PhD Studentship: Masters Plus PhD - Sustainability Business University of Essex in United Kingdom

[Home tuition fee waiver, annual UKRI-level living costs stipend (£21,805 for 2026-27), and a £10,000 research allowance in total. Additional access to £2,500 via Proficio for training courses.]

Scholarship opportunity at the University of Essex for a fully funded Masters plus PhD studentship in Sustainability Business under the Sustainable Transitions – Leverhulme Doctoral Training Programme.

This opportunity supports an interdisciplinary research pathway focused on environment and sustainability as it relates to business, governance, commerce, or trade. The programme is designed to train the next generation of interdisciplinary scholars with the skills to contribute to sustainable transitions at local, national, and international levels.

The successful applicant will first undertake one of the following master's degrees starting in January 2027: MSc Business Analytics, MSc International Business and Entrepreneurship, or MSc International Logistics and Supply Chain Management. During the Masters year, the research proposal will be further developed in close consultation with the supervisory team before progression to the PhD stage.

Applicants must submit a 1000-word maximum project area proposal. The call is intentionally broad, allowing candidates to shape their own PhD direction within the sustainability-business theme. The proposal must also identify one additional discipline to integrate into the research to ensure interdisciplinarity: Law, Sociology, Government, or Life Sciences.

Training and development are central to the programme. Scholars will receive interdisciplinary research methods training, secondary discipline training, and ongoing academic support through the Sustainable Transitions training programme. They will also be able to join the University of Essex Centre for Environment and Society, offering events and networking opportunities.

Funding includes a home tuition fee waiver, an annual UKRI-level living stipend of £21,805 for 2026-27, and a £10,000 research allowance for approved research costs such as supplies, equipment, and fieldwork. Doctoral scholars may also access £2,500 through Proficio for training courses.

Eligibility: UK domiciled applicants only. Applicants must not already hold a Master's degree and should come from a low-income household background and/or belong to one of the specified ethnicity categories.

Deadline: 11:59 pm BST on Monday 14 September 2026.