ESRC PhD Students

Thesis: The effectiveness and social implications of economic incentives for carnivore conservation: a case study in Ruaha, Tanzania.

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

To have opportunities for additional training and funding, such as the difficult language training which I have been fortunate to receive.

Thesis: Reclaiming the Intermediary City

Email: aaxinte1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Coming from a long and intense period of being actively engaged as an architect in projects on the ground, this scholarship represents an amazing opportunity allowing for the academic research side of my work to ‘catch up’ with the spatial practice for more rigorously evidenced and relevant future projects.

Thesis: Imaginaries of Flood, Attachment and Testimony: The Futures of Majuli

Email: gypde@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Without ESRC funding, I would not have been able to research at a globally renowned institution, guided by leading researchers within an excellent community of scholars. It has given an identity to my project and enriched its interdisciplinary nature.

Thesis: “Remind me; where do I work?” Virtual working during a time of change; A Technostress perspective

Email: A.Iqbal1@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being awarded the ESRC scholarship was such an honour for me as it meant that my proposed research was seen to be of significance to such a reputable institution. With that, came a sense of responsibility to ensure I produce impactful research. The ESRC has provided me with access to a diverse network of researchers and peers from whom I have been able to learn , share ideas with and develop valuable and necessary skills to progress my research. Through the ESRC I have been able to access a wide range of learning materials and courses to support my learning and development throughout my PhD.

Thesis: The Gendered Perspectives of Climate Change Impact and the Resilience of Slum Dwellers in Accra

Email: D.A.PUPLAMPU-2021@HULL.AC.UK

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It means that my career goals and aspirations are within reach.

Thesis: A home for life? Understanding housing aspirations of older homeowners

Email: hlbrown2@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am delighted to be in receipt of ESRC funding as this enables me to undertake my research project, be part of a wider network of Doctoral students and ensures I can access the best quality training.

Thesis: Reconnecting with energy: Using innovative research methods to overcome energy invisibility

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Thanks to the funding from ESRC I am participating in an outstanding research training programme. I have also got access to a network of institutions and individuals which provide excellent opportunities.

Thesis: Everyday Negotiations of Space and Place: Experiences of Resettlement and Dispersal in a Northern, Post-Industrial Town

Email: igzmacrae1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has enabled me to further develop my thinking around the ways in which migration, race and conviviality play out in peripheral, northern geographies, and explore a topic which I’m so interested in and passionate about. It is a privilege to be part of such an interdisciplinary network, and to engage in enriching discussions and conversations through the training courses and workshops organised by the WRDTP pathways. Being a part of the WRDTP community has helped me to develop my skills as a researcher, and encouraged me to engage with wider social and academic debates which have expanded my thinking in the field.

Thesis: Identity, belonging and spatial sensitivities in temporary urban spaces

Email: amy.holmes@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has enabled me to continue to work in a globally recognised research department. It’s given me so many opportunities beyond expanding my own knowledge, and I hope to put those to good use not only through my PhD, but through working with undergraduates and more recently, the broader research community. My aim for my research is to understand how we can rethink and reinvigorate the city, and make space for those who otherwise don’t feel connected to their urban environment.

Thesis: Financialisation, regulation and asset management in English housing associations

Email: mmarshall7@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has given me with a platform to explore my topic in depth, and provided opportunities for training and dissemination.

Thesis: Understanding the processes of scaling up community-led housing

Email: phughes4@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has given me the opportunity to pursue doctoral study. Linking with a partner will add great value to the project, meaning I will produce findings that will both contribute to academic discussions of how community-led housing is understood as well as producing usable insights for policy.

Thesis: Flood exposure and social vulnerability: how can a joint assessment provide insights for flood risk governance in Pakistan

Email: ss22arh@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

A great honour, privilege, and responsibility. The ESRC has opened opportunities to pursue a wide range of training, research a topic I am passionate about, develop myself as a researcher, and connect with fellow researchers across disciplines. Being part of an interdisciplinary network of researchers and engaging in discussions through WRDTP pathways has allowed for interdisciplinary connections and provided me with the opportunity to share ideas and collaborate with other inspiring researchers engaged on the PhD journey. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this prestigious community of researchers. 

Thesis: Climate change and everyday precarities of informal workers in Indian cities

Email: rraj1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being funded by the ESRC acknowledges the importance of my research topic and gives me the opportunity to learn research skills as part of the 1+3 program and the freedom to work on the topic I am passionate about. It also provides me with access to a wide range of training, resources, mentorship, and peer support to help me grow as a researcher.

Thesis: Responding to the Housing Crisis and Redefining the Housing Professional

Email: rmlucas2@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The support within the programme allows you to challenge and develop your thinking, explore new areas within a supportive and stimulating environment.

Thesis: Critical perspectives on environmental research with Indigenous peoples: A case study from Alaska

Email: ss18arm@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The academic freedom and support to explore topics that I am curious about but which have previously sat outside of my discipline has been a real highlight for me, and something that I think is rare in other programs. 

Thesis: An analysis of local authorities and property developers’ relations shaping spatial change in Cape Town and Johannesburg

Email: ioldsen-thorstraten1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Time to learn with and from others, explore, think critically, discuss and reflect.

Thesis: Decision-making of Polish homeless migrant workers around settlement, re-settlement or return in the post- Brexit era Britain.

Email: mppiliszewska1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel privileged and lucky to be awarded with a scholarship. The funding provides me with necessary resources to investigate the topic which I am passionate about and the opportunity to impact European policy and practice around homelessness among Central Eastern European citizens in Britain and other EU countries.

Thesis: Modelling the dynamic urban form for sustainability assessment in self-built neighbourhoods in Peru

Email: sempocoaguilar1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It means the opportunity to learn in an interdisciplinary and international environment and to do so in an institution highly recognized for its research.

Thesis: Social media and community disaster resilience: a process-based study of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

Email: aegricketts1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The funding gives me the support and freedom to explore my PhD topic, whilst maintaining a healthy work/life balance. 

Thesis: Democratic Politics for Community Economies

Email: erchubbard1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded students means that I’m part of a pathway with like-minded people, so that we can support each other and collaborate.

Thesis: Rent extraction in a resource constrained future

Email: eebs@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It’s a huge privilege to be supported by the ESRC to dig deep into the topics that I’m passionate about – the urgent tasks of tackling rentier power and reprogramming our economy for a finite planet.

Thesis: ‘Architectures of poverty and inequality? A human rights analysis of the built environments of the cities of York and Leeds’

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC scholar has offered me the opportunity to undertake a wide range of training, and to continue to develop my skills as a social researcher.

Thesis: Public arts for inclusive placemaking: perceptions, evaluations and actions

Email: pc16kl@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I’m grateful to have the opportunity to engage with talented researchers of diverse disciplines, which will support the interdisciplinary nature of my collaborative PhD research.

