Doctoral Programme at WBS secures highest-ever number of scholarships

The WBS Doctoral Programme is celebrating after receiving news that it has secured an unprecedented total of 17 externally-funded scholarships and studentships for new doctoral candidates this year.

The University of Warwick Chancellor's and Chancellor's International Scholarships are allocated to the best doctoral candidates across the University, and this year six WBS applicants have won one of these prestigious scholarships. The competition for these awards is fierce so the high success rate among applicants for the WBS Doctoral Programme attests to their exceptional calibre.

Secondly, WBS has been awarded nine Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) studentships this year, the highest total yet allocated to WBS.

Professor Steve Brammer, Associate Dean for Research, commented, "The University has already been awarded a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) by the ESRC in recognition of the strength of its research and postgraduate training in a range of social sciences. The scholarships awarded to WBS are testament to our excellent links with external organisations, which have yielded four collaborative research projects, including two in the Behavioural Sciences area. As one of the largest business school Doctoral Programmes in the UK, we can celebrate the fact that this external recognition has resulted in so many scholarships for our exceptionally high-calibre candidates."

Candidates for the WBS Doctoral Programme from the UK and EU can still apply for ESRC studentships up to the end of April.

Thirdly, two PhD studentships starting in 2012 are funded as part of a �2M Advanced Grant awarded by the European Research Council to Nick Chater, WBS Professor of Behavioural Science, on the topic of Cognitive and Social Foundations of Rationality. A further two PhD awards will be funded from the same source in 2013.

Dean of WBS Professor Mark Taylor concludes, "It is exciting to see our strategy of looking at things differently and introducing creative and innovative research bearing fruit. The work of the path-breaking Behavioural Science Group is just one example of this success. Our exceptional doctoral candidates will provide new insights and knowledge on important management issues which will both influence and be relevant for the future.

"As well as the externally-funded scholarships reported above, we are proud that WBS will also be funding an additional eight doctoral scholarships for 2012 entry, bringing the total number of scholarships available to 25."