King’s College London, in partnership with the College of Optometrists, is offering a fully funded PhD studentship titled “Blurred Jurisdictions: Investigating the Professional Boundaries in Eye-Care in the UK”. This doctoral project aims to explore how optometrists cooperate with other eyecare and healthcare professionals, focusing on the maintenance of professional autonomy within complex, multi-professional relationships. The research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the optometry profession and the broader eyecare/health sector, areas that have been underexplored in management, organisation studies, and sociology.

The successful candidate will conduct case studies across diverse settings, including high street and independent practices, hospital eye departments, laser clinics, domiciliary services, and more. The methodology involves qualitative interviews with eyecare and healthcare professionals, as well as analysis of professional magazines, conference proceedings, scholarly journals, and government policy documents related to eye health. The project is supervised by Professor Dirk vom Lehn and Dr Juan Baeza from King’s Business School, alongside Michael Bowen from the College of Optometrists, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach and strong mentorship.

The studentship is supported by the Research and Knowledge department at the College of Optometrists. The student will have opportunities to work at the College’s London offices, access specialist library collections, and engage with the museum and archives. This collaborative environment offers unique resources and professional development opportunities.

Funding details: The award includes a stipend of £23,805 for 2025-26, full Home and International tuition fees for 2025-26, a research training and support grant of £1,000 per year, and conference fees and UK fieldwork support of £230 each year. The studentship lasts for four years (three years full-time plus one year for writing up).

Eligibility: Applicants must hold a first or good 2:1 degree, preferably in a related social science discipline, and a relevant master’s degree with a dissertation module. Applied knowledge of qualitative research methodologies (qualitative interviewing, ethnography, document analysis) is required. Training in both qualitative and quantitative methods will be provided as part of the PhD programme.

Application deadline: 31 March 2026. Short-listed applicants will be interviewed within two weeks of the closing date. For informal discussions, contact Prof Dirk vom Lehn at [email protected].

For further details and to apply, visit the official project page: FindAPhD Project Link.