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Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
  • About us
    • Governance
    • Pathways
    • Case studies
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Complaints
    • COVID-19 FAQs
  • Current Students
    • Events
    • Training
      • Summer School 2022
      • Spring into Methods
      • Business Booster
      • Career Orientated Training
      • Disciplinary Specific Training
      • Methods and Methodologies
        • When Methods Meet
    • Training Funds
      • ESRC Training Funds
      • Training Event Funds
    • Internships
      • Current Opportunities
      • Open Call​
    • SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher (SER) Programme
      • Overview
      • Open Competition
      • Targeted Placements
    • Mentoring
      • Mentoring Overview
      • SGSSS RSE Mentoring Programme
      • SGSSS Career Pathways Mentoring Programme
    • Research Impact Competition 2022
    • Student Handbook
    • Meet Our Students
    • Expenses Policy
  • Prospective Students and Fellows
    • Studentships
      • Overview
      • Supervisor-led Studentship Opportunities
      • Student-led Open Competition 2022/23
      • Eligibility
    • Fellowships
      • Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) Scheme 2022/23
  • Supervisors
    • Steers Competition 2022/23
    • Open Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • Skills Development Scotland Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • ADR UK Studentship Competition 2022/23
    • Spring into Methods
  • Our Partners
    • Internships
    • Collaborative Studentships
    • Training
    • The RSE Mentoring Scheme
    • Our work with Industry
    • SGSSS Alumni Community
Menu
  • About us
    • Governance
    • Pathways
    • Case studies
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Complaints
    • COVID-19 FAQs
  • Current Students
    • Events
    • Training
      • Summer School 2022
      • Spring into Methods
      • Business Booster
      • Career Orientated Training
      • Disciplinary Specific Training
      • Methods and Methodologies
        • When Methods Meet
    • Training Funds
      • ESRC Training Funds
      • Training Event Funds
    • Internships
      • Current Opportunities
      • Open Call​
    • SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher (SER) Programme
      • Overview
      • Open Competition
      • Targeted Placements
    • Mentoring
      • Mentoring Overview
      • SGSSS RSE Mentoring Programme
      • SGSSS Career Pathways Mentoring Programme
    • Research Impact Competition 2022
    • Student Handbook
    • Meet Our Students
    • Expenses Policy
  • Prospective Students and Fellows
    • Studentships
      • Overview
      • Supervisor-led Studentship Opportunities
      • Student-led Open Competition 2022/23
      • Eligibility
    • Fellowships
      • Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) Scheme 2022/23
  • Supervisors
    • Steers Competition 2022/23
    • Open Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • Skills Development Scotland Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • ADR UK Studentship Competition 2022/23
    • Spring into Methods
  • Our Partners
    • Internships
    • Collaborative Studentships
    • Training
    • The RSE Mentoring Scheme
    • Our work with Industry
    • SGSSS Alumni Community

Scottish Graduate School of Social Science

Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba
Menu
  • About us
    • Governance
    • Pathways
    • Case studies
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Complaints
    • COVID-19 FAQs
  • Current Students
    • Events
    • Training
      • Summer School 2022
      • Spring into Methods
      • Business Booster
      • Career Orientated Training
      • Disciplinary Specific Training
      • Methods and Methodologies
        • When Methods Meet
    • Training Funds
      • ESRC Training Funds
      • Training Event Funds
    • Internships
      • Current Opportunities
      • Open Call​
    • SFC Saltire Emerging Researcher (SER) Programme
      • Overview
      • Open Competition
      • Targeted Placements
    • Mentoring
      • Mentoring Overview
      • SGSSS RSE Mentoring Programme
      • SGSSS Career Pathways Mentoring Programme
    • Research Impact Competition 2022
    • Student Handbook
    • Meet Our Students
    • Expenses Policy
  • Prospective Students and Fellows
    • Studentships
      • Overview
      • Supervisor-led Studentship Opportunities
      • Student-led Open Competition 2022/23
      • Eligibility
    • Fellowships
      • Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDF) Scheme 2022/23
  • Supervisors
    • Steers Competition 2022/23
    • Open Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • Skills Development Scotland Collaborative Competition 2022/23
    • ADR UK Studentship Competition 2022/23
    • Spring into Methods
  • Our Partners
    • Internships
    • Collaborative Studentships
    • Training
    • The RSE Mentoring Scheme
    • Our work with Industry
    • SGSSS Alumni Community

Governance

The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science 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. The school is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

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 biggest of 14 Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) accredited DTPs in the United Kingdom. 

