Leeds University Business School

SHARE ScholarshipInformation

2018/19

Scholarship Information

This scholarship is open to UK and EU fee rated applicants commencing full-time PhD study within the Work and Employment Relations Division of Leeds University Business School commencing on 1stOctober 2018. The PhD researcher will also be associatedwith Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change (CERIC) within Leeds University Business School.

Number of awards: 1

Value of award: A maintenance grant of approximately £20,000* per annum (*subject to approval, the amount will be reviewed annually).

Project information

The research will be conducted within the ERC Starting Grant project SHARE - Seizing the Hybrid Areas of work by Representing self-Employment. The research project will explore from a socio-legal perspective the ways in which solo self-employed workers engage with the various layers of regulation that shape the framework of rights and obligations that are relevant to them. The postgraduate researcher will have access to a rich set of qualitative data generated through ethnographic studies conducted within unions and solo self-employed associations in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, the Netherlands and United Kingdom). S/he will work in an interdisciplinary environment and in close collaboration with the supervisory team and the other members of the SHARE project.

Supervisory team

  • Dr Elizabeth Oliver (main supervisor), Work and Employment Relations Division, Leeds University Business School
  • Dr Annalisa Murgia,Work and Employment Relations Division, Leeds University Business School
  • Professor Iyiola Solanke, School of Law

Applicants with queries about this PhD project and scholarship opportunity can contact Dr Elizabeth Oliver or Dr Annalisa Murgia for further information.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants MUST first submit a research degree study application form and be in receipt of a University BANNER ID Number (Student ID Number) to be eligible for the Leeds University Business SchoolSHARE Scholarship.
  • Applicants must hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK Upper Second Class Honours degree and a British Masters degree (or equivalent qualification), in an appropriate academic discipline, with a minimum average score of 60 per cent.
  • Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the Business School’s minimum English Language requirements prior to registration (EU applicants only).
  • The applicant should be able to demonstrate knowledge or experience relevant to socio-legal studies.
  • The awardis available for new research students undertaking full-time study for 3 years leading to the degree of PhD:
  • Students who are currently registered for PhD research study are not eligible for this competition.
  • Students who have previously been registered for PhD research study are not eligible for this competition.
  • This award is not open to individuals who have already been awarded a PhD degree.

Scholarship regulations

These include the following (full information on the regulations will be sent to all successful applicants):

  • Awards must be taken up on 1st October 2018.
  • Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this Scholarship.
  • The award will be made for one year in the first instance and is renewable for a further period of up to two years, subject to satisfactory academic progress and on condition that you have been successful in the “transfer” process and you are eligible for full PhD registration at the start of your second year of research.

How to apply

  1. Applicants MUST first submit a research degree study application form and be in receipt of a University BANNER ID Number (Student ID Number) to be eligible to apply for the Leeds University Business School SHARE Scholarship. Applications without a valid University ID Number will be rejected. To find out more information on how to apply for a place on the PhD programme please visit
  1. All applicants must complete the Leeds University Business School SHAREScholarship Application Form.
  1. The following documents must be uploaded with your PhD application or sent with your scholarship application by the deadline date:

a)PhD application form:apply online

b)SHARE Scholarship application form:this form must be completed in full. Download an application formfrom the Business School website.

c)Research proposal: a 1000-2000 word document, in Word or .pdf format, outlining your proposed research topic and programme of research. In your proposal, you should address how you would approach the research of the SHARE project, the current literature and your proposed methodology. You should also indicate how you plan to create connections between the socio-legal perspective and the other approaches used in the project (i.e. ethnographic studies, quantitative analysis). Please see Writing Your Research Proposalfor further details.

d)Two academic references:you must submit twoacademic letters of reference from two people who have taught you at Masters (or Bachelors) level who are able to comment on your academic ability and suitability to study on the programme. Referencesmust either:

  • be written on headed paper; or
  • bear the institution’s stamp / logo; or
  • be typed and stamped with the institution’s stamp on the University of Leeds Referee’s Report.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT REFERENCES: Due to the number of applications we receive, the Business School will not contact your referees on your behalf. You or your referees must provide the completed references by the scholarship application deadline.

e)Certified copies of qualification certificates: scanned copies of all your higher education and professional qualifications;

f)Certified copies of academic transcripts and full grading systems: scanned copies of the official university listing of the full set of marks contributing to the overall grade of your qualifications. If you have not yet been awarded your qualification, you must provide confirmation of your provisional marks to date.

If you have not already submitted the above documents as part of your PhD application, they must be attached to the scholarship application form. Scholarship applications will be rejected if any of the documents listed above have not been received by the deadline date.

If your application is successful, we will also require evidence that you have met our English language entry requirements prior to registration (EU applicants only).

  1. Completed application forms should be returned to

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday 16thApril 2018 (12:00 noon UK time)

Any application received after the deadline date or without a full set of documents as listed will be rejected.