Invisible Hands: Migrant Labour and British Craft in the 18th Century (UCL & V&A)
University College London (UCL) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) invite applications for a fully funded Collaborative Doctoral Studentship under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme, starting October 2026. This doctoral project, titled 'Invisible Hands: Migrant Labour and British Craft in the 18th Century,' aims to uncover the overlooked contributions of migrant labour to British craft and design during the long eighteenth century (c.1688–1837).
Drawing on the V&A’s rich collections, uncatalogued departmental card indexes, and external archival sources, the project will reconstruct the creative communities that shaped Britain’s material culture. The student will use historical, curatorial, and digital humanities methods to identify both visible and invisible ‘migrant hands’ involved in furniture-making, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, and other craft industries. The research will combine museum catalogues, objects, and extensive departmental card indexes with external archival materials such as apprenticeship rolls, guild registers, business records, and court documents. Collections may include the National Art Library, V&A Archive of Art and Design, and the Prints and Drawings Collection.
Depending on the project direction, digital humanities methods such as name-based (onomastic) analysis, geospatial mapping, network visualisation, prosopography, and composite biography may be applied. The project is intentionally broad, allowing the student to shape their focus—whether on particular trades, communities, regions, or methodological approaches. Research questions may include: How can migrant lives be identified in archival sources relating to the V&A’s collections? What patterns of mobility, collaboration, and labour hierarchy emerge across different craft sectors? How visible are migrant contributions in museum catalogues, and how might digital methods help recover them? How can this research support the V&A’s commitment to surfacing underrepresented narratives and enriching catalogue metadata?
The studentship is jointly supervised by Associate Professor Adam Crymble (UCL), Dr. Jin Gao (UCL), Dr. Spike Sweeting (V&A), and Dr. Jenny Saunt (V&A). The student will spend time at both UCL and the V&A and join the wider national cohort of CDP-funded researchers. The award covers full tuition fees (with UCL waiving the difference between UK and overseas rates for international students), an annual stipend (£21,805 plus £2,000 London weighting), a CDP maintenance payment (£600/year), and a travel/expenses grant up to £1,250. The studentship can be studied full or part-time by home students, or full-time by international students who must reside in the UK for the duration of the PhD.
Applicants should hold or expect to obtain a first or upper second class undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as history, art history, anthropology, or related fields. A master's degree is desirable but not essential. Strong interest in material culture, archival research, and digital humanities methods is preferred. English language proficiency requirements apply unless waived by UCL policy. The deadline for applications is April 15, 2026.
For further details and to apply, visit the FindAPhD project page. Prepare a CV, cover letter, and academic transcripts. Contact supervisors for informal enquiries if needed. Submit your application before the deadline.
