Jump to: Funding and eligibility, About the project, About the department, About Tate, Person specification, Application procedure, Contacts, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Key information

Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme. 
Supervisors: Dr Katherine Curran and Dr Cecilia Bembibre – BSEER ISH, Dr Bronwyn Ormsby and Deborah Cane – Tate, London
Department: BSEER – Institute for Sustainable Heritage  
Deadline for applications: Thursday 7 May 2026 11:59pm UK time

Funding and eligibility

Funding: The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) full-time home rate for PhD degrees. The UKRI Indicative Fee Level for 2026/27 is £5,238.

The studentship may be able to cover UCL international fees (pending confirmation of approval via a UCL internal scheme).

Stipend: The award also pays a stipend to cover living costs, which will be paid in regular instalments. This stipend will be a minimum of £21,805* per year, plus London Weighting of £2,000 per year. CDP students also receive an additional maintenance payment of £600 per year.

*Exact amount still to be confirmed each year

Research/travel allowance: The successful candidate will receive an additional travel and related expenses grant during the course of the project courtesy of their AHRC CDP award at UCL worth up to £750 per year for 4 years.
The student will also receive £1300 per year from Tate for research-related expenses.

Length of funding: CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 48 months (4 years), or part-time equivalent (up to 8 years). 

Start date for this studentship post will be 1 October 2026.

Eligibility: This studentship is open to both Home UK and Overseas applicants. To be classed as a Home/UK student, candidates must meet the following criteria: 

All applicants must meet the minimum language requirements of UCL. 
The English language level for this PhD is Level 2.

About the project

Modern and Contemporary Art (M&CA) acquisitions now comprise over 90% of all works coming into Tate’s collection, many involving new materials with lesser-known compositions. Little is known about the types and amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from these often large and complex artworks, including whether VOCs pose a risk to the artworks themselves, to artworks in close proximity or even to human health. VOCs can include organic acids, aldehydes, additives, and material degradation products generated during curing processes and over time. Within a primarily protective (closed) storage context, the build-up of VOCs may occur across a range of materials in significant quantities, warranting identification at both the analytical and practitioner levels. This increasingly urgent query will be explored through a selection of case study M&CA works from Tate’s sculpture and installation art collection. Each work will be characterised using resources and expertise at Tate and UCL-ISH, where the materials, smells and VOCs emitted within a storage context will be identified. A smaller group of higher-risk VOCs will also be quantified and smell profiles obtained to support the development of risk profiles for each work. The translation of the case study findings into guidance for the improved care of M&CA collections, including mitigating measures such as simple changes to storage housing and the use of VOC absorbing materials, will contribute directly to core preservation objectives and practice, for Tate, and other global collections.

The student will be expected to spend time at both UCL-ISH and Tate as well as becoming part of the wider cohort of CDP funded students across the UK.

All CDP projects are part of a nationwide programme called the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium. The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in professional development events and activities organised for all Collaborative Doctoral Partnership students who are registered with different universities and studying with cultural and heritage organisations across the UK. These activities are organised by a coordination team based at the V&A and are designed to provide CDP researchers with the knowledge, networks and skills to thrive in their future careers.

Join a webinar to find out more:

The CDP consortium will host an online webinar for prospective applicants on 13 April 2026 at 11:00. These webinars will provide an overview of the CDP funding scheme. 

To sign up for a webinar, please email cdp@vam.ac.uk with the subject line “Prospective Applicant Webinar” from the email address you would like to join the online meeting from. Sign up will close on 10 April 2026 at 5pm.
Please note, the webinars will not focus on individual projects.

About the department

This studentship is based in the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources / Institute for Sustainable Heritage part of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. You will join a thriving interdisciplinary research community made up of academic staff and students with backgrounds in a wide range of topics including archaeology, chemistry, engineering, heritage science and heritage management. You will have access to laboratories dedicated to the study of heritage science with cutting-edge facilities. The department has a strong track record in heritage science and sustainable heritage more broadly, and PhD students benefit from regular research seminars, invited guest lectures, doctoral training opportunities and access to a wide network of collaborators across the international heritage sector.

The Bartlett is ranked #1 for Architecture and Built Environment studies in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025). In the latest national research assessment (REF 2021), it was ranked #1 for Research Power in the built environment in the UK, with 91% of the faculty’s research deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’.

About Tate

Tate’s vision is to serve as artistically adventurous and culturally inclusive art museums for the UK and the world. We deliver this through activities in our four galleries across the UK (Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, Tate Britain and Tate Modern), our digital platforms and collaborations with our national and international partners. At the heart of Tate is our collection of art, which includes the national collection of British art from the 16th century to the present day, and international modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present day, spanning all continents. We seek to expand access to the collection and deepen understanding of art in all its diversity.  Tate is a leading global institution, and we influence critical thinking about art practice. We see access to art for everyone as a universal human right and we see our galleries as sites of creative learning. 

