Sheffield Institute of Education
Call for applications for White Rose funded PhD scholarships
Overview
The Sheffield Institute of Education welcomes applications for White Rose funded PhD scholarships, starting in October 2027. Applicants are advised to submit their own project ideas on topics aligned with the White Rose Education, Childhood and Youth pathway.
Scholarships are available for both full-time and part-time PhD study. Please refer to our application pages for full-time study or part-time study and the WRDTP website pages for detailed information about the awards, eligibility and materials to support putting together an application.
Successful applicants will join Sheffield Hallam's highly active community of researchers and doctoral students in the Sheffield Institute of Education, based at City Campus, close to the city centre and transport links.
Postgraduate research at the Sheffield Institute of Education (SIoE)
We are a vibrant doctoral community. The Sheffield Institute of Education provides opportunities for students to meet, collaborate and socialise. We run training sessions on a range of topics (e.g., writing the thesis, attending conferences, research methods) in addition to those run by the Sheffield Hallam University Doctoral School, a hub for researcher development and networking. Doctoral researchers run the annual SIoE doctoral research conference where postgraduate researchers are encouraged to present their work in progress. In addition, the SIoE research seminar series provides opportunities to share research with scholars at the SIoE and beyond. White Rose funded students also benefit from the training programme and extended networking opportunities offered by the scheme.
Research clusters in the Sheffield Institute of Education
The Sheffield Institute of Education is a national centre of education. We are recognised for our excellence and innovation in teaching, learning and research. Our work is embedded in practice and delivered by working in partnership. Our research activity can be broadly grouped into five clusters with the following aims:
(i) Improving the efficacy of educational professionals and enhancing curriculum and pedagogy
Our research in this area explores the practices, experiences and professional lives of teachers, further and higher education lecturers and other practitioners working in educational contexts. Topics include teacher recruitment, retention, working conditions, wellbeing and identities; the role of professional development, models of professional learning and mentoring; evidence-informed practice including the development and evaluation of curriculum and pedagogical innovations or interventions.
(ii) Enhancing language and literacy education
Projects in this cluster investigate all facets of language and literacy, reflecting the complexity, diversity and dynamism of communicative practices. Potential topics include learners' language and literacy experiences in varied settings; language and literacy in the digital world; multimodal literacies; early years literacy; workplace literacy; English for Academic Purposes; English for Research and Publication Purposes; TESOL; multilingualism and global literacies.
(iii) Improving childhood and young people’s educational and social experiences
Our research in this area is broad in nature, covering education from early years to higher education in policy, practice and provision; childhood, children and young people’s health and wellbeing; young people’s participation in education; and friendships and play. We have significant strands of work covering subject specific research and evaluation (for example, in literacy and STEM) alongside outdoor education and learning, mentoring, disadvantage and the experiences of young people at risk of criminal activity.
(iv) Promoting social justice and inclusion by addressing disadvantage, discrimination and oppression
Projects in this cluster focus on educational practices that foster social justice; the impact of racism on educational outcomes and experience; the life-experiences of LGBTQ+ children, young people and adults; higher education policy pertaining to social justice; participation and student experience, including international student experience; internationalisation; socio economic disadvantage and educational outcomes; vocational skills and apprenticeships; and the problematisation of concepts, constructions and experiences of youth, disability, education and society.
(v) Innovating in theory and methodology
The goal of this cluster is to develop new and original perspectives on established and emerging theories and methods in education research. Topics include the analysis of materialities and digital technologies in educational practice; evaluation theory, methods and policy; enhancing anti-oppressive methodologies and creative research practices; and advancing randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and mixed methods methodology.
Research quality at Sheffield Hallam University
Here at Sheffield Hallam, we generate high quality research with real world outcomes that transform lives. Our motto is “knowledge applied”. The high standard of our educational research was recognised in REF 2021; Sheffield Hallam is now ranked 11th for research power out of a field of 83 universities.
- Our research environment was recognised as the best in any modern university
- 70% of our research outputs are world leading or internationally excellent
- Almost 90% of our research impact is world leading or internationally excellent
You can find out more about our 2021 REF submission and our impact case studies on the Sheffield Hallam University website.
How to apply
Applications for the WRDTP awards are not submitted directly to the WRDTP but to Sheffield Hallam University.
How to apply
Applications for the WRDTP awards are not submitted directly to the WRDTP but to Sheffield Hallam University.
1. Pre-application stage:
Please contact Dr Lisa McGrath l.mcgrath@shu.ac.uk if you are interested in applying. Lisa will be able to support you in identifying a suitable supervisor, but you must provide a working proposal using the WRDTP Studentship Application Form which includes details of your research proposal in SECTION 2 – About Your Project.
Please ensure that you allow yourself sufficient time for this process. Due to high demand, colleagues may not be able to respond to enquiries received close to the final submission deadline.
2. Application stage:
You will need to make a formal application for a PhD at Sheffield Hallam University.
Key date: The closing date for Sheffield Hallam Applications is 12:00 pm GMT on 13 November 2026.
No late applications will be accepted.
Full details about the application process are available here: Sheffield Hallam WRDTP and the WRDTP website pages.
To submit your application please visit our application pages for full-time study or part-time study.