Funding

Self-funded

Project code

GEOG1301015

Department

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Start dates

October, February and April

Application deadline

Applications accepted all year round

Applications are invited for a self-funded, 3 year full-time PhD project, to commence in October 2020 or February 2021.

The PhD will be based in the School of the Environment and Life Sciences and will be supervised by Dr Carol Ekinsmyth

This project will involve an investigation of the ways in which individuals and/or families earn a living in the contexts of their industries, their locations or their family lives. This could involve ethnographic study of ways of working within an industry (see for example, Ekinsmyth’s earlier work on the magazine publishing industry), the analysis of opportunities for work in a place or labour market, the analysis of changing ways of working through technologies (for example the Internet and social media) or the analysis of work-life balance necessities where caring work needs to be fore-grounded in work-life decisions (see for example Ekinsmyth’s work on mothers who start businesses).

This work could be undertaken within the more specific field of the geographies of entrepreneurship and/or self-employment. This would include the spaces and places where self-employment ‘is done’, and the role of homes, neighbourhoods, policy, family, intersectionality and/or industry sector.

A further focus could be home-based business in neighbourhoods. Here, the predominance, networks, mechanisms and invisibilities of home-based business might be of interest. This could involve a detailed ethnographic study and mapping (a GIS) of the prevalence of home-based business activities in an area. A related interest in the gendered geographies of working and caring could also be the focus of the project. Here, the management of the boundaries between work and family, and the roles of social class, ethnicity, place, neighbourhood or industry sector could be investigated. 

Fees and funding

Visit the research subject area page for fees and funding information for this project.

Funding availability: Self-funded PhD students only. 

PhD full-time and part-time courses are eligible for the UK Government Doctoral Loan (UK and EU students only).

Entry Requirements

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a Master’s degree in a related area. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or Qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

How to apply

When you are ready to apply, please follow the 'Apply now' link on the Geography (Physical and Human) PhD subject area page and select the link for the relevant intake. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV. Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.