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New postgraduate scholarships in the humanities from the Wolfson Foundation

8 October 2012

UCL has been chosen by the Wolfson Foundation as one of a select group of UK universities to receive postgraduate student support in the humanities.

Flaxman gallery crop

The Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarships in the Humanities cover the three disciplines of history, literature and languages and support outstanding students who have the potential to make lasting impacts in their academic field.

The Wolfson Scholarships cover the fees, maintenance and research costs for three postgraduate students, one in each of the selected disciplines. They have been awarded on academic merit to students who will carry out innovative research and hope to become academic leaders in their field.

The first recipients of the Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarships are Ella Cullen (Languages), George Potts (Literature) and Jennifer Hicks (History) and they will formally begin their studies at the start of the 2012/13 academic year. 

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation said of the awards: "High quality research in the humanities is of critical importance to British society. The announcement of these scholarships reflects our concern about the effect of undergraduate debt on numbers of students continuing to postgraduate research.

"We are also acutely aware of pressures on funding in the humanities. The hope is that many of the students funded through this programme will become future academic leaders".

High quality research in the humanities is of critical importance to British society. The announcement of these scholarships reflects our concern about the effect of undergraduate debt on numbers of students continuing to postgraduate research.

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation

George Potts, who is studying for a PhD in Literature, said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic to have been awarded the scholarship. My PhD examines the relationship between the seventeenth-century writer John Milton and Geoffrey Hill, the current Oxford Professor of Poetry. It is primarily a study of influence between these two figures but also a wider consideration of Milton's reception in the second half of the twentieth century.

"Without the Wolfson scholarship I would not have been able to fund my research and continue my studies after my Masters - it's made a huge difference to my life."

Professor Jonathan Wolff, Dean of UCL Arts and Humanities said: "These awards, in both their generosity and prestige, set a fantastic example at a time when the funding for arts and humanities is desperately stretched. We at UCL have been delighted with this demonstration of commitment to the humanities which reflects our own commitment. We are delighted to have been selected to receive these awards on behalf of our students, and we are very thankful for this support."


Links:

Wolfson Foundation