Thesis: Survival through design: An examination of tiny housing as a unique and emerging sector within self-build projects

Email: aew579@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

A privileged opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to my discipline, and access to high quality conferences and peer networks.

Thesis: Incorporating social, economic and cultural values in landscape-scale conservation modelling and planning

Email: ss21lgss@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I see it as a great opportunity to research issues that I found deeply interesting and relevant, and feel like I have the right support to do so.

Thesis: Using Design for All Principles as a Behavioural Approach to Decarbonise UK Transport whilst Supporting Accessibility and Equity

Email: mn17s3s@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I love being an ESRC student as it gives me the opportunity to further inclusivity and sustainability for all.

Thesis: Linking the effect of Covid-19 on Travel Behaviour using an Activity-based demand model developed harnessing Big Data Sources

Thesis: Elephants, people and conservation: re-examining conservation interventions and human-elephant interactions through multispecies ethnography

Thesis: The new quest for urban racial belonging: Young Zimbabweans and the ‘third space’ in the aftermath of Black Lives Matter

Thesis: Environmental Disruptions and Migrant (Im)mobilities in Urban Africa

Thesis: The resilient periphery : Co-designing resilient landscapes in the periphery of Bucharest

Thesis: Civic Urban Pedagogy: knowledge commons for city learning

Thesis: Exploring the role of informal urban community support in homeless women’s sense of dignity

Thesis: Pathways to employment through green jobs

Thesis: Safe Harbours? Understanding the wider impact of the EU’s ‘freeport’ tax secrecy facilities

Thesis: Socio-emotional Approach to Sustainable Development in Urban Settlement

Thesis: Urban elites, informality and inequality

Thesis: The civic university, ‘impact’, and pedagogy: through the lense of community-university partnerships

Email: m.a.oveson@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student means I have the privilege of studying something that is important to me and not having to worry about paying my bills. It means that I can focus all of my attention on my research and also provides me with a wide array of training and workshops across the DTP partners.

Thesis: The Impact of the USMCA on the Mexican Automotive Sector: A Global Production Network Perspective

Email: gcowman-sharpe1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC student gives me access to a wealth of methods training opportunities, the ability to hear from leading scholars on their research and the chance to meet and collaborate with other PhD researchers through the DTP pathways.

Thesis: The representation of women’s charitable organisations 2008 to 2020 and the implications for gender equality

Email: ldowrick@my.shu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student provides me with opportunities to develop my research through access to a range of training, support and development as well as through opportunities to link with other researchers.

Thesis: Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility: exploring worker-driven alternatives to address forced labour

Email: remi.edwards@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being part of an exciting, vibrant and interdisciplinary community of researchers doing important work to address urgent social issues.

Thesis Title: The Gender dynamics of Unfree Labour: why are women disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation?

Email: charline.sempere@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel very lucky and grateful to be ESRC funded. I would not have been able to undertake such an exciting and important research project without the ESRC scholarship. It has also given me access to relevant training, additional resources and guidance which will improve my research techniques and the overall quality of my research. Finally as a ESRC student I am part of an amazing cohort of like-minded researchers.

Thesis: Exploring opportunities for political engagement and participation through online multiplayer roleplaying games.

Email: p19elb@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student allows me to pursue my PhD. Having the support of the ESRC for my project gives me confidence in my abilities and allows me the necessary space, time and stability to produce my best work. Without this funding and support, I could not have considered this step in my life. Furthermore, the opportunities to meet inspiring students also funded by the ESRC has given me much needed guidance, expertise and perspectives. I am so grateful to the ESRC for believing in me and my project and providing the support and opportunities to be my best.

Thesis: Using storytelling to re-imagine human rights and development

Email: rek523@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Ruth Kelly is based at the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York. Her research looks at how storytelling can help activists in Uganda re-imagine development and human rights, as part of a ESRC-funded collaborative studentship with international NGO ActionAid. Additional ESRC funding has supported ongoing collaboration with colleagues at Makerere University in Uganda. Since 2016, Ruth has been part of an AHRC-funded research network exploring art, archives and the political imagination with artists, activists, practitioners and academics from Bangladesh, Uganda and the UK.

Thesis: Becoming-Common of the Public. The development of urban commons within the municipalist project in Spain

Email: amendezdeandesaldama1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The intellectual luxury and pleasure to be part of an exciting environment that supports, accompanies and challenges my research project.

Thesis: Towards a ‘Politics of Northerness’? An Investigation into the Politicisation and Framing of the North of England

Email: ss17rs@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel very proud in having the support of the ESRC for my research. Knowing that myself and my ideas have the backing of the ESRC is extremely pleasing and further motivates me in my work.

Thesis: The Domestic Politics of Global Consumption

Email: e.pemberton@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ability to conduct independent research with support from the ESRC is a huge honour and a considerable responsibility. Knowing how privileged I am to be in this situation is a humbling thought, that drives me to do the best work I can whilst I am fortunate enough to be supported by the award.

Thesis: Disabling Discourses and Down’s syndrome: Representing Down’s syndrome in Documentary

Email: ss19alr@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student allows me to focus solely on my research without having to juggle paid work with my studies. As well as the financial security, the additional resources, training and numerous opportunities to network with fellow social researchers makes me feel fully supported and part of a community, which is especially important during periods of isolated study.

Thesis: Theorising consumption in food sovereignty

Email: pt19mfrr@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded international student presents an opportunity to bring attention to other areas in the Global South like the Philippines that are not commonly studied in UK-based research.

Thesis: Art and security in women’s collective action against gender-based violence in Quintana Roo and Oaxaca

Email: tallulah.lines@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has enabled me to carry out research I feel deeply passionate about that I believe can make a real difference to communities on the ground – to be supported in this endeavour by such an important institution has really boosted both my confidence and the practical skills I need to undertake this work.

Thesis: Informality and the Urban Elite: Urban Development Processes in London and Dar es Salaam.

Email: mm06rab@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It means that I have an amazing opportunity to be part of a researching community and to have the space and resources to find out more about some really interesting things!

Thesis: Informing citizens? Effects of imprints on digital political advertising

Email: hcgordon1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an interdisciplinary researcher, being supported by the ESRC means having plenty of opportunities to meet people working on a similar topic beyond my immediate department as well as access to exciting and unique learning opportunities. The ESRC collaboration award has also enabled my project to be in partnership with the Electoral Reform Society, a political campaign organisation.

Thesis: Representing the unrepresented: The parliamentary representation of refugees in the UK Parliament

Email: gc1082@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has given me the freedom and support to pursue a career researching parliament. The ESRC has provided me with the resources to learn and develop my knowledge on a subject I care deeply about and be surrounded by a group of inspiring researchers.

Thesis: The governance and politics of plastic waste management in Ghana

Email: e.abalo-2021@hull.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student offers me the opportunity to work with, learn, share, and grow within an interdisciplinary team of students and academics committed to addressing wicked and grand problems such as my topic. Instrumentally, I get to research on the topic I love and work towards my career goals.

