St Leonard's Postgraduate College World-Leading Scholarship

[Full tuition fee award and annual stipend of £19,775 per annum (2025-2026), with annual uplift. Duration up to 3.5 years (full-time) or 7 years (part-time).]

The University of St Andrews is offering a prestigious PhD studentship funded by St Leonard's Postgraduate College, supporting an exceptional doctoral researcher in English. The project, titled 'Exporting the Nation: Making the Commonwealth, Re-making Men,' explores the enduring appeal of the British empire during its collapse and the narratives that shaped post-war British identity. The research focuses on the period 1945-1965, examining how Britain invested in its overseas territories and encouraged emigration by the white middle-classes to the Commonwealth. Through fiction and film, this 'new' world was imagined as a space for national revival, often through tropes of man-making struggle, from repairing wounded veterans to training cadets.

The project aims to fill a scholarly gap by investigating popular and influential narratives of Commonwealth migration, which have received little academic attention. The successful applicant will have considerable scope to shape their thesis, with anticipated research across multiple media, including historical fiction (such as John Masters’ India-set novels), fictions of development and extraction (like Hammond Innes’s Campbell’s Kingdom), and cinematic refigurations of empire (e.g., Where No Vultures Fly). The study interrogates how storytelling facilitated the construction of masculinities and fantasies of post-war British identity.

The studentship provides a full tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend of £19,775 (2025-2026), with an annual uplift published by the University. The award is tenable for up to 3.5 years full-time or 7 years part-time, with the expectation that the thesis will be submitted by the end of the award period. The stipend is paid pro-rata for part-time students.

Applicants should have a strong academic background in English, literature, history, or related fields, typically with a first or upper second class undergraduate degree (or equivalent). Experience or interest in narrative fiction, film, cultural studies, or post-war British history is desirable. English language proficiency may be required for non-native speakers. Informal enquiries are encouraged and can be addressed to Professor Gill Plain (gp3@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Dr. James Purdon (jjp5@st-andrews.ac.uk).

To apply, visit the University of St Andrews scholarship portal, review the project details and eligibility criteria, and submit your application before the deadline of 24 April 2026. The studentship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to world-leading research in English literature, history, and cultural studies at a renowned institution.