university of manchester phd opportunities

Global Development Institute

PhD opportunities

Candidates pursuing research degrees at GDI are part of the Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College, a multidisciplinary research community.

The Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College is also the first philanthropically funded doctoral college in the UK with support from the  Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Foundation . It provides opportunities for up to 100 early career researchers and bolsters the University’s commitment to addressing global inequalities and making a difference to the lives of people living in poverty.

The Brooks Doctoral College aspires to be a world-class community of doctoral researchers contributing to socially just global development through the research of its members and their progression into leadership roles in public, private and civic institutions. Within the vibrant research environment which GDI offers, candidates will have access to:

• a wide range of specialists conducting cutting-edge research in international development;
• superb library and computer facilities;
• and an ever-growing diversity of lectures, seminars and masterclasses presented by staff, visiting speakers and postgraduate researchers.

We currently supervise a number of doctoral researchers engaged in a variety of research areas:

• Development Policy and Management PhD

The Doctoral College enhances engagement between postgraduate researchers and GDI academic staff to encourage innovation and collaboration in research and teaching.  It provides opportunities for PhD researchers to obtain bespoke support, enabling them to become the next generation of academics, leaders and policy makers.

PhD researchers benefit from structured opportunities for skills development, including:

• public communication;
• maximising research impact;
• presentational skills;
• organising events;
• bidding for funding.

Opportunities to attend training courses and gain access to paid teaching assistant work are also available.

PhD researchers make an essential contribution to the vibrant research environment that is the Global Development Institute. Our research is centred around 7 key groups:

• Digital development
• Migration, refugees and asylum
• Global urban futures
• Growth and distribution
• Politics, governance and management
• Global production networks, trade and labour
• Resources, environment and development

Student Enquiries:

If you are either a current or former postgraduate research student and have any queries please:

• visit the School Student Intranet pages
• or email  [email protected]

We currently supervise a number of doctoral researchers engaged in a variety of research programmes.

Brooks Doctoral College

The Rory and Elizabeth Brooks Doctoral College is the first of its kind to focus on postgraduate research of international development.

How to apply

Find out more about applying to be a PhD student at The University of Manchester

Fees and funding

We provide a number of funding opportunities for our GDI PhD students, find out more and apply.