CISRUL welcomes PhD projects on any political concepts, and in any of our disciplines: Anthropology, Divinity, Economics, Education, English, Film & Visual Culture, French & Francophone Studies, Geography & Environment, German, History, Law, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations, Sociology, and Spanish & Latin American Studies.
Our supervisors are listed here. Please feel free to contact any of them to discuss an idea you have for a PhD. We may also consider adding other Aberdeen University staff to your supervisory team.
In previous years, CISRUL has offered its own PhD studentships: for October 2024, we offered 2 studentships on UK Constitutionalism and Economic Performance: Comparative Perspectives. However, we do not expect to offer a studentship for October 2025 – you are invited to check back for entry in October 2026.
For 2025, CISRUL applicants within literature, film, history, music or anthropology were eligible to apply for The New Kings Studentship | The School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk). However, the deadline has now passed for 2025 entry – you are invited to check again in spring 2026.
CISRUL will be happy to provide support for applicants for any of the following external grants to take up at CISRUL – please get in touch if you’re interested in applying:
ESRC Scottish Graduate School Competition (for anyone in the social sciences)
AHRC Scottish Graduate School Competition (for anyone in the arts and humanities)
Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for applicants from least developed countries and fragile states, in the Commonwealth)
Carnegie Trust PhD Scholarship (for those with a 1st class undergraduate degree from a Scottish university)
Further details of PhD study at Aberdeen, including other funding, are available through the Postgraduate Research School.
Please address queries to CISRUL Director Trevor Stack.