MMB is a community of researchers working on diverse aspects of migration and mobilities. We do not currently offer a specific postgraduate programme but if this is something you’re interested in we’d love to hear from you (send us a short two-page description of your proposed research). For now, if you would like to study a PhD or MRes on this subject at Bristol you need to apply to a specific school or department. While based there you can become a member of MMB, benefiting from our events and publications and from collaborating with other members.
Here is a list of current PhD students working on migration and mobilities.
If you are already studying a PhD at Bristol and would like to join the MMB postgraduate network, please get in touch. Or for advice on things to consider when applying for doctoral studies here read Ella Barclay’s blog – Top tips on how to apply for a PhD from an MMB Alumni Ambassador.
Supervisors
The department or school to which you apply depends on the kind of research you’re interested in and on the affiliation of the person you would like as your primary supervisor. PhD students at Bristol tend to have more than one supervisor so you might, for example, have a primary supervisor in the School for Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) and a second from the Bristol Law School.
You may also find a supervisor through one of the following PhD programmes – housed in specific schools and departments – which may also be of relevance to those interested in migration and mobility related topics (N.B. this list is by no means exhaustive):
- Anthropology and Archaeology
- Education
- Film and Television
- Global Political Economy
- History
- Human Geography
- Law
- Philosophy
- Security, Conflict and Human Rights
- Social Policy
- Sociology, Politics and International Studies
- Sustainable Futures
Funding
The kind of project you want to research also determines the most suitable funding to apply for. If you want to be based in the Social Sciences, for example, you might apply to the ESRC for funding (via the South West Doctoral Training Partnership); if you are based in Arts, your best bet would be the AHRC. These are the two most prominent funders for PhDs based within the UK, though other sources of funding (for example, University Scholarships) are also available.
N.B. Some funding deadlines can be as early as December, months before the PhD admission deadline itself. Also note that international students are not always eligible for ESRC or AHRC grants so it is important to research funding options within the university as well as from trusts and governments in your home countries.
Next steps
First, you need to decide who might make a good primary supervisor for your PhD subject. You can find out about some of our academics’ research by clicking on their profiles on the MMB website, or by looking at the sites of specific schools and departments: for example, the ‘People’ page of SPAIS. Contact this person to see if they are interested in supervising your project; if so, they will be well-placed to tell you about the relevant funding opportunities and to help you develop your application. In any application – to the university itself and to funding bodies – it’s worth saying that you intend to work closely with MMB, as this will strengthen your application by demonstrating that the University of Bristol is the best place for you to study.
For further advice please get in touch with the Postgraduate Research Directors of individual schools and departments, or with the MMB Graduate Studies Strategic Lead Dr Laurence Publicover.