Thesis: Beyond NGO-isation: Critically Interrogating Women Empowerment and Capacity Building in Rural India

Email: arbhuta1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am passionate about gender justice and equality, which aligns with the commitment to equality and diversity research within the Civil Society, Development and Democracy Pathway. I am glad to be awarded a prestigious ESRC WRDTP scholarship and join the vibrant WRDTP research community. I also hope to contribute to the diversity of voices within the WRDTP by offering a perspective as an Indian woman student. As I tread along this exciting but challenging path progressing through my PhD, I hope to inspire other women from diverse and marginalised backgrounds to pursue their dreams and aspirations. I am grateful to the ESRC and the University of Sheffield for this award which will help me pursue a doctoral project exploring feminist capacity building in rural India. This will eventually enable me to contribute towards research in Gender and Development. I am also a member of the WRDTP Student Forum, representing the Civil Society, Development and Democracy Pathway across the seven WRDTP Universities. In addition to honing my leadership skills, this role is enriching my experience as a WRDTP scholar. I look forward to working on my thesis under the guidance of my supervisors, Prof. Dorothea Kleine and Dr. Sammia Poveda at the Department of Geography.

Thesis: The Art of Political Hope

Email: emilie.flower@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC-funded student has made it possible for me to pursue my research on the art of political hope, and make an academic as well as a broader contribution within my field. The programme also provides excellent ongoing training and support, and grounds my research in a community of interdisciplinary researchers, which helps to keep the research focused and relevant.

Thesis: A Woman’s Work? The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Employment and Retirement of Women in the Third Age

Email: Lseeley1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I returned to education as a mature student. Without the traditional qualifications, I completed a Foundation Year. My only intention was that I would finish my undergraduate so my mum could see me graduate. Being a first generation student from a single parent family who grew up on free school meals, I never imagined I could really succeed at university. Being an ESRC funded student is a huge endorsement of what I have done and what it is possible for others to achieve through education. Most of all, I hope that it means that my research will be the best it possibly can and will have a tangible impact on the inequalities I seek to explore.

Thesis: How do states shape, and how are they themselves shaped by, Global Production Networks?

Email: Jwhite9@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Having the opportunity to conduct my research through an ESRC studentship is something I am immensely grateful for and humbled by. The wide range of training and general support offered is immeasurably helpful, and to be part of such a creative, collaborative and passionate community of researchers is hugely exciting and energising for my own work.

Thesis: The Emotional Substrates of Environmental Preferences

Thesis: A Discourse Analysis of UK Black Rights Activism in the Post-war Era

Thesis: Conceptualising and Implementing a Rights-Based Approach to Address Food Insecurity at City Level in Developed Countries – A Pilot Trial in York

Thesis: An exploration of power asymmetries and their impact on global COVID-19 access to medicines response: a case study of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT A).

Thesis: Mapping critical spatial practice as an agent of radical imagination within contexts of urban conflict

Thesis: Bank supervision and Development

Thesis: Working-class women in the UK factual television industry

Thesis: “Reverse Comedy”: An ethnographic study of Muslim women in British comedy

Thesis: Inclusivity and Engagement: children and the democratic process

Thesis: Representation matters: an intersectional feminist rethinking of descriptive representation

Thesis: Refining spatial models of consumer store and channel choice behaviours

Email: k.m.butterfield@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student means to be connected to a wider network of researchers, all of whom are making an impact within academia and industry. It’s an honour to have my work and ideas acknowledged by the ESRC, especially alongside my industry collaborators.

Thesis: Social media use by disabled transgender people

Email: ss18ch@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Having the opportunity to be an ESRC funded student has allowed me to undertake a PhD in an area very close to my heart. Being an ESRC funded student allows me to produce research by and for my communities in the hopes of providing a platform within which we can share our experiences and create change. The ESRC has allowed me to have an interdisciplinary approach to my work and also connect with fellow academics and colleagues to improve my research and the field.

Thesis: Acquiring data visualisation literacy

Email: elpinney1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has given me access to the support, training and guidance I’ve needed to do a good piece of research. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t have taken up otherwise.

Thesis: Exploring the digital literacy practices of newly arrived Syrian refugees: a spatio-visual linguistic ethnography

Email: edsv@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC bursary has given me the freedom to truly focus on my research project and to access a wealth of resources and knowledge.

Thesis: Secondary school performance measures in England – their effectiveness, effects and an exploration of alternative approaches

Email: Icwiddows1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am loving my time as a student – learning new things, meeting new people and tackling new challenges

Thesis: English football, race and social justice in the digital age: exploring Twitter framing and discourse in the wake of ‘taking a knee’

Thesis: Pan-Yugoslavia as performative queer ‘urban’ space: online drag shows disrupting the ‘rural’

Thesis: The Marginalisation of White Working Class Girls in UK Widening Participation Policy

Email: b9028033@my.shu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The support of the ESRC means I am able to step away from full-time employment for a while in order to focus on what I believe to be an important research topic, and to engage with it in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without this dedicated time.

Thesis: Tiny Interactions in Gallery spaces: Babies, art and matter

Email: ruth.boycott-garnett@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It would be impossible to deliver some practice-led, collaborative research without the support I have received from ESRC. Being funded by the ESRC makes this research possible.

Thesis: School Readiness: Early years practitioners’ and parents’ perspectives on what constitutes a ‘good level of development’ in England

Email: jehbreese1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It is great to be part of a vibrant and growing community of social science researchers and to understand the importance of cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.

Thesis: How can the neuro-bio-sensory agency of young children with selective mutism be expressed through immersive, improvisational dance?

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

In the current economic, political and social climate where the future is unknown and the past is continually reinterpreted to privilege the few, the chance to study through ESRC to a level that will help make a difference in this climate for our future generations is a tremendous privilege and an important opportunity.

Thesis: Disability, sibling relationships and everyday life: exploring mundane realities as counter-storytelling

Email: tjryan1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student allows me to focus on my research full time as part of a community of students interested in similar areas. The time afforded to PhD students to sit with their topic allows for really interesting developments in thought alongside personal growth through the wide range of trainings available.

Thesis: My Friends, My Voices and Me: A Mixed-methods Investigation Exploring Commonalities and Differences of Sensory Hallucinations and Imaginary Companions with Children and Young People

Email: 19001761@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has given me the unique opportunity to immerse myself in the academic perspective of my disciplinary field. It has allowed me to take part in a network of excellent researchers and without the funding, it would have been impossible for me to pursue this path.

Thesis: Improving teacher awareness and understanding of paediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Email: ejcolbert1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC funded student, I feel it is a privilege to be part of such a creative, collaborative and explorative community while focusing on a research area that I feel so passionately about. This fascinating network of academic researchers has not only inspired elements of my research project, but has also allowed for rich and varied connections with others from an interdisciplinary perspective. Being a part of this cohort is truly inspiring and provides a constant motivator to better my understanding of my field and wider research standards.

