SOAS to help boost importance of arts and humanities with new award

SOAS is among the first group of recipients to receive the new Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Landscape Awards, designed to invest in arts and humanities research at the doctoral level. 

As one of 50 higher education institutions receiving the award, SOAS will contribute to strengthening the arts and humanities research ecosystem. The award will fund three full-time students per cohort across five years - the equivalent of 15 full-time students. 

Head of the Doctoral School, Professor Rachel Harrison, said: “Our doctoral researchers are engaged in addressing a range of topics in the arts and humanities that are crucial to making positive changes to the world: from exploring the relationship between activism and culture; to understanding how music forms communities of resistance; to analysing the ways in which cinema engages with climate change and environmental destruction.” 

As one of 50 higher education institutions receiving the award, SOAS will contribute to strengthening the arts and humanities research ecosystem.

“Our postgraduate research community focuses on issues relating to Asia, Africa and the Middle East – and how to better understand the specificities of these regions. We welcome this news and look forward to welcoming the students who will be supported by the award at SOAS.” 

These doctoral landscape awards have been designed by the AHRC, in the context of rising costs, to support doctoral study to ensure the sector continues to enable outstanding students to engage with the highest quality of collaborative, cohort-based and interdisciplinary research training for arts and humanities.