The Friendly Hand Charitable Foundation will fund a three-year PhD scholarship, starting in September 2021, for research relating to the histories of humanitarianism, from the nineteenth century to the present day.
Kigeme refugee camp, southern Rwanda, 2012 (Photo: Laura Eldon/Oxfam) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kigeme_refugee_camp_(8073663190).jpg
About the scholarship (terms & conditions)
The scholarship must be held full-time. It covers an annual stipend at UKRI rates and academic fees at Home/EU levels (for 2020-21 the rates are £16,553 for maintenance and £4,407 for academic fees, which usually increase in line with inflation). Overseas students may apply, but would be required to indicate how they intended covering the difference in academic fees payable. No further funds could be applied for from the Friendly Hand Trust or from Royal Holloway to meet overseas fees. The scholarship holder may apply direct to Friendly Hand for additional funding to complete field research necessary for the PhD. The scholarship does not provide sick pay. A Friendly Hand scholarship holder whose illness extends beyond 13 weeks would be expected to apply to Royal Holloway for a formal interruption of study. There is no provision for paternity/maternity/shared parental leave within the Friendly Hand scholarship.
The scholarship holder will be supervised within RHUL History and according to the norms for doctoral supervision laid out in the relevant College and History PGR degree regulations. The Friendly Hand Scholarship holder will be required to provide an annual update of their academic work to the Donor, and to permit their ‘Student profile’ to be featured on Royal Holloway’s website and in publications such as the prospectus or Year End Review. The Friendly Hand Scholarship holder may also be required to undertake administrative support for humanitarian-related academic events organised by Royal Holloway History in collaboration with the Friendly Hand. They may also be offered the opportunity to do undergraduate teaching within RHUL History. The total teaching and administrative support will not exceed 6 hours per week, or 180 hours per annum.
Applications process
Applicants should complete a standard Royal Holloway online application form. For further information and College online application procedures see here.
Online applications should be accompanied by a research proposal not exceeding 500 words in length. This proposal, with your name clearly indicated on it, should also be emailed separately to RHUL History’s Professor Helen Graham, by the same deadline (h.graham@rhul.ac.uk). All enquiries and questions about the scholarship should also be directed to Professor Helen Graham.
Applications and supporting documents (including references) must reach Royal Holloway by 5pm on Friday 19 March 2021. All applications will be reviewed by relevant academic staff in RHUL History, and by a representative of the Friendly Hand Foundation. All applicants will be notified of their outcome by Friday 14 May 2021. For more information on Royal Holloway History, one of the largest and most innovative History departments in the UK, see here.
Members of History staff with a research interest and/or teaching specialism in the broad area of humanitarian aid/refugees include Dan Stone, Simone Gigliotti, Becky Jinks, Helen Graham, Markus Daechsel, Sarah Ansari, Shahmima Akhtar, Humayun Ansari, Emily Manktelow, Paris Chronakis and Pedro Correa
