Job Description
Overview
We seek an excellent candidate who wishes to pursue a PhD in Politics in topics related to East Asian politics within the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University. For purposes of this call, East Asia includes China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Research Topics: We seek applicants interested in topics related to research in any of the major sub-fields of Politics including studies of the East Asian nations and / or their relationship with other nations, comparative studies employing at least one of these nations as a case, or political research focused on East Asian diaspora populations.
The department of Politics at Newcastle University is home to a diverse and vibrant community of scholars and students. We have particularly strong expertise in comparative politics (identity politics, political behaviour, political economy, political institutions, party politics, and electoral systems), international relations (international organisations, international agreements, film, pop-culture, political economy, security studies, and foreign relations), political philosophy and theory, gender and politics, environmental politics, sustainability, public policy and area studies.
Number Of Awards
1
Start Date
September 2025
Award Duration
3.5 years
Application Closing Date
23 June 2025
Supervisors
Please specify two Politics academic staff members from the school of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University who are actively researching areas appropriate to your research.
Eligibility Criteria
A demonstrable interest in social scientific inquiry is essential. It is desirable that the successful applicant shows evidence of an interest in East Asian politics and their substantive area in general, in addition to the eligibility requirements set by the university for a Politics PhD (i.e., 2:1 honours degree and a master’s degree, or international equivalent, in politics or a related subject.)
Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all sub-skills.
How To Apply
The deadline for applications is one month from point of advert
To apply for a studentship, you must apply through the Apply to Newcastle Portal.
Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.
Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:
- search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8203F
- select ‘PhD Politics (full time) as the programme of study
You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:
- a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) – upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form (one-page in length)
- the studentship code GPSEAP25 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
- when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert –and your research proposal. The research proposal must not exceed 2,000 words (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography).
The research proposal should include:
- Clear research question(s).
- Relevant supporting body of research in the discipline related to the question(s).
- Clear methodological approach to answer the question(s).
- Relevance and potential impact of the research.
In addition, you will need to upload the following supporting documentation:
- CV
- A 750-word overview of your relevant skills, knowledge, qualifications and/or professional experience that will enable your undertaking of the project. Clearly include the proposed methodological training that you would require to receive in order to succeed in the research. If you need language training, please include it as well. This letter must state the title of the studentship, quote studentship reference code xxx and state how your experiences relate to the project.
- Degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed.
- You should also provide details of two referees.
Contact Details
For questions about the position, please contact Dr Jemima Repo (Jemima.Repo@newcastle.ac.uk) and Johannes Kniess (Johannes.Kniess@newcastle.ac.uk).
For questions about the application process, please contact gps.pgr@newcastle.ac.uk.
