The Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences invites high-quality applications to be considered for entry into the prestigious NINE DTP scholarship competition for a PhD in Social Sciences that relates to Sport and/or Physical Activity at Durham University.

A NINE DTP studentship provides a significant number of benefits and opportunities, including:

  • Tuition fees paid and/or waived for the full duration of the period of study. This includes all fees for those candidates who need to undertake a Masters course, or a six-month research methods course prior to commencing their PhD.
  • Tax-free stipend, set at £18,622 per year in 2023-24.
  • Support to develop research skills.
  • Opportunities to apply for funding to undertake research.
  • Funding for fieldwork (overseas / UK) and can fund attendance/participation in conferences and research events.
  • Funding can also be sought to purchase equipment and books, where appropriate.
  • Opportunities to work with partners and external organisations.
  • Access to the RCUK Policy Internship Scheme, and NINE DTP Placement Scheme.
  • Opportunities to apply for funding to support Overseas Institutional Visits,
  • An ESRC studentship is an internationally recognised mark of excellence, proving that the student has met the exceedingly high standards required to receive funding.

Working in accordance with the rigorous standards of the ESRC, NINE DTP students will benefit from exceptional supervision, with all pathways embedded in departments that have been ranked as being internationally excellent, or world leading.

Proposals that demonstrate alignment with either of two research themes: (i) Sporting Lives, and (ii) Healthy Communities are welcome. Example areas of study might include one or more of the following topics: Physical activity inequalities and marginalised communities; Menopause; Healthy ageing; Women, football and inequality; Disability; Intersectionality; Policy, whole systems approaches and knowledge translation and mobilisation; social media, mental health and gender; nutrition for sport, athlete health, body composition; cancer and clinical populations; childhood obesity.

For information on how to apply please follow this link to the full Studentship advert on the Department’s website.