PhD Studentship: The AD[A]PT (Architectural Design And Humanities Promoting Transformation) Consortium AHRC Doctoral Focal Award - Hosted at Oxford Brookes School of Architecture

3.5 - 4 year, full-time PhD studentship

Eligibility: Open to home, EU and international students

University fees and bench fees: This studentship will cover tuition fees up to the home student rate. Any successful international candidate would be required to fund the difference between home and international fees for the duration of the studentship if hosted at Oxford Brookes University. Visas and associated costs are not covered.

Closing date: 13th January 2027, 5pm (GMT)

Interviews: Early March (online)

Start date:  1st October 2027 

Project Title: The AD[A]PT (Architectural Design And Humanities Promoting Transformation) Consortium AHRC Doctoral Focal Award – hosted at Oxford Brookes School of Architecture

Director of Studies:

Supervisors: 

Contact: adapt-phd@brookes.ac.uk

Requirements: Entry requirements: 

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. 

English language requirements:

International/EU applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.0 and no score below 5.5 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.

Project Description:

Fully funded PhD scholarship opportunity with Oxford Brookes School of Architecture, through the AD[A]PT Consortium’s AHRC Doctoral Focal Award, supporting arts and humanities research for healthier people, places and planet. All studentships are being offered at Oxford Brookes University’s School of Architecture.

AD[A]PT offers the opportunity to work with our partners that include RIBA, RTPI, RICS, CIOB, Historic England, Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Cadw, RCAHMW, CIBSE, Design Commission for Wales, Landscape Institute, and Circus Eruption, some of which will support studentships as Collaborative Doctoral Awards, allowing students to be partly based within their organisation.

We welcome applicants from under-represented groups whose proposals address AD[A]PT’s vision: identifying barriers to creating healthy places, developing strategies to overcome them, and using design-led arts and humanities methods to support UN SDGs, net-zero goals, safety standards, and inclusive, biodiverse environments.

You can choose to apply through either an Open Call or a Set Brief. Both routes offer an equal opportunity to be considered for an AD[A]PT studentship, there is no advantage to choosing one route over the other. The key is to select the route that best suits your research interests, experience and proposed project.

Open Call Themes include: generational differences, inclusion and justice, healthy urban places, green spaces, cultural heritage, regenerative practice, built-environment professions, homes and housing, governance, life and fire safety, healthy buildings, or healthcare environments—showing alignment with the research vision and potential input from partners.

Set Briefs: There are four different set briefs, each being supported by one of our partners wishing to host a Collaborative Doctoral Award: RIBA, RICS and CIOB,. For full details on the Set Briefs, please see Appendix B of the Call for Proposals and Award Details document, which can be downloaded here.

Application process

Applicants should ensure they utilise suitable arts and humanities methods to ensure their project design is eligible for funding and consult full application guidance at the AD[A]PT website.

For any queries, please contact adapt-phd@brookes.ac.uk or see our FAQs