Challenge-Led Pathways
From 2024 our training pathways will be organised around a set of key societal challenges. These challenges were developed so that they represent the kinds of social science research that our students do and to reflect the themes of the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What do need to know before completing your application
We want our pathways to give students the opportunity to develop capacity for interdisciplinary connections within the social sciences and beyond. In practical terms, we want our students to be able to communicate key disciplinary concepts and methods emerging from their own disciplines and specific research proposals to other researchers and to those outside academia. We also want students to learn from one another about new methods and theories and knowledge exchange networks. Each challenge pathway will be made up of students at different stages of their research and from different disciplines but with a broad interest in elements of a particular challenge. Training will be organised to encourage peer-to-peer learning and to bring in expertise from non- academic partners. Students from any discipline can apply to any challenge pathway.
We have assessed the university environments in which you will be undertaking the subject specific elements of your masters training and where you will do your PhD research. All SGSSS funded students will be studying in schools/departments where there is recognised disciplinary excellence. Furthermore, you and your supervisor can include any disciplinary gaps in knowledge or skills in your Development Needs Analysis. We shape our wider training programme (cross-challenge pathway) according to needs identified and we will also help you to find training run elsewhere if it can’t be delivered within Scotland.
We have 6 challenge-led pathways. Below we set out a brief description of what they cover and give some examples of the kinds of research that our students are already doing. As a reminder, all social science methods are welcome for each challenge pathway and each challenge can be explored from perspectives across the social sciences – for example, the issues might be explored from a sociological, psychological, management, socio-legal, political, historical, linguistic, human geography, social anthropological, policy or economic stance – or in combination with another discipline outside the social sciences. Students on the pathway will come together virtually and face-to-face to share peer-learning on theoretical, conceptual and methodological issues with a focus on communication of ideas beyond the discipline. The prioritisation of learning would come from students’ own development needs and those created collectively through early cohort development.
We recognise that many applications will align with more than one challenge pathway. In discussion with your supervisor you should decide which pathway fits best with your main ideas. You will not be disadvantaged by your choice of pathway. There is no quota system in place for each pathway so you don’t need to be concerned about the likely ‘popularity’ of any given challenge. Our intention is that the challenge pathways will be as broanclud and isive as possible so you don’t need to be concerned that your application will be judged a poor fit – what we want to hear about in your application form is what you think will be the contribution of your thesis to the challenge area, what you hope to gain from your peers as part of being included within a cohort and what you can give in return. In addition, you will be able to switch pathways once if you feel that you have made the wrong choice in year 1 of your studentship and can also attend events held by other pathways if these are of particular interest and there is space.
Because the challenge pathways were developed partly through a bottom-up process, looking at the research of our existing students, we are confident that the vast majority of likely proposals will fit at least one pathway. If, however, after reflection and discussion with your supervisor, you are unable to find a pathway description that fits your proposed work then you can signal this to us – you will not be penalised for this in the review process – the marking framework does not assess challenge fit. In your at-award Development Needs Analysis you will be able to discuss with us which pathway might offer the most fruitful learning conversations for you and your study.
Challenge-Led Pathways
Communication, AI and New Technologies
This challenge pathway is interested in processes, challenges and solutions associated with how we communicate with each other and how new technologies (including but not limited to AI) are reshaping our world and our interactions with it. We will take a broad approach to the terms above and the pathway may include research looking at, for example: patterns and mechanisms of language, communication and interaction in changing worlds, employment, and industrial implications of smart technologies; lived experiences of health-care technologies; addressing pedagogical and communicative challenges of AI.
Environment, Migration and Demographic Change
This challenge pathway is concerned with global and local processes relating to environment, migration and demographic change including problems and solutions pertaining to the green economy and biodiversity. The scope for the challenge-led pathway is correspondingly broad and might cover research including, for example: anthropological study of community experiences, differences in the psychology and behaviour of relevant groups, the challenges of longitudinal analysis of demographic data, the concept of the circular economy, sociological theories of othering, the politics and economics of just transitions.
Governance and Institutions
This challenge pathway is interested in how institutions form, operate and impact on lives globally, nationally, and locally. Institutions are meant in the broadest sense to include international bodies, corporations and religions, governments, arms-length institutions of the state, civil society organisations, formal and informal movements. These might be studied separately or in comparison.
Health, Wellbeing and Communities
This challenge pathway brings together interests in research about distributions of health and wellbeing across the lifespan; how mental and physical health and wellbeing are understood, experienced, challenged and strengthened at multi-scalar levels. The pathway is also concerned with the social, political and economic functioning of communities.
Securities: Justice, Economies and Conflict
This challenge pathway is concerned with the societal challenges thrown up by processes relating to justice, economies and conflict at global, national and local levels; on inter- and intra-state problems and resolutions. The scope for the challenge-led pathway is correspondingly broad and might cover research including, for example: comparative studies of justice systems in relation to specific areas of legislation; histories of conflict resolution in particular geographies; studies of macro-economic shocks.
Social Inequalities
This challenge pathway brings together interests in a range of social inequality problems separately or intersecting) at global and national and local levels and in actions to resolve these. The scope for the pathway is broad and could cover, for example, research on the following kinds of topic: understanding changing patterns of inequality using big data; the lived experience of particular populations; evaluations of the contribution of specific solutions; critical analyses of social frameworks to better understand inequality problems.