Thesis: Attention, behaviour and wellbeing: Transforming achievement and social inclusion following primary-secondary school transition.

Email: smgibson1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC-funded student, I believe the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership has unlocked a number of exciting opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary training and development activities.

Not only has this opened up my thinking to broader societal and methodological questions around my research, but it has also promoted interdisciplinary networking, which is supportive of future collaboration. As an early career researcher, I’m enthused by the prospect of developing this further over the coming years.

Thesis: Curriculum development as a form of teacher professional learning

Email: Eleanor.Hotham@student.shu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC funded student, I have the opportunity to expand my research skills as part of an active community of interdisciplinary researchers. It has allowed me to step outside the classroom and research an area of great personal interest, with the aim of developing valuable understanding in the field.

Thesis: In what ways do the school building and environment affect engagement with learning in three case study schools?

Email: akma500@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Receiving ESRC funding has meant that I can pursue my own research without sacrificing my family life and responsibilities. The network of fellow scholars and institutions available to me through the WRDTP and ESRC is also invaluable and will help throughout my PhD to provide support and broaden my understanding of my research area, as well as my understanding of my own skills and career goals.

Thesis: Gestures as a stepping stone into rapid second language acquisition

Email: E.Minton-Branfoot-2016@hull.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has allowed me to carry out my research within a community of like minded academics. The support network created by the ESRC helps to provide the skills and training I need to complete my research to the best standard possible.

Thesis: #AreWeInternational? Female Indian students’ Integration in UK Universities and Within the Local Community

Email: edsr@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It is a privilege to be funded by the ESRC, as I can carry out meaningful and impactful research which provides opportunities to work beyond my discipline and within many knowledgeable communities.

Thesis: The Adultification of Black Girls in State Care: care leavers’, social workers’ and teachers’ perspectives.

Email: edsi@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It is an honour and a privilege to be an ESRC funded student. It is one of the most competitive PhD awards and reflects the importance of this topic in the eyes of the ESRC. The funding enables me to develop the range of multifaceted skills that this sensitive and nuanced topic requires in order for my PhD thesis to do it justice.

Thesis: Sign of the Times: Mapping adolescents’ experiences of intervention strategies and cultures of othering in the management of behaviour in mainstream secondary schools

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC scholarship allows me the opportunity to dedicate myself full-time to, what I feel, is an important area of education research. It also enables me to engage with other doctoral researchers, and develop my knowledge and skills through a variety of research training opportunities.

Thesis: The influence of social and cultural constructs on the institutionalisation of behaviour and skill formation in Germany and Britain

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC funded student I really appreciate the time I now have for in-depth reading. I also am part of an extraordinary research community that encourages exchange with other researchers and institutions, and allows me to explore my research area from different perspectives, and disciplines.

Thesis: ‘Leaving No Girl Behind’? Interrogating Gender Norms and Adolescent Agency in Pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Email: ss18skk@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC student I am able to contribute to my field using interdisciplinary approaches and bodies of academic knowledge. I feel confident that the skills I will develop during this programme will support my research to be innovative and impactful.

Thesis: How does speaking confidence effect students’ ability to participate in higher education, employment, and civic life, with particular reference to working class students.

Email: ed12b3h@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being funded by the ESRC comes with many benefits. What I have found most invaluable so far is the access to a peer network of interdisciplinary researchers which provides collaborative opportunities, alongside the opportunities for world class training.

Thesis: Exploring the potential of critical global citizenship education in the local community food bank

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has given me an opportunity to follow a research career in a field that I am really passionate about. The training offered is great and I feel so well supported on my journey.

Thesis: An exploration of trans young people’s experiences in youth work settings

Email: max.j.kirk@student.shu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student gives me the time and freedom to study a project of my own, that I am passionate about and invested in. It provides me with the flexibility to manage my workload in a way that suits me, and it connects me with a community of other doctoral students to connect with and learn from

Thesis: Developing Confident and Capable Future Digital Citizens: A Socio-material Analysis of the role of smartphones in “Bring Your Own Device programs” in Wales and Catalonia

Email: margarida.borras-batalla@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being a ESRC funded student means not only that I can conduct and lead my own research project for the first time but also that I can get involved with a vibrant research community. In addition, this opportunity has allowed me to step away from full-time employment and focus on a research project that I hope can be useful for future generations. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity.

Thesis: L2 Phonological development with written input: The influence of L1 Literacy experience on L1 Arabic acquisition of English

Email: louise.shepperd@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Due to the funding I have been awarded from the ESRC, I have given the opportunity to pursue a project that has been close to my heart for a number of years. As a 1+3 student, I was given the opportunity to develop my research skills and methodology for my project with an additional MA in Social Research. I was also awarded funding for Difficult Language Training, which enabled me to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan for 6 months. Being an ESRC funded student has undoubtedly meant that I am better equipped to conduct my research to the best of my ability.

Thesis: Experiencing Conflict On and Offline: A Peer-led Approach to Conflict Resolution Across Digital and Physical Spaces

Email: JTLenton1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student gives me the freedom to undertake meaningful research in an important (and interesting) area of study, while being a part of a growing interdisciplinary network of social science researchers, and having access to world-class support, development and training.

Thesis: Exploring Translanguaging through Posthumanism: English as an Additional Language (EAL) Children’s Transition from Home to Nursery

Email: claudia.f.ferreira@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student had given me the opportunity to continue to develop my research interests in thinking about young bilingual children’s movements and practices in/and/across place to learn more about materiality of language. The support of the ESRC allows me to add to an important and timely debate by highlighting the creative potential and competence of young EAL children, in increasingly diverse classrooms.

Thesis: Sleep, language and motor learning in infants

Email: margherita.belia@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The financial and academic support provided by the ESRC has enabled me to pursue my doctoral studies as well as undertake further training aimed at developing my research skills.

Thesis: Habitus or Reflexivity? The decision-making processes and experiential outcomes of higher education students at Manchester Metropolitan University

Email: richard.g.remelie@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I’m very excited to be an ESRC funded student because it means I can develop the project I’ve been working on since the second year of my undergraduate degree. What’s more, this scholarship enables me to achieve far more than just a single piece of research; I’m now part of a much bigger community where we each have access to a broad range of workshops, seminars, and resources. This means I can gain a much broader and more-informed perspective, and there is now far more potential in what I can do with my research. I am truly grateful for this position and I intend to make the very most of all that it affords me.

Thesis: What is happening during early parent-child interaction for deaf children?

Email: rapwareham-obrien1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being able to complete an ESRC-funded PhD gives me the assurance that I have all the necessary support, both financial and academic to complete by PhD to the best of my abilities. I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity.

