Supervisors

Professor Matt Lobley 

Professor Harry West 

Dr Steve Emery

We are looking for PhD proposals on any social science issue related to the changing role of agriculture and the countryside relevant to the core research interests of the supervisors.

Health and wellbeing of rural communities; health and safety in farming; impact of policy reform; regenerative agriculture; Agricultural markets/trade; Value chains / value capture (e.g., adding value though on-farm processing); Farm labour; Agricultural technology; Knowledge transmission/exchange.

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship (available for study on either a full time or part time basis) in the Centre for Rural Policy Research within the Faculty of Faculty of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences at the University of Exeter. We are looking for PhD proposals in social science issues related to the changing role of agriculture and the countryside and relevant to the core research interests of the supervisors (see https://sociology.exeter.ac.uk/research/crpr/ for details).  We would particularly welcome proposals related to the following themes: 

The health and well-being of rural and farming communities.

The Future of County Farms (potentially with Devon County Council).

The impact of Brexit and the ‘agricultural transition’ on UK agriculture.

Opportunities and barriers to the adoption of regenerative farming practices.

Causes and solutions for the poor health and safety record in UK farming.

Possible research questions include:

How are mental health challenges impacting on younger farmers and how can they be resolved?

What is the future vision for County Farms and how can it be achieved? (potentially in partnership with Devon County Council)

To what extent is Brexit and the agricultural transformation leading to a reorientation of UK farming?

To what extent can regenerative farming practices deliver both financial, environmental and well-being benefits?

Why does UK farming have such a poor health and safety record and how can it be improved?

Please note that these PhD projects may entail extensive travel to remote, rural farm locations and national travel with extended periods of fieldwork.

For more information about the project and informal enquiries, please contact the primary supervisor: Professor Matt Lobley (m.lobley@exeter.ac.uk)

Entry requirements

You should have at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or International equivalent, in social science (e.g. Anthropology, Geography, Politics, Sociology) and will ideally already hold or currently be working towards a Masters degree at Merit level, or international equivalent, in a subject area giving appropriate knowledge of social science research methods.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency. Click here for more information and a list of acceptable alternative tests.

• Applicants would be expected to start their studies in September 2024.
• Recipients are expected to commit to engagement with the research environment of their discipline and the Faculty by participating in research activities, accessing skills development training and opportunities and career development etc. Continued funding would be dependent on satisfactory evidence of this engagement having taken place.

This award is only open to applicants whose fee status is classed as Home. Therefore this award is not open to International students. Click here for further information about fee status.

Please note that these studentships are only open to applicants who will start their study in September 2024, not those who have already started.

Applications for full-time or part-time study are welcome however applications will only be supported for campus-based programmes as this studentship is not open to Distance-Learning programmes.

How to apply

Apply now

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button above. You will be asked to submit the following by 3 June 2024: 
• A research proposal of 1500-2000 words (exclusive of bibliography)
• A CV
• A covering letter outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake this project
• Proof of academic track record (transcripts/certificates)
• Two references, at least one to be an academic reference
• Proof of your English language proficiency, if relevant
Please submit all documents, apart from your references and degree transcripts, as one combined file and submit this against the research proposal section of the application form.

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.

Please quote reference 5123 on your application and in any correspondence about this studentship.

Reference information
It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees email their references to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk, as we will not make requests for references directly; you must arrange for them to be submitted by 3 June 2024.  Please note that applications with missing documentation will not progress to shortlisting.

References should be in the form of a letter. Referees must email their references to us from their institutional email accounts. We cannot accept references from personal/private email accounts, unless it is a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by the referee.

Please quote reference 5123 on your application and in any correspondence about this studentship.

For general information about this studentship and the application process, please contact PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk

Summary