Fully Funded PhD in Creative Play Spaces, Neurodivergence, and Digital Storytelling Teesside University in United Kingdom

Teesside University is advertising a fully funded PhD studentship through the Institute for Collective Place Leadership in collaboration with Theatre Hullabaloo (Darlington). The project is titled “Exploring the benefits of creative play spaces for young children with familial links to neurodivergence and their families through digital storytelling”.

This is a practice-based, interdisciplinary PhD combining digital storytelling, participatory research, early childhood development, neurodiversity, creative arts practice, inclusive design, and place-based research. The post highlights that Theatre Hullabaloo’s play spaces and outreach programmes will serve as “living labs,” giving the successful candidate the chance to test ideas in real-world settings with families.

The studentship is supervised by Professor Antonia Liguori, described as a leading expert in participatory and digital storytelling with a strong record in practice-led research and public engagement. The opportunity is positioned as a distinctive route for a candidate interested in storytelling, policy, inclusion, and innovation in early years contexts.

Funding: fully funded PhD studentship. The post does not specify stipend amount, tuition coverage details, or other financial terms.

Deadline: 15 June 2026 at 5pm. Start date: October 2026.

How to apply: Use the Teesside University funding details page linked in the post and follow the application instructions there. Review the project description carefully and submit before the deadline.