SGSSS PGR Leads
From 2024, 14 of our 16 partnered institutions in Scotland are eligible to receive ESRC funding across 21 Units of Assessment (UoA). Each UoA is analogous to a subject area / discipline and each university has appointed an SGSSS PGR Lead for each UoA they are eligible for, see the lists below.
First supervisors must
- Have undergone supervisor training within their institution within the last 5 years and
- Be research active social scientists directly aligned to an eligible Unit of Assessment (with attention to publications, primary disciplines and grant funding particularly for Units of Assessment outside Panel C).
Applicants in both our supervisor-led and student-led competitions will be asked a question regarding the UoA for their supervisory team, please note this question will be used only to review the eligibility of the studentship’s supervisory team.
Guidance above was updated 24 November 2023.
A: We want to include those who were not eligible to be returned to the last REF but who are research active, whose work is aligned to an eligible UoA and who are demonstrably social scientists – as indicated by primary discipline, nature of research funding and publications.
A: Academics who have joined from a non UK institution and who were therefore not able to be returned to REF 2021 but who are research active, whose work is aligned to a relevant UoA and who are demonstrably social scientists – as indicated by primary discipline, nature of research funding and publications – will be deemed eligible.
A: You should speak to the Deans Network representative within your university or to the SGSSS PGR lead [see below].
A: You must have a member of your team who meets the eligibility criteria.
A: Your supervisors will need to read the guidance and seek a view from the Deans Network representative within your university.
A: We would advise that you highlight the guidance to your prospective lead supervisor and ask them to confirm that they meet the criteria for first supervisor (if they are unsure then they should check, as above). If your identified supervisor is not eligible then they could be second supervisor.

Panel C
Panel D
Architecture, Built Environments and Planning
ESRC-funded studentships in Architecture, Built Environments and Planning are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Glasgow | |
Heriot-Watt | |
Strathclyde |
Geography and Environmental Studies
ESRC-funded studentships in Geography and Environmental Studies are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Dundee | |
Glasgow | |
St. Andrews |
Economics and Econometrics
ESRC-funded studentships in Economics and Econometrics are available at the following institutions. Economics PGR Leads and eligibility for the Universities of Glasgow, Heriot Watt and Stirling must be met under the ‘Business and Management Studies.’ Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh | |
Heriot-Watt | See Business and Management Studies |
Glasgow | See Business and Management Studies |
St. Andrews | |
Stirling | See Business and Management Studies |
Business and Management Studies
ESRC-funded studentships in Business and Management Studies are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | Dr Francesca Flamini (sub-discipline: Economics) Dr Alvise Favotto (sub-discipline: Accounting and Finance and Business Management) |
Heriot-Watt | Dr Atanas Christev (sub-discipline: Economics) |
St. Andrews | |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde |
Law
ESRC-funded studentships in Law are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow * | Dr Alex Schwartz (sub-discipline: Law) |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde |
* University of Glasgow’s criminology is covered under the Social Policy and Social Work UoA
Politics and International Studies
ESRC-funded studentships in Politics and International Studies are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | |
St. Andrews | |
Stirling | Professor Andrea Schapper |
Strathclyde |
Social Work and Social Policy
ESRC-funded studentships in Social Work and Social Policy are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Dundee | Dr Murray Simpson |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | Professor Fergus McNeill (sub discipline: sociology) Professor Michele Burman (sub discipline: criminology) |
Glasgow Caledonian | |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde |
Sociology
ESRC-funded studentships in Sociology are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh |
Anthropology and Developmental Studies
ESRC-funded studentships in Anthropology and Developmental Studies are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | |
Edinburgh | Professor Alice Street |
St. Andrews | Dr Adam Reed (sub-discipline: social anthropology) |
Education
ESRC-funded studentships in Education are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Dundee | |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | |
Stirling |
Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism
ESRC-funded studentships in Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh | |
West of Scotland |
Area Studies
ESRC-funded studentships in Area Studies are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Heriot-Watt | |
Highlands & Islands |
Modern Languages and Linguistics
ESRC-funded studentships in Modern Languages and Linguistics are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh |
History
ESRC-funded studentships in History are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh | |
Glasgow | |
St. Andrews | |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde |
Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
ESRC-funded studentships in Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Abertay |
Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management
ESRC-funded studentships in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Napier | |
Stirling |
Panel A
Panel B
Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care
ESRC-funded studentships in Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | Professor Paul McNamee |
Glasgow | Dr Alicia Davis |
Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy
ESRC-funded studentships in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Dundee | Dr Gavin Wylie |
Edinburgh Napier | Dr Iain Atherton |
Glasgow Caledonian | |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde | Dr Susan Rasmussen (sub-discipline: Psychology) Dr Will McGeown (sub-discipline: Psychology) |
Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
ESRC-funded studentships in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience are available at the following institutions. University of Strathclyde’s Psychology PGR Leads and eligibility must be met under the ‘Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy'. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Aberdeen | |
Abertay | |
Dundee | |
Edinburgh | Dr Ewelina Rydzewska (sub-discipline: Psychiatry and Neuroscience) Dr Jasmin Wertz (sub-discipline: Psychology) |
Glasgow | |
St. Andrews | |
Stirling | |
Strathclyde | See Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy |
Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Science
ESRC-funded studentships in Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Science are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Scotland Rural College (SRUC) | Professor Eileen Wall |
Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
ESRC-funded studentships in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences are available at the following institutions. Please contact the relevant institutional PGR Lead for further information:
Institution | PGR Lead |
Edinburgh | Dr Sukanya Krishnamurthy |