History and Heritage Studies: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Studentship (Fully Funded) in History with Museum Wales (RS951)

Funding Providers: Arts and Humanities Research Council

Subject Area: History and Heritage

Project Start Dates:  October 2026*

* (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.)

*In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed.

Supervisors:

• Dr Adam Mosley, Associate Professor, Department of History, Heritage, & Classics, Swansea University
• Dr Hilary Orange, Senior Lecturer in Heritage, Department of History, Heritage, & Classics, Swansea University
• Dr Heather Pardoe, Senior Curator, Vascular Botany,  Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
• Dr Ben Rowson, Principal Curator, Mollusca, Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Aligned programme of study: PhD in History

Mode of study: Full time or Part time

Place of study:

• Swansea University (Singleton Campus)
• National Museum Cardiff

Project description:

Amgueddfa Cymru (AC) and its Natural Science collections, comprising botanical, zoological and geological specimens, carry within them echoes of the British Empire. Although the Museum itself was not established until the twentieth century, several collections predate its foundation and reflect the collecting practices and erasure of the labour of indigenous and other non-privileged workers characteristic of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century natural history. Some collections came from overseas in the 1920s and 1930s, as part of efforts to gather the material resources of the empire, to understand them, to better exploit them, and display imperial power and wealth. Colonial associations came in many guises. Certain museum officials had direct commercial or personal links to the colonies. Others were indirectly linked through inherited family wealth, acquired via trade with the colonies, which they used to build extensive collections subsequently donated to the Museum.

Individual collectors closely linked to the colonies include George Henry Douglas Pennant (1876-1915) who donated several African trophy heads, and whose inherited wealth derived from Jamaican sugar plantations and exploitation of the enslaved. David Davies (1880-1944), Welsh politician, also gifted African hunting trophies. J. C. Melvill (1845-1929), grandson of the last secretary of the East India Company, and director of a firm of East India and China cotton merchants, collected molluscs and vascular plants. Some collectors were involved during the nascent years of the Museum, as trustees, council members, or patrons. T. W. Proger (1860-1947), museum council member and naturalist, had business interests in the Falkland Islands, and collected there and in other European colonies in the Americas. Proger’s specimens are found across the Natural Science collections.

The Echoes of Empire project will develop a fuller understanding of the colonial histories of Natural Science collections at AC, and use participatory heritage practices to engage with and interpret those difficult legacies. The key research questions are:

·        How did individuals associated with British colonies shape the early development of AC and its Natural Science collections?

·        What evidence of these entanglements remains in the collections and associated documentation?

·        How can Community Action Research methods develop new perspectives on these ‘echoes of empire’, which can be reflected in collections documentation and interpretation?

·        Can Natural Science collections help diasporic or migrant communities and refugees (DMCRs), recognise and safeguard their Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)?

·        Can new and strengthened partnerships with museums in former colonies contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of specimens held by AC, provide new insights into collecting practices, and promote collaborative curatorial projects?

·        Can this engagement with DMCRs and source communities make the Museum more attractive to, and inclusive of, diverse audiences, and inform wider practice and policy?

The student will play an active part in shaping the project in terms of their disciplinary or trans-disciplinary perspectives, materials and historical themes within the collection, and geographic and temporal range.

Note for international and European applicants:

Details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in.

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level and a master’s degree with a minimum overall grade at ‘Merit’. Alternatively, applicants with a UK first class honours degree (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) not holding a master’s degree, will be considered on an individual basis.

English Language
IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £21,805 for October 2026).

This studentship also receives an enhanced stipend of £600 per annum. 

Additional research expenses of up to £750 per year will also be available.

To apply, please complete the entire application form here:

History PhD, Full Time, October 2026

History PhD, Part Time, October 2026

To be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS951

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input:

• the RS Code, RS951
• the scholarship title

• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload? *’(Mandatory) Please select Yes
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf)

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:

1.            Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable).

2.            Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert.

3.            Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly.

Important: If you have previously applied for the same programme & intake, do not re‑apply using a different email address. Applications submitted with an email address that differs from the one used in your original application will not be accepted or considered.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.  

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted.

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):

•           CV

•           Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)

•           A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.

•           One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.

•           Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).

•           Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)

•           Confirmation of EDI form submission

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact:

NAME: Dr Adam Mosley

EMAIL: a.j.mosley@swansea.ac.uk

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.