Tate’s Conservation department provides specialist conservation services to support the programme and care for Tate’s Collection and sits within the Collection Care division. Specialist areas include Time-based media, Paintings, Frames and Workshop, Sculpture and Installation Art, Paper and Photographs and Conservation Science and Preventive Conservation. The department is led by the Head of Conservation - together, the department brings excellence and innovation to the care of Tate’s Collection, preventing damage and deterioration and ensuring that the Collection is available for future generations to enjoy. 

Person specification

We are seeking applicants who have or expect to receive a Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject such as conservation science, archaeology, chemistry or conservation. 

We are very keen to encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds, including mature students. We will also accept applications from those who can demonstrate relevant experience in a professional setting e.g. 3+ years in a conservation science or analytical chemistry setting, alongside a relevant undergraduate degree.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate an interest in the heritage sector and potential and enthusiasm for developing skills more widely in related areas.

Essential criteria:

  • Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject or significant relevant professional experience and a relevant undergraduate degree
  • The ability to develop well-thought-through research questions and to design experiments to answer them
  • The ability to produce, manage and critically assess research data including data from laboratory experiments
  • The ability to communicate the results of scientific research clearly to a wide range of audiences, including via oral presentation and written publications.
  • A strong interest in the heritage sector, including modern and contemporary art.

Desirable criteria:

  • Experience with relevant laboratory equipment e.g. spectroscopic or chromatographic equipment
  • An understanding of polymer chemistry, including polymer degradation

Applicants should also meet the entry requirements for Institute for Sustainable Heritage PhD programme. All applicants must also meet the minimum language requirements of UCL. The English language level for this programme is: Level 2.

Application procedure

Stage one: initial application

We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary AHRC CDP EDI monitoring form here. All responses are anonymous.

The initial application process for this studentship consists of:  

  1. Submission of your CV by email to bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk  mentioning the studentship title: Sustainability, conservation, and collection care
  2. Filling out the following Sustainability, conservation, and collection care - Studentship Pre-Application Form – Fill in form.

You must complete both requirements to be considered for this studentship.

Any additional documents sent will NOT be taken into consideration during shortlisting.

The deadline for initial applications is Thursday, 7 May 2026 11:59pm UK time.

Stage two: interviews

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. 

Interviews are due to be held within few weeks of the deadline for applications. 

The interview panel will consist of the project’s academic supervisors at UCL and Tate and potentially second supervisors. Interviews may be held in-person or online but all will follow the same format.

The interview will include a short presentation from the candidate on their ideas of how to approach this PhD project; followed by questions from the panel.

Candidates will be assessed based on:  

  • Academic and/or professional excellence.
  • Relevance of educational or professional background.
  • Ability to conduct independent and original research
  • evidence of their fees background

For the interview shortlisted candidates will also be asked to: 

  • Send proof of their university level grade certificate(s) and transcript(s) of degree(s), and
  • Provide contact details for two referees, who may be contacted around the time of interview.

Following the interview, the successful candidate will be invited to make a formal application to UCL.

The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in professional development events and activities organised for all Collaborative Doctoral Partnership students who are registered with different universities and studying with cultural and heritage organisations across the UK.

Contacts

For further details about the admission process, please contact bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk.

For any further details regarding the project context and topic, please contact Katherine Curran k.curran@ucl.ac.uk and/or Bronwyn Ormsby bronwyn.ormsby@tate.org.uk.   

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Should you require any reasonable adjustments or support throughout the application process, please contact bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk.

Support or adjustments may include (but are not limited to):

  • Opportunity to speak with project supervisors at UCL and Tate about the project and the process.
  • Opportunity to speak with contacts within UCL and Tate regarding institutional support systems (e.g. neurodiversity, racial diversity and LGBTQIA+ networks, mental health support, support for carers).
  • Opportunity to visit the relevant building and room prior to interview, as well as on-site guidance (demonstrating accessible routes and/or familiarity with building layouts for example)
  • Access to interview questions and an insight into the interview process (e.g. selection criteria used).
  • Opportunity to speak with active CDP students to ask questions regarding student experience as part of the CDP scheme.

We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities and are especially keen to hear from candidates from underrepresented communities and different disciplinary backgrounds, language skills and familiarity with relevant historical and geopolitical contexts. We particularly welcome applications from people of Global Majority backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this area.  

See information about equality, diversity and inclusion at UCL.