ESRC NINE DTP

The Human Geography training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.

Students following the Human Geography pathway engage with research which is conceptually rooted, theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous. Our research often has research-user impact and the pathway offers opportunities to develop a collaborative PhD with appropriate non-academic organisations.

Opportunities exist for PhD research training and to conduct research across a wide range of human geography fields, including political, economic, social and cultural geography.

Students applying to this pathway on a 4.5 year basis receive Masters-level research training via the MA Human Geography (Research). This programme combines core geography research training with more generic training in research skills, methodologies and theories. Students awarded 4.5 funding can then proceed to their PhD here at Newcastle in Geography.

Students who already have advanced training in geography research at MA level, and those with some Masters-level research training, are eligible to apply for funding on a 3.5, 3.75 or 4 year basis. For these applicants, further research training is available and is undertaken in conjunction with primary research on their PhD topic.

Pathway contact – Dr Matthew Benwell (matthew.benwell@ncl.ac.uk)

The Sociology training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.

Students in the Sociology pathway engage with research which is theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous. Opportunities exist for PhD research training and to conduct research across a range of fields in sociology. You can get a sense of our key research interests by exploring the work of our research clusters: Imagining Pasts and Futures; Identities, Embodiments and Selves; and a new emergent cluster on Health and Society that is launching this year.

In addition to our research clusters, colleagues in Sociology work across a range of research areas including: race and ethnicity; gender; the environment; migration; ageing and society; urbanisation; drugs; crime and policing.

Students applying to this pathway on a 4.5 year basis receive Masters-level research training via the MA Sociology and Social Research. This programme combines provision of advanced-level grounding in key sociological theories, perspectives and concepts with the opportunity to engage in more generic training in research skills, methodologies and theories provided by the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences faculty. Students awarded 4.5 year funding can then proceed to their PhD here in Sociology.

Students who already have extensive advanced sociological research training at MA level, already holding a recognised sociology research training qualification at MA level, and those with some Masters-level research training, are eligible to apply for funding on a 3.5 year, 3.75 year or 4 year basis. For these applicants, further research training is available and is undertaken in conjunction with their primary research on their PhD topic.

Find out more about our research community, expertise and facilities here – or look at the individual profiles of potential academic supervisors in Sociology.

Pathway contact – Dr Ruth Graham

The Children, Youth and Families pathway of NINEDTP is available to prospective students through the school of Geography, Politics and Sociology (GPS).

The pathway is open across four of the NINEDTP institutions:

• Newcastle
• Durham
• Teesside
• Queen’s University Belfast

Choosing to base your studies with us at Newcastle University in the school of GPS will give you access to specialist research expertise from our staff in the following areas:

• Children, young people and social inequalities
• Youth transitions, sub/cultures and identities
• Children, youth and climate justice
• Social divisions (e.g. class, gender, sexuality, disability etc.) in children and young people’s lives
• Youth, crime, deviancy and drugs
• Race, refugees and asylum-seeking youth
• Minority and migrant children and young people
• Children’s play and friendships, leisure and youth
• Researching with children and young people for social change

Prospective PhD applications should not be limited to the topics listed above and interdisciplinary and within one institution or cross-institutional applications are also encouraged.

Children and Youth Research Group 

The Children and Youth Research Group in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology (GPS) is an interdisciplinary group of researchers working across human geography, social anthropology, sociology, political science.

The group is part of this Children, Youth and Families Pathway (as well as other NINEDTP pathways) within the ESRC NINE DTP funding partnership. That means staff in GPS (and beyond) at Newcastle University will work with you to develop your PhD, including interdisciplinary projects.

The group consists of highly experienced academic staff from across the School who all welcome enquiries from prospective PhD candidates keen to explore themes aligned to our research expertise.

Read more about our members

Further, as a PhD student of children, youth and families, you can also join Newcastle University’s Centre for Children and Youth, which is a hub of interdisciplinary research (including education, HCI, history, humanities, arts and social sciences).

