Are you interested in doing a Ph.D. in engineering education, or know someone who is? Please consider these two excellent opportunities, and please share them with anyone you think might be interested.

First, at UCL:

The University College London (UCL) Centre for Engineering Education (CEE) is offering two funded Ph.D. student scholarships (the funding covers stipend and research expenses, plus tuition at the domestic/home/UK resident rate, non-UK applicants only have to pay the difference between this and the international student tuition rate). Overseas candidates are welcome to apply.

The envisioned stipend (currently £20,622 pa) and fees at the home rate (£5,860 pa if based in Engineering, £7,580 pa if based in the Institute of Education) are for a period of 3 years. Funding to cover a 3.5 or 4-year period will be considered. The Centre will also fund consumables and travel to attend conferences during the Ph.D. period.

The recipients will start in January 2024.

The application deadline is 31 October 2023, and you can get more information on projects and person specifications here:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/centre-for-engineering-education/support-phd-and-postdoctoral-research-applications 
At this link, there’s a list of ideas for topics that the applicant might want to research in the realm of engineering education.

My experiences with UCL CEE are ongoing (I currently serve there as an Honorary Professor) and have been nothing short of spectacular. It’s an amazing group of colleagues to work with and everyone has such a great “can do” attitude. I love the vibe of London and this Centre.

If the two doctoral scholarships discussed above don’t suit you, there are other routes available. You can submit an expression of interest to get help from the CEE in applying for other funding, e.g., from the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme or Marie Curie Individual Fellowships (which is how I went to work at the CEE for 2018 & 2019). Your expression of interest is simple enough, up to 500 words summarising what you want to study, up to 400 words on why you’ve chosen UCL, and a CV (for post-doc positions, the CV should list your publications and the date you finished your PhD). Email that to the centre’s manager Helen Bhandari, h.bhandari (at) ucl.ac.uk.

Second, in Ireland:

You’re also very welcome to propose an idea to do with me, here at TU Dublin, and seek funding from the Marie Curie Individual Fellowships scheme when they open in February-March next spring. This website has many helpful tips to help you in writing, and if you’re interested in pedagogy, learning and teaching, and student development, then we could work together. Just contact me on the form on this site or at IrelandByChance (at) gmail (dot) com.

Another possible source of funding to study and work here in Ireland with me is the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme provides funding for Ph.D. studies. You can find more information at https://research.ie/funding/goipg/?f=postgraduate. The call just opened (31 August 2023) and applications are due very soon, 16:00 (Irish time) on 12 October 2023.

Applying for this requires you to team up with a prospective supervisor — the person you propose to guide you in your research. And, as I say, if you study things I’ve expertise in, I’d be happy to work with you to hone your application and subsequently supervise your work.

Morevoer, if you haven’t got time to apply this year, and want to study architecture or engineering education topics, we can start preparing now for next year. The application will be similar next year as you see posted for this year.

This scholarship is valued up to €28,000 per year, comprising:

• A stipend of €19,000 per annum
• A contribution to fees, including non-EU fees, up to a maximum of €5,750 per annum
• Eligible direct research expenses of €3,250 per annum

Whereas the UCL funding doesn’t cover the extra for students coming from outside the country, Ireland’s funding does. However, the Irish Research Council (IRC) receives lots of applications, so there is heavy competition for this funding.

If you have questions about either of these, I’ll be happy to help advise or steer you to the answers.