Two AHRC-funded PhD studentships are available from 1 October 2013 for collaborative research between the Centre for History and Philosophy of Science, University of Leeds, and the National Institute for Agricultural Botany (NIAB).

Both studentships are connected with the project “Food Security in the Biotech Age: The National Institute of Agricultural Botany Since 1970.” Founded in 1919 and based in Cambridge, NIAB has been at the forefront of seed testing and the development of crop-plant varieties in Britain for nearly a century. A previous AHRC award funded PhD research, now nearing completion, on the history of NIAB from 1919 to 1969.

One of the new sub-projects aims to take the historical story of NIAB forward into the biotech age, from 1970 to the present. The other sub-project aims to examine NIAB now as a complex scientific-technological institution, using methods from recent anthropology, sociology, and philosophy of science. Please see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/news/article/3504/two_phd_studentships_in_history_philosophy_and_social_studies_of_biology for more information on these projects.

The new projects’ supervisors will be Gregory Radick (Leeds HPS) and Tina Barsby (NIAB).  The students will be expected to create virtual exhibits of project-related materials and also to contribute to local, national and international meetings.

Enquiries may be directed to G.M.Radick@leeds.ac.uk

Scholarship Funding

For both sub-projects, applicants must be either UK residents (full studentship) or EU nationals (fees only). They should normally have, or expect soon to be awarded, a Masters degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. history and philosophy of science; science and technology studies; history, philosophy, anthropology, or sociology with an appropriate focus; etc.), though exceptions can be made for applicants with strong undergraduate records and relevant experience. The studentships support three years’ full-time work, but can be taken up on either a full-time or a part-time basis. Standard tuition fees and maintenance grants will be paid by the AHRC to the nominated student. In the 2012/2013 academic year full-time awards provided a maintenance grant payment of £13,590 In addition to these amounts, the AHRC will make an additional, one-off maintenance payment of £550 in May to cover the special costs of working at two sites. Students may also be eligible for UK study visits and one overseas study visit as well as one overseas conference for the duration of the award.  From the non-academic partner the student will also receive a contribution to maintenance and may also be eligible for travel and related workplace expenses.  (Part-time awards provide a maintenance grant up to a maximum of 60% of a full-time award and half the full-time rate of tuition fees.) Renewal of the studentship each year is subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Applications

Application forms and further details are available from the Postgraduate Administration Office, School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, or by email by clicking the ‘Apply’ button below.

tel: 0113 343 3644 or 0113 343 3263.

The closing date for applications for both studentships is Friday 14 June 2013. Interviews for both studentships will take place the following week.

Please specify whether you are applying for the historical sub-project, for the anthropological-sociological-philosophical sub-project, or for both.