Fully funded Collaborative Doctoral Studentships open for applications
Co-supervised by the Library and academics at universities across the UK.
1 April 2026Four fully funded PhD studentships are now open for applications
These projects draw on our collection, resources and expertise and are co-supervised by Library staff and academics based at universities across the UK. Once recruited, the successful PhD candidate will contribute to the development of the final agreed research project. As part of the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme, studentships will be undertaken on a full or part-time basis from 1 October 2026.
Discover the fascinating project themes and partnering universities below along with application information.
Rediscovering a woman collector at the British Library: New Sources and Perspectives on Sarah Sophia Banks
With University College London
The successful applicant will take an interdisciplinary approach encompassing critical archival studies, museum studies and feminist historiography to explore the holdings of prints, drawings, ephemera, books and manuscripts of antiquarian collector Sarah Sophia Banks at the Library.
Find out more and apply by Tuesday 14 April.
Children's Reading and Cultural Engagement Across Libraries and Community Spaces in Leeds
With University of Glasgow
This is a community-engaged doctoral project exploring how children and young people experience reading, storytelling, and book culture across libraries and cultural spaces in Leeds, and how partnerships between the Library and local communities can foster inclusive, meaningful reading cultures.
Find out more and apply by Friday 24 April.
The Dispersal of Manuscripts from the Cotton Collection
With University of Birmingham
This project investigates the collecting priorities that shaped the Cotton Collection, comprising more than 2,000 medieval and early modern manuscripts, charters and rolls, including many items of national and international heritage significance, such as Magna Carta, Beowulf, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and the correspondence of British monarchs.
Find out more and apply by Sunday 10 May.
Cold War Socialism, Non-Alignment and Anti-Colonialism in the Yugoslav Press, 1961-1979
With University of Exeter
An innovative investigation into Yugoslavia's multifaceted role during the Cold War, specifically its involvement with the Non-Aligned Movement and anti-colonial efforts, applying advanced digital methods and interdisciplinary approaches to the recently digitised and largely unexamined Joint Translation Service (JTS) bulletins.
Applications will open soon. We will list the live opportunity on this page so please check back soon.
