Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
SGSSS is the UK's largest facilitator of funding, training and support for doctoral students in social science. By combining the expertise of sixteen universities across Scotland, the school facilitates world-class PhD research.
SGSSS is a highly attractive environment for doctoral research. Our partner universities offer an excellent research environment alongside comprehensive research training across discipline-specific and interdisciplinary pathways, plus a programme of advanced training courses and an annual summer school.
At the heart of SGSSS is the Doctoral Training Partnership in Scotland. Established in 2011, SGSSS is the largest of the 15 ESRC-accredited DTPs in the United Kingdom, funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.
The ESRC is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues, supporting independent, high quality research with impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. At any one time it supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students.
A non-departmental public body established by Royal Charter in 1965, the ESRC is committed to the principles of quality, impact and independence.
More about the ESRC →
The SFC funds teaching and learning provision, research and other activities in Scotland's colleges and higher education institutions, supporting the Scottish Government's national priorities.
It contributes to the costs of teaching, research and other activities, including staff, infrastructure, buildings and equipment.
More about the SFC →The Directorate is responsible for the everyday operations of SGSSS and oversees its successful running and strategic development: designing and overseeing the studentship allocation system, providing advanced training, ensuring timely financial reporting, and developing partnerships.
Hosted by the University of Edinburgh.
Senior graduate-school leads from each institution, connecting SGSSS activity to local doctoral provision.
Representatives from each partner university who set the overall strategic direction of SGSSS and oversee the distribution of studentships, the spread of good practice and embedded collaboration.
Your first point of contact locally. Coordination of future and ongoing studentships is handled through these leads.
| Institution | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Aberdeen | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Abertay University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of Dundee | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead TBC |
| University of Edinburgh | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Edinburgh Napier University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies TBC | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of Glasgow | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Heriot-Watt University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Scotland’s Rural College | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of St Andrews | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of Stirling | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of Strathclyde | Supervisory Board TBC | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of the Highlands and Islands | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| University of the West of Scotland | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Queen Margaret University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
| Robert Gordon University | Supervisory Board | Dean of Graduate Studies | HEI Admin Lead |
Roles marked TBC are currently being appointed.
Alongside institutional representatives, the Board includes members from our funding, government and skills partners.
Associate Officers for Student Engagement represent the voices of the student community, are consulted for their advice and expertise as PGRs, and convey the views of students to the Board and the Directorate. Our Associate Officers reflect a broad spectrum of institutions, academic stages, funding bases and demographic profiles.
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Dr Louise Scott | The Scottish Government |
| Professor Sarah Skerratt | Royal Society of Edinburgh |
| Dr Emma Hollywood | Skills Development Scotland |
| Dr Roeland Hemsteede | IOD Parc |
| Ken Nicholson | Public Health Scotland |
| Alyson Pearson Shared role | Business Gateway |
| Jamie Fowler Shared role | Business Gateway |
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Professor Jemina Napier Co-Chair | SGSSS |
| Dr Dely Elliot Co-Chair | SGSSS |
| Linsey Fender | SGSSS |
| Kelly Barbour Clerk | SGSSS |
| Yasmin Coffey | SGSSS |
| Nishat Tasneem | SGSSS |
| Professor John McKendrick | Commissioner for Fair Access |
| Dr Lisa Kendall | University of Edinburgh |
| Rakiya Suleiman | NHS Lothian |
| Dr Mindy Ptolomey | University of Leeds |
| Dr Heather Cockayne | The University of Manchester |
| Dr Nick Fraser | National Museums Scotland |
| Simran Kaur | Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH) |
The Training Network is the primary forum within SGSSS for developing and delivering training for students holding +1 (masters) funding. It builds the foundation for student training, student support and cross-Scotland opportunities, and comprises academic representatives from partner institutions alongside the Directorate and operations team.
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Dr Roxanne Connelly Chair | SGSSS |
| Dr Katherine Keenan | SGSSS |
| Katherine Stephen | SGSSS |
| Natanya Mark | SGSSS |
| Nishat Tasneem | SGSSS |
| Dr Alison Elliott | Abertay University Dundee |
| Dr Alistair Geddes | University of Dundee |
| Professor Naomi Haynes | University of Edinburgh |
| Dr Emma Davidson | University of Edinburgh |
| Dr Taulant Guma | Edinburgh Napier University |
| Dr Juliane Kloess | University of Glasgow |
| Dr Niccole Pamphilis | University of Glasgow |
| Dr Alasdair Stewart | University of Glasgow |
| Professor Marian Brady | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Dr Yasaman Sarabi | Heriot-Watt University |
| Dr Sarah Wagner | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Professor Vicky Johnson | University of the Highlands and Islands |
| Dr Vicky Ward | University of St Andrews |
| Dr Vera Eory | Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) |
| Professor Paul Lambert | University of Stirling |
| Dr Wendy Cohen | University of Strathclyde |
Sixteen Scottish universities are members of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science.
For studentship queries start with your HEI Administrative Lead. For anything else, the SGSSS Team is here to help.
Scottish Graduate School of Social Science, proudly funded by