Thesis: Reimaging Education for Sustainable Development: A study of youth knowledge construction & political subjectivity through climate strikes.

Email: shuang.y.ng@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC funding has provided me with opportunities, communities, and networks to help develop my research ideas and debates further. Being part of such a vast network, I have had the opportunity to interact and share in discussions from other brilliant researchers of vastly different backgrounds towards approaching a more transdisciplinary mode of understanding the world around me. Being an ESRC funded student also allows me to work in research aimed at contributing to the social good and hopefully transformative means for engaging with life and the world in the future.

Thesis: Peer counselling approaches in sexuality education for, by, and with people with learning difficulties in Germany

Email: ss20jek@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student provides me with the unique opportunity to further pursue my specific individual research interest in a highly skilled academic environment within a supportive community of like-minded peers equipping me with the necessary training and skills in social research. This allows me to carry out my research project in an interdisciplinary and transnational way improving its academic quality to an extent which otherwise would have not been possible.

Thesis: The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Cognition

Email: T.Peney-2020@hull.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The opportunity to be an ESRC funded student is truly meaningful to me. It not only grants me access to vital resources for my research, but also empowers me to pursue my own area of interest with passion and curiosity. The training and support provided by the ESRC is invaluable, as it not only helps me develop my skills, but also creates networking opportunities. This opens the possibility for interdisciplinary collaborations and discussion, further enhancing my growth as a researcher.

Thesis: Addressing racial injustice through History education: Black educators’ perspectives on decolonising and diversifying

Email: 17003687@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am grateful and fortunate to have been awarded a Stuart Hall Foundation/ WRDTP studentship. The funding I receive makes it possible for me to pursue my research project on a full-time basis and to be a part of a research community.

Thesis: Stuck at the bottom with who? A diffractive ethnography of ‘stuckness’ in a post industrial northern town.

Thesis: Choosing to Teach: Social class and progression onto teacher training in Yorkshire

Thesis: Developing new classroom approaches for learners with ADHD: mobilising film for change

Thesis: Bullying of LGBT+ pupils: School contextual risk and protective factors

Thesis: Policing Education: exploring BAME young people’s experiences with school-based police officers in Greater Manchester

Thesis: Trauma informed practice in education and professional development: staff and organisational change

Thesis: Factors predicting the early development of social norms in children

Thesis: Incorporating family voices in the planning and delivery of parenting support

Thesis: A study into the impact of imprisonment on Pakistani families in the UK.

Email: lwta@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC funded student I’ve been given opportunities to network beyond my institution and I’ve met some really interesting people. I’ve also been able to access world-class research training from leading academics and scholars. These opportunities have helped me prepare for a career after my PhD.

Thesis: Reading – Right From Wrong – Investigating the role a Community Rehabilitation Company plays in supporting individuals who experience literacy difficulties.

Email: vbarritt1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It is a real privilege to have received ESRC funding to research an area I am so passionate about. It also provides access to high quality training events and opportunities to collaborate with other academics.

Thesis: How the human brain learns to recognise faces.

Email: lydia.brown@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student means I can take up my offer a PhD place at the University of York which has been my dream for years. This funding allows me to progress in my academic career and give me an edge as I apply for post-doc positions afterwards.

Thesis: Vulnerable adults in police custody:A comparative study into defining, identifying, and safeguarding vulnerable adults in police custody suites in Poland and England.

Email: mmikolajewska1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC-funded student gives me a unique opportunity to try and make a meaningful and positive change through research.

Thesis: UN Peacekeeping Missions and FONDATION HIRONDELLE: A historical and an empirical study of their different conceptions of the role of Radio in Post-Conflict DR Congo

Email: jkayumba1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Such an an invaluable privilege. In fact, a great opportunity to better equip myself and consequently have a greater positive impact in the lives of the most vulnerable ones of the globe. Will always be indebted to the ESRC.

Thesis: Crime, Innovation and the Technology of Money

Email: ek628@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student provides me with the support and platform to share and expand my ideas. It gives me the opportunity to network and engage with leading academics in their fields while encouraging me to bridge the gaps between disciplines.

The funding further allows me to attend leading conferences and attend courses that will enrich the thesis. Overall, it has contributed both to broadening my understanding of my topic, but also to my personal and professional development; preparing for life after the thesis.

Thesis: ‘No such thing as political violence’: a study of the British State’s urge to monopolise ‘politics’ in the Northern Irish Troubles

Email: malivesey1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has given me the opportunity to explore a set of important questions about our society. I hope that, by studying these questions, I’ll be able to contribute to our understandings of the world around us.

Thesis: Tamerlane’s trip to Shanghai: analysis of Sino-Uzbek relations from 1991 to 2016

Email: fmaracchione1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded means gaining access to shared interdisciplinary knowledge and accessing a multilayered view on your research. In addition, the methodological preparation given by the 1+3 programme is unique.

Thesis: UK Mass Atrocity Prevention

Email: ss19gcm@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC has provided access to invaluable networks and opportunities, in addition to collaborative working with highly relevant and active organisations in the field.

Thesis: Foreign National Offenders in the UK as deportable subjects: Constructions and trajectories

Email: gylc@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Having worked on refugee/migration issues in the third sector for the past ten years, it feels a privilege to have the opportunity to bring learning from my professional experience back into academia, exploring the intersections between the criminal justice and immigration systems in the UK. I look forward to benefiting from the training and expertise within the WRDTP network.

Thesis: The Corruption-Terrorism Nexus in Think-Tank Expertise and Judicial Practice

Email: MINikolova1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC studentship has allowed me to focus on my research project while engaging with a network of amazing researchers working on issues related to security and justice.

Thesis: Military Ethos Initiatives, Counter-Terrorism and the rise of a youth-based vulnerability discourse in Great Britain

Email: Tmaormson1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel very grateful to be ESRC funded, and to know that I am part of a network of students and have access to training opportunities and resources that I might not otherwise. Being funded is also a big confidence booster – it’s nice to know that someone out there thinks your research deserves funding!

Thesis: Learning to be a ‘Relational Normative Great Power’? The Evolution of Institutionalized Cooperation and Norm Diffusion along China’s Belt and Road Initiative (2013-2021)

Email: twestphal1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded doctoral student means a great deal to me because it not only allows me to relieve financial stress and fully concentrate on my research but also gives me the opportunity to attend regular ESRC hosted events and interact with a large, interdisciplinary community of like-minded doctoral students.

The funding further allows me to attend leading conferences and attend courses that will enrich the thesis. Overall, it has contributed both to broadening my understanding of my topic, but also to my personal and professional development; preparing for life after the thesis.

Thesis: A Social Constructionist Approach to Paedophilia, Child Sexual Abuse and Relevant Preventative Policy-Making: A Comparison between the UK and Germany

Email: msklavou1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student represents a unique and amazing opportunity for me to do research in an area that I am passionate about, whilst also getting to meet and exchange ideas with new people.

