Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
The faculty is comprised of nine departments, all of which undertake fundamental discovery research, as well as applied activity and skills development and reflect areas of economic, social and cultural importance. The faculty hosts the University Societies and Cultures Institute (SCI) and the Faculty Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS), which are key structures for further promoting interdisciplinarity within the faculty and across others.
For more information on the subject areas available within Humanities please visit the website https://www.exeter.ac.uk/departments/hass/
Application deadline midday 1 December 2025
Research Projects
There are two opportunities to apply, either with your own research proposal or through one developed by our own faculty.
- Develop your own research proposal: We strongly encourage and welcome you to submit your own research proposal (see details in the 'How to Apply' section)
- Explore the selection of existing projects listed under the section links below
If you are interested in one of the projects available, please contact the relevant supervisor to discuss your interest prior to submitting an application.
Project Title: Magic and its Transmission across Cultures in Late Antiquity and/or the Middle Ages
Lead Supervisor: Prof. Catherine Rider
Second Supervisor: Dr. Emily Selove/Prof. Siam Bhayro (as appropriate for project)
Informal enquiries contact email: c.r.rider@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: The UK and the EEC's relations with the People's Republic of China, c.1969-1981
Lead Supervisor: Prof. David Thackeray
Second Supervisor: Prof. Richard Toye
Informal enquiries contact email: d.thackeray@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Churchill and China
Lead Supervisor: Professor Richard Toye
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: r.toye@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Population and Reproduction in C20th Asia
Lead Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Williams
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: r.williams2@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Exploring feminist consumer politics on social media in China
Lead Supervisor: Dr Zizheng Yu
Second Supervisor: Dr Haili Li
Informal enquiries contact email: Z.Y.Yu@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Reconfiguring gender and sexuality in the age of social media
Lead Supervisor: Dr Woori Han
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: w.han@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: French-language literature and the problem of freedom OR The reception in China of particular bodies of work in French
Lead Supervisor: Prof. Maria Scott
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: m.scott@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: German-Chinese circulation of sexual knowledge, ca. 1890-1930
Lead Supervisor: Dr Ina Linge
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: k.linge@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Contemporary Queer Chinese Art and Craft
Lead Supervisor: Dr Daniel Fountain
Second Supervisor: N/A
Informal enquiries contact email: d.fountain@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Literary and non-literary epic narratives in 21st-century Italian cultures
Lead Supervisor: Luciano Parisi
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: L.Parisi@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Ecologizing translation within the context of climate change communication
Lead Supervisor: ELIANA Maestri
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: E.MAESTRI@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Streaming Soft Power: China’s Cultural Diplomacy and National Image on Global Platforms in the Age of AI.
Lead Supervisor: Yanling Yang
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: y.yang5@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Language maintenance and practices of Chinese immigrants in Japan
Lead Supervisor: Francesco Goglia
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: f.goglia@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: The rise of Chinese as a global language: the impact of Chinese on language ecologies in Portuguese-speaking Africa
Lead Supervisor: Prof. Susana Afonso
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: s.p.c.afonso@exeter.ac.uk
Project Title: Women academics from working-class backgrounds in Chinese universities: Contributions and challenges in teaching, research and internationalisation
Lead Supervisor: Daniel Leyton
Second Supervisor: Lauren Stentiford
Informal enquiries contact email: D.I.L.Leyton-Atenas@exeter.ac.uk
Project Title: World Trade Organisation (WTO) Security Exceptions in Practice and Scholarship: A Critical Appraisal of the case study of US-China Trade Tension
Lead Supervisor: Dr I-Ju Chen
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: i.chen2@exeter.ac.uk
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Project Title: Regulation of child-targeted digital advertising
Lead Supervisor: Prof. Joasia Luzak
Second Supervisor: TBC
Informal enquiries contact email: j.luzak@exeter.ac.uk
