four institutions, and Bangor is delighted to be involved.’

Dr David Grant, Vice-Chancellor Cardiff University said: “This successful collaboration furthers Wales’ international reputation for excellence in the social sciences. 

“In gaining accreditation, the Wales Doctoral Training Centre has demonstrated excellence in the breadth of its social science postgraduate training, which is integrated into the highest quality research environment”   

The studentships will start at the Wales Doctoral Training Centre in October 2011.  For further information, email ESRCWalesDTC@cardiff.ac.uk

Publication date: 4 February 2011