Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
SGSSS is a highly attractive environment for doctoral research. Not only do our partner universities offer an excellent research environment, we also offer comprehensive and world-class research training in a number of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary pathways. In addition, the school manages a programme of advanced training courses and an annual summer school which together offers our students further opportunities to develop their research, knowledge exchange and transferable professional skills.
At the heart of the SGSSS is the Doctoral Training Partnership (formerly the Doctoral Training Centre) in Scotland. The SGSSS was established in 2011 and is the largest of 15 Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) accredited DTPs in the United Kingdom.
The Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. The ESRC supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
The ESRC is a non-departmental public body established by Royal Charter in 1965 and receives most of its funding through the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. ESRC is committed to the principles of quality, impact and independence.
More information about the ESRC, its work, impact and findings can be found here.
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is responsible for funding teaching and learning provision, research and other activities in Scotland’s colleges and higher education institutions. SFC’s Funding Decisions support the Scottish Government’s national priorities. Its purpose is to secure coherent, high quality further and higher learning provision by colleges and universities in Scotland, and the undertaking of research. SFC contributes to the costs of teaching, research and other activities – including costs related to staff, infrastructure, buildings and equipment. Click here to find out more about SFC.
The Directorate is responsible for the everyday operations of SGSSS. The directorate oversees the successful running and strategic development of the SGSSS in line with its objectives. This includes: designing and overseeing a studentship allocation system; providing advanced training; ensuring timely financial reporting; overseeing the development of partnerships.
The Directorate is hosted by the University of Edinburgh and comprises the following staff:
Director
Deputy Director (Studentships and Partnerships)
Deputy Director (Training)
Associate Director, Challenge Pathway Lead for Health, Wellbeing and Communities/Securities: Justice, Economies and Conflict;
Postdoctoral Fellows
Associate Director, Challenge Pathway Lead for Governance and Institutions/Communication, AI and New Technologies
Associate Director, Challenge Pathway Lead for Environment, Migration and Demographic Change/Social Inequalities
Associate Director, Supervisor Engagement
Associate Director, Student Engagement & EDI
Associate Director, Training Lead
Associate Director, Training Lead
Head of Strategy and Operations
Operations Manager
Research Impact and Partnerships Manager
Studentships Coordinator
Research Impact and Partnerships Coordinator (Maternity Cover)
Student Experience and Development Coordinator
Graduate School Administrator
| Institution | Contact |
|---|---|
| University of Aberdeen | Ann Marie Johnston |
| Abertay University | Jennifer Smith |
| University of Dundee | Judith Miller |
| University of Edinburgh | Lorna Shiels |
| University of Glasgow | Derek Simpson |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | Ivana Covic |
| Heriot-Watt University | Freya Peters |
| University of Highlands & Islands | Christine Hutchison |
| Edinburgh Napier University | Omar Dellal |
| Robert Gordon University | Stuart O’Neill |
| Scotland’s Rural College | Kate Hadley-Boyd |
| University of St Andrews | Zahirul Jewel |
| University of Stirling | Katharine Reibig |
| University of Strathclyde | Shona Cameron |
| Queen Margaret University | Alison Basford-Thomson |
| University of the West of Scotland | Linda Thorburn |
Each partner institution has a designated administration contact directly connected to the SGSSS. Coordination of future and ongoing studentships is handled locally at each member institution through the HEI Admin Leads.
The Supervisory Board consists of representatives from each of our partner universities and is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of the SGSSS. The Board agrees and oversees the strategic priorities and oversees the implementation of ESRC’s guidance on the distribution of studentships, spread of good practices and embedding collaboration.
The members of the Board have been appointed to provide representation of our partner institutions. The Supervisory Board is chaired by Professor Sara Carter at the University of Glasgow.
The members of the Supervisory board include:
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Sara Carter (Chair) | University of Glasgow |
| Professor Nick Forsyth | University of Aberdeen |
| Professor Nia White | Abertay University |
| Professor Lorraine van Blerk | University of Dundee |
| Professor David Smith | University of Edinburgh |
| Professor Nick Antonopoulos | Edinburgh Napier University |
| Professor Irene-marie Esser | University of Glasgow |
| Professor John Connolly | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Professor Sharron Dolan | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Professor Stephen McLaughlin | Heriot-Watt University |
| Professor Brian Williams | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Professor Richard Butt | Queen Margaret University |
| Professor Nick Fyfe | Robert Gordon University |
| Professor Eileen Wall | Scotland’s Rural College |
| Professor Iain Docherty | University of Stirling |
| Professor Madeleine Grealy | University of Strathclyde |
| Dr Morven Shearer | University of St Andrews |
| Professor Robert MacIntosh | University of the West of Scotland |
| Morag Campbell | Scottish Funding Council |
| Audrey MacDougall | Scottish Government |
| Patrick Watt | Skills Development Scotland |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Professor Stuart Piertney | University of Aberdeen |
| Professor Jim Bown | Abertay University |
| Dr Ed Hall | University of Dundee |
| Professor Laura Bradley | University of Edinburgh |
| Professor Calum Neill | Edinburgh Napier University |
| Professor Mhairi Mackenzie | University of Glasgow |
| Dr Emmanuel Sirimal Silva | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Professor Jo Drugan | Heriot-Watt University |
| TBC | University of the Highlands & Islands |
| Professor Cathy Bulley | Queen Margaret University |
| Professor Sarah Pedersen | Robert Gordon University |
| Dr Matteo Fumagalli | University of St Andrews |
| Toni Dismore | Scotland’s Rural University College |
| Professor Liz Forbat | University of Stirling |
| Dr Wendy Cohen | University of Strathclyde |
| Professor Arno van der Zwet | University of West of Scotland |
Associate Officers for Student Engagement represent the voices of the student community and are consulted for their advice and expertise as PGRs. They also convey the views of students to the Board and the Directorate. SGSSS is committed to increasing student representation within its governance and wide range of activities. Our diverse group of Associate Officers for Student Engagement reflects a broad spectrum of institutions, academic stages, funding bases and demographic profiles.
The Training Network is the primary forum within SGSSS to develop and deliver training components for students given +1 (masters) funding offered by eligible institutions. The network is responsible for building a foundation to student training, student support and cross-Scotland opportunities, and consists of academic representatives from our partner institutions and members of the SGSSS Directorate and operations team.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Dr Roxanne Connelly (Chair) | SGSSS |
| Dr Katherine Keenan | SGSSS |
| Dr Diarmuid McDonnell | SGSSS |
| Dr Alistair Geddes | University of Dundee |
| Dr Carin Runciman | University of Edinburgh |
| Dr Juliane Kloess | University of Edinburgh |
| Dr Niccole Pamphilis | University of Glasgow |
| Dr Alasdair Stewart | University of Glasgow |
| Dr Wendy Cohen | University of Strathclyde |
| Dr Yasaman Sarabi | Heriot-Watt University |
| Professor Marian Brady | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Dr Malaka Shwaikh | University of St Andrews |
| Professor Paul Lambert | University of Stirling |
| Dr Alison Elliott | Abertay University Dundee |
| Dr Taulant Guma | Edinburgh Napier University |
| Dr Vera Eory | Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) |
| Professor Nick Jenkins | University of the West of Scotland |
| Dr Sarah Wagner | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Professor Vicky Johnson | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Katherine Stephen | SGSSS |
| Gladys Konadu | SGSSS |
| Philippa Costello | SGSSS |
The following Scottish universities are members of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. The 14 Institutions eligible for hosting ESRC studentships are listed first:
© 2024 All rights reserved
Scottish Graduate School of Social Science, proudly funded by