Thesis: A longitudinal study into the views of alleged perpetrators of antisocial behaviour on the success or otherwise of the related interventions

Email: kt776@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

An opportunity to make meaningful and positive change through research. The ESRC studentship funds high quality research that has the potential to make impact. This studentship gives me the chance to give voice to marginalised groups and explore a side of policy that is not currently understood.

Thesis: Constructing a Non-Eurocentric International Relations: Humanitarian Intervention Re-imagined

Email: bjvince1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Thanks to the ESRC I’m able to pursue a PhD in something I’m immensely passionate about, access relevant support and training to better my research, and pursue a career in academia. Being ESRC funded has also exposed me to other brilliant early career researchers within the interdisciplinary community doing extraordinary things.

Thesis: A Qualitative Investigation into the Impact of Domestic Abuse on Women’s Desistance Journeys

Email: nalchristian1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I would like to thank the ESRC for allowing me the opportunity to conduct research into this previously overlooked aspect of criminal justice. I am very passionate about developing discussion in the field of women’s desistance and making a positive impact that advances knowledge. I am excited to progress in both my personal life and academic career over the next 3 years whilst also having access to the world-class training and support the WRDTP provides.

Thesis: Understanding local-national-global interactions to pursue accountability to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping

Email: ss17sw@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has opened doors for me to grow and develop as a scholar and a professional. I feel well supported, especially through training, additional funding sources and my collaborative partner-UNA UK.

Thesis: Beyond existing theories of citizenship: towards securing the rights of stateless groups through legal self-determination

Email: plm507@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC-funded student has allowed me to pursue a PhD in an area of research that I am passionate about. The fact that the ESRC sees value in my work is a real encouragement. As part of the doctoral training programme, I am also able to gain new skills and benefit from the support and networking opportunities on offer. This puts me in a stronger position to deliver my project and improves the chances of my research having a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

Thesis: In light of the ‘Prison Crisis’, what are the explanations of, and solutions to, violence within prison? A qualitative study of prisoners’ and prison officers’ perceptions of the current prison environment within England and Wales using a GST theoretical framework.

Email: thomas.wells@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am thrilled to be part of a community of students that share with me this chance to pursue our academic interests. It means the world to me that I get the opportunity to improve as a scholar, as well as uncover new forms of knowledge in the next 3 years.

Thesis: Adversity, Trauma and Resilience in Childhood Experiences

Email: ss22skc@leeds.ac.uk 

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC funding has provided me with the opportunity to engage in impactful research that I am truly passionate about, through an interdisciplinary approach. It also allows me to be part of a wider research community, with access to invaluable training opportunities that will continuously develop my skills as a researcher.

Thesis: Is race/ethnicity associated with heftier sentences? Examining disparities in the sentencing of child offenders

Email: lwanv@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Without ESRC funding I wouldn’t have been able to undertake this research. ESRC funding has furthermore given me the opportunity to attend conferences as well as further develop my research skills.

Thesis: British IR in the Neoliberal University: how the Neoliberalisation of higher-education, alongside the rise in academic social media use, shapes the discipline of International Relations in the United Kingdom

Email: pt18cdeg@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC-funded student has meant a lot for me, as it has given me the opportunity to pursue my research interests at a PhD level, and an acknowledgement that my particular approach towards my research has the potential to really contribute towards a wider scholarly endeavor. The support I have received in terms of training has also been invaluable.

Thesis: Protecting or Problematising? Exploring the management of vulnerable groups in neighbourhood policing

Email: lw19rrf@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student is a position that I’m very fortunate and grateful to experience. It comes with support, both in a community and financial sense, as well as providing so many opportunities in terms of training, education and collaboration.

Thesis: From #nucleargirlposse to ‘disarm the patriarchy’: analysing the effects of gendering nuclear weapons policy.

Email: ss21lb@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Having support from the ESRC motivates me to see my project in terms of the bigger picture, in pursuit of a contribution with meaningful scholarly and policy relevance. The opportunity has been invaluable in allowing me to pursue policy and research engagement linked to my PhD research. The research support training grant means that it is possible to attend conferences and trainings alongside study. I’ve learnt so much from the interdisciplinary focus of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, and have met so many excellent PGR researchers along the way.

Thesis: Living in the Grey Zones: the wives of Foreign and Commonwealth army personnel in North Yorkshire

Email: haf520@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has given me the freedom to really embrace my PhD; it has given me the time and space to consider what I want the project to look like and how I want to achieve this.

Thesis: Connecting gendered human and environmental injustice in global garment value chains: Intersecting forms of feminised exploitation in production for the fashion industry

Email: susannah.williams@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being funded by the ESRC whilst I complete my PhD means that I am able to spend more of my time outside of work doing voluntary and activist work which is important to me and my research. I also love meeting really interesting researchers through the ESRC training and networking events.

Thesis: The sociological dynamics of interaction between police and alleged victims of sexual abuse

Thesis: An exploration of the experiences of children in care of child criminal exploitation (CCE).

Email: djmdarley1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded PhD student means I get the opportunity to do what I love! I get to carry out research with some amazing young people and hopefully shake things up in the Academy along the way!

Thesis: Whose terrorism? Deconstructing the grey area between extremism and terrorism through the lens of “non-violent extremism” and “not (yet) violent extremism”

Thesis: Adversarial Interpreting in Asylum Appeal Hearings

Thesis: The criminalisation of human trafficking victims in the UK

Thesis: What About Inclusion?: A Comparative Socio-Legal Study on the Enforcement and Monitoring of Disability Rights and Digital Accessibility Regulations in the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway

Thesis: Governing Forced Migration in Colombia’s Peace Transition: Integrating Urban Resettlement and Housing in the Llano Verde Housing State in Cali, Colombia (2012-2023).

Email: smvargasrojas1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel honoured and grateful to have been selected as a recipient of the ESRC Scholarship. The financial assistance has enabled me to focus only on my studies and pursue my academic and personal goals. I have had access to fantastic training opportunities for my personal and academic development that will allow me to contribute to knowledge creation in order to support the formulation of grassroots-informed policy on effective reparations and durable solutions for urban IDPs.

Thesis: We are here to stay Inna Inglan: The role of Immigration Policies in the ‘Un-Homing’ of British Windrush Descendants

Thesis: Vulnerability and Police Contact: Gendered Pathways to Drug Dependence

Thesis: Reducing the Rates of ‘Cracked Trials’ in Magistrates’ Courts in England and Wales

Thesis: Over-policing and vulnerability in minority communities

Thesis: Role of policing in diversionary interventions

Thesis: The Shadows of Green Capitalism: Continuity or Change in Corporate Violence in the Extractive Sector?

Thesis: Ethnobotanical knowledge and sustainable food system in Africa

Email: s.u.nachibi-2021@hull.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

An opportunity to advance my research skills to contribute to solving food issues in Africa.