Read more about the Centre for Children and Youth

In addition, as part of our funding there are Action for Equality Studentships (AforE) available, which are open to UK-domiciled candidates from Black British, British Asian, or mixed Black or Asian heritage. Applications for NINE DTP funding is also open to international students. 

The pathway leads for the NINEDTP Children, Youth and Families cross-institutional pathway are Anoop Nayak, Professor of Social and Cultural Geography (anoop.nayak@ncl.ac.uk) , and Karenza Moore, Reader in Sociology (karenza.moore@newcastle.ac.uk)  at Newcastle University. 

Karenza and Anoop are more than happy to speak with potential candidates and to help facilitate student/supervisory connections.

The Conflict, Security and Justice training pathway is offered at Newcastle University through four key disciplines: Human Geography, Politics, Sociology and Law. It is an inter-disciplinary pathway that offers students the opportunity to pursue cutting-edge research supported by scholars working across a range of areas.

Within these subject areas we have particular strengths in geopolitics, migration, military, war and security related research, as well as in human rights and social justice scholarship. The establishment of secure, peaceful and just societies requires insight and innovation from all disciplines, and as an inter-disciplinary pathway, Conflict, Security and Justice provides crucial opportunities to support and encourage cross-cutting research that addresses global challenges in novel ways.

The Conflict, Security and Justice pathway offers funding for 3.5 years (PhD), 3.75 years (PhD with additional research training), 4 years (PhD with significant additional research training) and 4.5 years (MA+PhD). Students will be based at Newcastle University, but can have additional supervisors based at Durham, Ulster or Northumbria University.

A list of potential supervisors at Newcastle can be found by following the links to the four subject areas:

• Geography
• Politics
• Sociology
• Law

We encourage anyone interested in applying to contact potential supervisors to discuss their ideas, or to contact the Pathway lead who can help facilitate connections.

Pathway contact – Dr Matthew Richmond (Matthew.Richmond@newcastle.ac.uk)

The Politics and International training pathway is offered at Newcastle University via the School of Geography, Politics & Sociology.

Students in the Politics and International Relations pathway undertake research that is innovative, theoretically and empirically rigorous, and contributes to knowledge both inside and outside academia.

We are theoretically and methodologically pluralist, providing students with the opportunity to conduct research across the full breadth of Politics and International Relations. Our five research clusters are indicative of the wide range of research undertaken by staff and students: International Politics, Gender and Politics, Governance and Political Organisations, Political Theory, and Pedagogy.

In addition, we have active research groups reflecting particular strengths in Environmental Politics, and Quantitative Research. We also actively participate in a number of cross-School and cross-faculty research groups including the Eastern European and Russian Research Group, the Gender Research Group, the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Research Group, the Military, War and Security Research Group, the Postcolonial Research Group and the Visualities Research Group.

Applications to this pathway are welcome from students with and without Masters-level qualifications. Applicants without a Masters degree are eligible to apply for a 4.5 year studentship which includes Masters-level research training in the MA Politics (Research). 

Applicants with a Masters in a relevant subject but without 60 credits of research training are eligible to apply for a 4 year studentship during which they will complete a 60 credit Research Training Certificate.

Applicants with a Masters that included a significant research component but that lacked the breadth or depth expected of a PhD-level researcher, are eligible to apply for a 3.75 year studentship during which they will complete 30 credits or more to fill gaps in their prior research training.

Applicants with a Masters that included 60 credits or more of research methods training are eligible to apply for a 3.5 year studentship. These students have the opportunity to undertake further research training in conjunction with their primary research on their PhD topic.

Pathway contact: Dr Jemima Repo (jemima.repo@newcastle.ac.uk)

The NINE DTP studentship competition for entry 2026 is now open. The application deadline for submitting your programme application and required documentation to the department/school is Friday 9^th January 2026.

Read our funding database for more information on how to submit your programme 

Please visit the University’s website for information and contacts on all Pathways offered at Newcastle.

Full details of eligibility criteria can be found on the NINE DTP website.

Contact: PGR Administrator Ruby Mar via gps.pgr@ncl.ac.uk