Funded PhD in Dress Practices, Identity, and Portsmouth 1980s Underground Nightclubs University of Southampton in United Kingdom

Funded PhD opportunity in dress practices, identity formation, oral history, archival research, museums, and fashion/textiles at the University of Southampton in collaboration with Portsmouth City Museums through the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP).

The project examines the impact and legacy of Portsmouth’s underground nightclub scene in the 1980s and how identity was formed through dress over time. The research will involve developing oral history and wardrobe projects and working closely with Portsmouth Museums’ local and social history collections. The student will spend time at both Winchester School of Art and Portsmouth City Museums, and will join the wider cohort of CDP-funded students across the UK.

Supervision: Rebecca Wallis and Grace Scott at Portsmouth City Museums, together with Professor Jo Turney and Dr Shaun Cole in Fashion and Textiles at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton.

Eligibility: Applicants should normally hold a Master’s degree in a relevant area such as Art, Anthropology, Art History, Dress Studies, History, Curating, or Exhibition Studies, or demonstrate equivalent professional experience in critical and creative practice (for example art, curating, or design). A strong interest in dress history, oral history, observational fieldwork, people, politics, place, archival research, museums, exhibition spaces, and curation is expected.

Funding: This is a funded PhD under the AHRC CDP scheme.

Application: Apply via the University of Southampton’s online PhD Application Portal and specify the AHRC CDP project title in your application. The admissions team can assist with documentation, questions, and reasonable adjustments.

Deadline: 26 June 2026. Interviews: 15 July 2026.