Thesis: The organisational impact of the Living Wage

Email: ipi5cic@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Funding by the ESRC has enabled me to pursue a doctoral project primarily focused on exploring the role of the UK Living Wage on organisations and those workers who are lifted out of poverty because of it, an issue of central importance to tackling in-work poverty in Britain. Funding has also ensured that students like myself from working class backgrounds are more widely represented in academia, and a greater degree of vital research perspectives are disseminated to the wider world.

The funding further allows me to attend leading conferences and attend courses that will enrich the thesis. Overall, it has contributed both to broadening my understanding of my topic, but also to my personal and professional development; preparing for life after the thesis.

Thesis: The role and function of in-work benefits: the understanding and response of business

Email: mickey.conn@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Having ESRC funding has enabled me to research a topic I’m passionate about and hope will have an impact on future government policy.

Thesis: The experience of innovation implementation in organisations

Email: ss17lcm@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

When I was awarded the ESRC scholarship I felt extremely proud that such an institution saw the value of the work I was proposing, so much so they were prepared to fund it for three years. This conveyed a sense of social responsibility, which helped drive my PhD forward in difficult times. The ESRC creates a number of forums, in which it is possible to establish connections with other students from different disciplines and institutions. It also connects you a large network of training opportunities and dissemination events, ensuring you are part of bigger conversations about impact.

Thesis: Leading for Creativity: How Ambidextrous Leaders Facilitate the Followers’ Innovative Behaviours

Email: cmavros1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student gives me the opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded individuals. It’s about discussing ideas and learning new things, while having the freedom to conduct your research in a suitable and supportive environment.

Thesis: Resilience in agricultural supply chain

Email: hsun19@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Means to be able to engage with a wide variety of research community from different discipline. ESRC provides excellent research training and personal development guideline.

Thesis: Global telecoupling: Linking agri-commodity consumption to international Natural Capital

Email: cmm563@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being encouraged to do an interdisciplinary PhD relevant for real-world decision-making.

Thesis: The Transnational Urbanisation of the North Sea: Socio-Economic and Governance Challenges resulting from a Complex of Uses and Users

Email: d.A.page-2018@hull.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Everything. As an ESRC-funded student I am a part of an eminently diverse network of early-career researchers, who are working on distinctly heterogeneous projects, spanning manifold disciplinary insights and specialisations.

Thesis: The development of marketing literacy

Email: sheli.smith@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I’m grateful to be part of the ESRC community of researchers, as despite our diversity we all share a common goal of achieving real, societal change through our work. For me that’s championing socially responsible marketing by challenging perceptions, inspiring people and telling stories through my research.

Thesis: Platform Workers In Global Production Networks

Thesis: Platform Cooperativism: what is the extent to which online cooperative models address precarious labour among young platform workers?

Thesis: Crowding in stability? Government Debt, Portfolio Choices and the Goldilocks Principle

Thesis: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Era of ‘Common Prosperity:’ Analysing the Changing Governmentalities of CSR in the ‘Common Prosperity Pilot Zone’ of Zhejiang

Thesis: Brief Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa

Email: pop08hcd@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am very proud to be a White Rose Doctorate Training Partnership student. It is an honour and a real boost to my confidence as an early career researcher to have my work supported by the ESRC.

Thesis: Approved Mental Health Professionals and the compulsory detention of Black and Minority Ethnic service-users under the Mental Health Act: An Institutional Ethnography

Email: ra917@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has provided me with an invaluable opportunity to further develop my skills, knowledge, and expertise as a social researcher. I not only have the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives through my PhD research, but I am also able to network with fellow PhD students and participate in WRDTP training and development to gain a wide breadth of knowledge in areas that are beyond the scope of my PhD. Gaining this dynamic perspective means I can develop both personally and academically into a well-rounded researcher.

Thesis: Interrogating the nature of foodscapes and alternative food economies through beyond-profit food sites

Email: ochesworth1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has allowed me to pursue research interests which I originated from both working as a chef and as part of various social eating and food charities since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through the funded doctoral training pathway, I have been able to utilise a wide range of resources and training materials to develop my skills as a social researcher and academic. Moreover, the network has helped build my relationship with a wider community of fascinating researchers across England at the early career stage and beyond.

Thesis: An exploration of the relationships between gastric interoceptive sensibility, body image, and food choice

Email: lucy.stafford@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student means being supported. Not only is my PhD being supported by the ESRC, but also my career. My ESRC funding means I can undertake a Masters degree and a PhD to progress my research and data analysis skills and research niche, but also participate in workshops addressing my professional development.

Thesis: Evaluating the impact of social transfers on income poverty and material deprivation in European countries

Email: danai.konstantinidou@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has provided me with the opportunity to undertake the challenge of doing a PhD, while also providing training opportunities and allowing me to be a part of an interdisciplinary community of researchers.

Thesis: Biodiversity and Health. How does biological diversity and an understanding of it, affect the salutogenic benefits of urban green space?

Email: sfarris1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

For me, it is a great opportunity to grow up as a researcher, an excellent way to develop interdisciplinary skills and a chance to make a difference in improving society.

Thesis: Giving voice to children and young people in family-centered work: Co-producing an evaluation framework for the Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities Programme

Email: cgarner1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student gives me the freedom and support to carry out interesting co-production research with children and young people. I also work with the Race Equality Foundation as a partner organisation for my PhD, which gives me direct access to the Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities programme. I have benefited from the training available with WRDTP; the emphasis on group discussions and knowledge sharing facilitates collaborative learning and good networking opportunities. Being part of the Well-being, Health and Communities (WHC) pathway has given me a broader understanding of topics related to my field and the advantages of interdisciplinary working.

Thesis: From Demons to Diagnosis? A genealogy of the diagnostic category of epilepsy.

Email: pt11st@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As an ESRC funded student I have been given so much support and opportunities to help me to achieve my potential and flourish in my PhD and beyond. I am so grateful to be an ESRC student and I am looking forward to be able to make the most of all of the academic training, networking and career opportunities they offer to us.

Thesis: Intimate Encounters: An intersectional approach examining the social, emotional health and wellbeing experiences of physically disabled women during intimacy with non-disabled men

Email: baenion1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student has opened a number of welcomed opportunities to develop myself both personally and professionally, for which I am very appreciative. It has provided access to a wider network which enables me to gain a wealth of knowledge beyond my own interdisciplinary PhD and the fact that the ESRC sees the value in my work is both encouraging and empowering.

Thesis: For Whose Benefit? Mobilising Service User Involvement for the Co-Design of Public Service: The Case of Quality Improvement in the NHS

Email: akapadi1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I feel very fortunate to be an ESRC funded student for a number of reasons. There is the obvious merit of receiving financial support in terms of having course fees covered, receiving a maintenance stipend and research support training grant, which has been really helpful in allowing to me proceed with my research more comfortably, knowing that I have this support in place. Primarily, however, as a novice researcher, being an ESRC student has provided a number of wider opportunities to develop high-quality skills and allowed me to meet and network with other PhD students studying a diverse range of topics, which has aided both my personal and academic development. This support has allowed me to be more confident in myself as a researcher and in the research I am carrying out and, actually, contributed heavily to making the whole research process really enjoyable!