Our Funders

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

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.

Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

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

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:

Professor Jamie Pearce

Director

Professor Mhairi Mackenzie

Deputy Director, Studentships

Dr Jo Ferrie

Deputy Director, Training

Dr Rachel Shanks

Associate Director, Society and Welfare Hub Lead

Dr Kiril Sharapov

Associate Director, People and Place Hub Lead

Dr Adina Dudau

Associate Director, Economies, Mind, and Technologies Hub Lead

Dr Ashley Rogers

Associate Director, Student Engagement

Professor Andrew Manches

Associate Director, Interdisciplinarity

Dr Alan Marshall

Associate Director, Advanced Methods

Professor Monika Harvey

Associate Director, SOCIAL AI

Linsey Fender

Head of Strategy and Operations

Ross Hoffie

Operations Manager

Anna-Marie Linnell

Knowledge Exchange and Partnership Manager

TBC

Studentships Coordinator

Kelly Gardner

Knowledge Exchange and Partnerships Coordinator

TBC

Student Experience and Development Coordinator

Dasha Narog

Graduate School Administrator

HEI Admin Leads

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.

InstitutionContact
University of AberdeenAnn Marie Johnston
Abertay UniversityJennifer Smith
University of DundeeJudith Miller
University of EdinburghLorna Shiels
University of GlasgowKiran Faisal
Glasgow Caledonian UniversityIvana Covic
Heriot-Watt UniversitySusan Smith
University of Highlands & IslandsJackie Deacon
Edinburgh Napier UniversityKaren Henderson
Robert Gordon UniversityAndrea MacMillan
Scotland’s Rural CollegeDawn Latto
University of St AndrewsPaul Charlton
University of StirlingKaren Sutherland
University of StrathclydeShona Cameron
Queen Margaret UniversityAlison Basford-Thomson
University of the West of ScotlandLinda MacDonald

Supervisory Board

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:

Professor Sara Carter, University of Glasgow, Chair
Professor Marion Campbell, University of Aberdeen
Professor Nia White, Abertay University
Professor Jeff Blackford, University of Dundee
Professor Sarah Prescott, University of Edinburgh

Professor Nick Antonopoulos, Edinburgh Napier University
Professor Andrea Nelson, Glasgow Caledonian University
Professor Stephen McLaughlin, Heriot-Watt University
Professor Neil Simco, 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 Frank Muller, University of St Andrews
Professor Iain Docherty, University of Stirling
Professor Madeleine Grealy, University of Strathclyde
Professor Milan Radosavljevick, University of the West of Scotland

In addition to academic partners, our board includes key stakeholders:

Tracy Davies, UKRI-ESRC
Morag Campbell, Scottish Funding Council

Deans of Graduate Studies Network

Professor Graeme Nixon, University of Aberdeen
Professor Vera Kempe, Abertay University

Dr Ed Hall, University of Dundee
Professor Laura Bradley, University of Edinburgh
Dr Calum Neill, Edinburgh Napier University
Professor Irene-marie Esser, University of Glasgow
Professor Bonnie Steves, Glasgow Caledonian University
Professor Stephen Gibson, Heriot-Watt University
Professor Michael Rayner, University of the Highlands & Islands
Dr Rebecca Finkel (acting Dean), Queen Margaret University
Professor Andrew Lamb, Robert Gordon University
Dr Matteo Fumagalli, University of St Andrews
Toni Dismore, Scotland’s Rural University College
Professor Oliver Mallett, University of Stirling
Dr Mark Ellis, University of Strathclyde
Professor Arno van der Zwet, University of West of Scotland

Student Representation

Student representatives 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 student representatives reflects a broad spectrum of institutions, academic stages, funding bases and demographic profiles:

Michael Vallely, Studentship Competitions and Deans of Graduate Studies Network

Katherine Stephen, Training and Pathway Convenors Group: Economies, Mind, and Technologies Hub

Daisy Bao, Training and Pathway Convenors Group: People and Place Hub

Jon McFarlane, Widening Access and EDI Committee

Jessica Cleary, Wellbeing and Student-led Symposium

Yuemiao Ma, Knowledge Exchange and Impact, External Partners Group, and IAA Management

Member Institutions

The following Scottish universities are members of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. The 12 Institutions eligible for hosting ESRC studentships are listed first:

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