How to Apply and Funding Opportunities

Please provide an outline of the research questions to be addressed, showing their originality and significance within the general field of the research topic referring to key publications. You should identify the key thematic and theoretical aspects of your project as you currently conceive them and then list further specific lines of enquiry that you intend to pursue. You may find it useful to number your specific questions (see Sources, Data and Methods below).

Describe the sources of information/data that the research will draw upon and identify any ethical considerations. If possible, please identify which sources you intend to use to address your research questions. If your project will involve field, laboratory-based or museums work please state: (1) where and why; (2) how you propose to access these sources; (3) what permissions are required (identifying any likely difficulties or sensitivities); how the research work is to be funded (expenses other than UCL fees, living costs, etc.).

Give an account of the knowledge and expertise that you already have which is relevant to the proposed research and, most significantly, any training you will need to acquire to undertake your project (for example, GIS skills, use of analytical instruments, statistical methods). Please bear in mind that certain analytical methods and techniques require considerable time and effort to acquire, so please pay particular attention to the appropriateness and feasibility of your research methods.

Please conclude your Research Proposal with a consideration of why it is important to undertake the research at the present time and how the potential outcomes of your project might impact both on specialists in the given field and the wider academic community.

Please list up to 12 key references with a brief note (one or two sentences) of their significance to your proposed research topic.

AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award | Faculty of Arts and Humanities

The deadline for this funding opportunity is  9th January 2026. In order to be considered for this opportunity you need to submit a complete UCL  Admissions Application (including both references) by thefunding deadline and email the following to Lisa Daniel by the funding deadline: 

• AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award Application form (Word document)
• Personal Information Monitoring Form. The data collected is for monitoring purposes only. It will not form part of the assessment process and will not affect the outcome of your application.
• Research Scholarships cover sheet (Word document)
• CV
• Academic transcript

UCL Research Excellence Scholarship 

The deadline for this funding opportunity is 9th January 2026.    

In order to be considered for this funding you must have submitted a complete admissions application by  9th January 2026 (including both references) at the latest and have the full support of your proposed Principal Supervisor. Please note that referees can only submit their references once you have submitted your part of the application. 

UCL will close on 20th December and will not reopen until 5th January, and Lisa Daniel will be out of the office from 11th December. You are strongly advised to submit all the mandatory documents for this funding opportunity, including the references, before the Christmas closure. These need to be emailed to Lisa Daniel as one document. Please note that only complete applications received by the deadline will be considered for this funding opportunity. 

Competition for this funding is extremely high. We receive on average 20-30 applications a year and as an institute within UCL we can only put forward 2 applications to be considered by a College panel. Applications are assessed on the basis of academic excellence as well as the strength of the research proposal and supporting references.

UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship (ROS) 

The deadline for this funding opportunity is  9th January 2026. In order to be considered for this opportunity you need to submit a complete UCL  Admissions Application (including both references) by the deadline and submit a 'ROS cover sheet' to the department (email l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk). 

You must be a UK-permanent resident from one of the following BAME ethnic groups:

• Black or Black British - Caribbean
• Black or Black British - African
• Other Black background
• Asian or Asian British - Bangladeshi
• Asian or Asian British - Pakistani

Please note that the deadline may change once the official deadline has been announced. 

UBEL DTP

We are delighted to announce our participation in the UBEL Doctoral Training Partnership. We are seeking applications from students in the fields of archaeology and heritage interested in applying social science methodologies to research in the heritage sector. Students can undertake either part-time or full-time study and can enter the doctoral programme either via a 1-year master's or directly. Each of these routes builds on the concentration of academic resources between partnering institutions, including the Institute of Archaeology, Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Raphael Samuel History Centre, the British Museum and the Museum of London. For further information please see here. 

The deadline for applications is yet to be announced, but is likely to be in early January. You must have submitted a complete admissions application (with both references) by 1st December and have the full support of your proposed Principal Supervisor. Please note that the deadline may change once the official deadline has been announced. 

Further information on scholarships and funding can be found here. 

Some of our students have also received funding from the following organisations: 

• NERC - Home students only
• BECAS Chile CONICYT Chilean students only
• CONACYT - Mexican students only
• CAPES - Brazilian students only
• Leverhulme
• Wenner Gren
• Trees-DLA funded PhD projects available