Thesis: Feature-Specific Patterns of Attention and Functional Connectivity in Human Visual Cortex

Email: kwn500@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC funded student means benefitting from access to a wealth of training resources and expertise to take my PhD study in many more directions than I originally thought possible.

Thesis: Gender, intersectionality and chronic illness: The case of multiple sclerosis.

Email: ll13mlf@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It is a wonderful opportunity to develop my advanced research skills. Working in an interdisciplinary environment provides a huge breadth of knowledge and methodologies which are developing my research techniques.
The ESRC funding means that I can contribute to understanding how gender may impact health with chronic illness. I will be looking at multiple sclerosis specifically. This will contribute to our more general understandings of how the social world can affect health management and health outcomes.

Thesis: Does living in an eco-community make you happier?

Email: d.pilichou@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

It means being supported academically and financially to pursue the research I am most passionate about. It wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

Thesis: Exploring the efficacy of asset-based approaches in mental health recovery and well-being.

Email: 04123873@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

ESRC funding has given me the opportunity to pursue research interests which have developed over my career as a social worker. Through the funded doctoral training pathway, I have connected with a community of researchers and academics and benefit from excellent resources and training.

Thesis: The perseverative cognition hypothesis: testing the effects of worry/rumination on physical and behavioural health outcomes.

Email: D.J.McCarrick@leeds.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

The ESRC, via the WRDTP, has provided me with an invaluable opportunity to develop my skills, knowledge, and expertise within psychological science. I am truly grateful to the ESRC and for the support the WRDTP offer through developmental workshops and events that enable me to unlock my potential as a postgraduate researcher at the University of Leeds.

Thesis: Policing Mental Health: A Realist Evaluation of Mental Health Triage

Email: amep501@york.ac.uk

Thesis: Exploring Family Practices in the context of Domestic Abuse and State Responses.

Email: psehmar1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am doing a collaborative award and ESRC funding has enabled me to research an area of practice to help develop further theoretical insights for social work practice.

Thesis: Queering Manchester’s Devolution in the Third Sector: Health as (a Social) Movement

Email: chelsea.murphy@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being an ESRC-funded PhD researcher offers a meaningful opportunity to be part of the next generation of social scientists who are seeking to address the UK’s complex social and economic issues. The collaborative environment and PhD funding support offered by the ESRC is a great route towards using academic research to influence policy and practice.

Thesis: Appreciative Inquiry: Supporting Manchester’s Chronically Ill Older Adults In The Community

Email: 13116894@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

As a first generation student, a PhD was something I never thought to be within my grasp. However, the ESRC have given me the opportunity to do something that I never would have been able to do otherwise. Having worked in health and social care for many years I knew there was much still to be done – particularly with older adults. This funded allows me to be able to more for the community than I would be able to do purely in my professional role.

Thesis: Individual Differences in Loss Aversion and the Effects on Well-Being: A Multi-Methods Approach

Email: ATRowe1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Being a part of a diverse interdisciplinary community of researchers that are driven towards understanding complex social issues from a more holistic perspective than can typically be found in their respective fields.

Thesis: Experiences and Perceptions of Independent Advocacy under the Care Act 2014: An Explorative Study

Email: robert.alcock3@stu.mmu.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am a 1+3 funded student who is currently studying the MA Social Research at Manchester Metropolitan University. I am due to commence my PhD in September 2020. I am a registered social worker who has previously practised in a local authority role for a number of years. Being a White Rose student will enable me to undertake research into an area of adult social care that I am interested in and passionate about, and my research will hopefully yield outputs that will have positive impacts for both academic and professional communities of interest.

Thesis: Men working in the adult social care sector in England: Motivations, experiences and change

Email: errmonkcom1@sheffield.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

I am so grateful and excited to have received ESRC funding, allowing me to begin a project I am really passionate about at a fantastic university. I am also really pleased to be part of an extended research network, allowing me to learn from and connect with other early career researchers.

Thesis: Men’s constructions and experiences of loneliness, and their ramifications for policy and practice

Email: jmr564@york.ac.uk

What does it mean to you to be an ESRC funded student?

Opportunity. An opportunity to investigate a topic of personal interest, in a way that can provide real benefit to society, with good support both personal and financial.

Thesis: Implementing Benefit-Risk Methods into NIHR Clinical Trials

Thesis: “They target vulnerability, not just age”. Perspectives on the response of one statutory service to the sexual exploitation of adults

Thesis: The role of intersectionality and cultural competence of the therapist, with female adult survivors (FAS) of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), in psychological therapy, in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

Thesis: Exploring perceived barriers to accessing menopause support in teaching and the resultant impact on mental wellbeing; an exploratory sequential mixed-method design.

Thesis: Engaging with historic environments through Virtual Reality to promote positive wellbeing among people with Dementia

Thesis: The impact of co-designed green space infrastructure development on physical activity behaviour in children from ethnically diverse low socio-economic neighbourhoods.

Thesis: “All the leaflets were of white people”: Contextualising and transforming support for minoritised blood cancer patients in the UK

Thesis: Developing and optimising a Just-In-Time-Adaptive-Intervention (JITAI) to improve adherence to medication in women with breast cancer

Thesis: Exploring the UK’s social relationship with death during the COVID-19 pandemic

Thesis: “They target vulnerability, not just age”. Perspectives on the response of one statutory service to the sexual exploitation of adults

Thesis: The role of intersectionality and cultural competence of the therapist, with female adult survivors (FAS) of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), in psychological therapy, in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

Thesis: Exploring perceived barriers to accessing menopause support in teaching and the resultant impact on mental wellbeing; an exploratory sequential mixed-method design.

Thesis: Engaging with historic environments through Virtual Reality to promote positive wellbeing among people with Dementia

Thesis: Powerless Patients: An investigation of healthcare complaints in prison environments

Thesis: Examining the use of restrictive practice by the police in response to mental health crisis

Thesis: Living with Ménière’s Disease from a young age: An exploration of identity formation and psychological wellbeing

Thesis: How do heavy drinkers make enduring changes to their drinking behaviour after taking part in “Dry January”?

Thesis: Exploring the links between unresolved loss/trauma and parental substance misuse within Child Protection, in the context of collaborative working.

Thesis: The Social Determinants of Multimorbidity in Sheffield

Thesis: Working Towards an Evidence Base: Developing Meaningful Outcome Measures for Animal Assisted Interventions for Children and Young People with Autism.

Thesis: Artists’ use of temporary spaces: Maintaining wellbeing