The Programme is for PhD and early career researchers (ECRs) registered at or graduated from any non-UK university who are working within the environmental arts and humanities to come to Scotland to work with an academic mentor and access networks and resources of a host HEI (Higher Education Institute) in 2025.

All applicants must be currently registered for a PhD, or graduated with a PhD, which broadly falls under Arts & Humanities subject areas. These subject areas are detailed by the AHRC. Research proposals must also fall into Arts & Humanities subject areas. For any interdisciplinary PhDs, at least 50% of the project must fall within Arts & Humanities disciplines. The programme strongly encourages research project proposals that have interdisciplinarity approaches beyond the Arts & Humanities.

For the purposes of the Programme, ECRs must be within 1 year of notification of award of their PhD (under exceptional circumstances this can be extended to 2 years – see the scheme Guidelines for full detail).

The SGSAH HEIs are:

Abertay University
Edinburgh Napier University
The Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow Caledonian University
Heriot-Watt University
Queen Margaret University
Robert Gordon University
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
University of Aberdeen
University of Dundee
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of St Andrews
University of Stirling
University of Strathclyde
University of the Highlands & Islands
University of the West of Scotland

The EARTH Scholarships will take advantage of and be located within three geographically and thematically structured Clusters, which will offer research placements, training and development opportunities for researchers, and contribute to cohort training in April-May 2025. The Clusters will enable:

• Wider awareness and study of environmental arts and humanities disciplines in the Scottish context
• Interdisciplinary working within and beyond the arts and humanities (STEAM)
• Field trips and engagement with other scholars, practitioners and professionals
• Access to arts and cultural sector organisations, resources, expertise and experience in different geographical contexts, including urban and rural areas. 

The three Clusters are:

Cluster 1: Place, Time and Action

HEIs: University of Aberdeen, Abertay University, University of Dundee, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Glasgow, Robert Gordon University, University of St Andrews

Academic Leads: Dr Ben Elliott (UHI) and Deputy Lead Dr Elodie Laügt (University of St Andrews) 

We are a consortium of universities located mainly in the east and north of Scotland but also including researchers in archaeology and palaeoecology at the University of Glasgow. Our expertise stretches across the arts and humanities, from historical and political ecology, to modern policy making, to the psychology of behaviour change, and ecocritical approaches to literature, design, art and architecture. Within this, we have a focus on the historical and futures dimensions of environmental change and the potential offered therein by deep-time perspectives and indigenous oral histories, and on climate action research through creative practice, place-based research and other forms of engagement and participation. Our researchers are engaging with climate emergency themes through training, KE and within a research context. Running through all our activities is a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research. We would welcome applications that sit anywhere within these broad themes but also encourage applicants to explore linkages with existing research projects at one of our participating centres or research groups. 

Cluster 2: 3Ms: Making, Method and Multispecies

HEIs: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Glasgow School of Art, Heriot Watt University & Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Academic Leads: Dr Emily Alder (Edinburgh Napier University) and Dr Mark Hilley (University of Edinburgh)

Cluster 2 will prioritise applications of high quality and originality that address the strength of Edinburgh research in three broad areas: Making, Method and Multispecies.  

Making captures our long tradition of creative practice (from art, film, writing, performance, curating, gaming and beyond). Method foregrounds methodological diversity within the arts and humanities and also looks to learn from wider approaches in the social and environmental sciences, as well as considering issues of fieldwork, globalism/localism, communication, data, representation and exchange across the academic-public-political boundaries. Multispecies questions boundaries of animal-plant-fungal life, tackles issues of equality and justice, multisensorialism, extractivism, posthumanism, deep time, archaeology and heritage beyond the human alone. 

The cluster delivers training through key existing research projects and centres including (but not limited to) The Edinburgh Environmental Humanities Network, The Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Humanimal Kind, The CRITIQUE Reading Group, British Animal Studies Network, The Edinburgh Futures Institute, Fossil-Fuel.ed  

The wide range of Scottish sector partners and potential sites for research placements include Creative Scotland, Creative Carbon Scotland, Little Sparta, Fife Contemporary, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, The Barn, The Scottish Poetry Library  

The cluster also commits to providing cross-cluster training where possible, and to hosting a cohort-wide networking or programme event hosted by Hospitalfield, Cove Park, Talbot Rice Gallery, etc.  

Cluster 3: ‘Triple E’ – Economy, Ethics and Environment

HEIs: University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Stirling, University of Strathclyde, University of the West of Scotland 

Academic Leads: Dr Charles Pigott  (University of Strathclyde, Cluster Lead) and Deputy Lead Professor Mark Banks (University of Glasgow)

This cluster draws together a range of interdisciplinary arts and humanities expertise around three broad and inclusive themes; firstly, the cultural and creative economy and theories of its sustainable and socially-just future; secondly, issues of ethics, politics and political ecology as they play out in human and non-human contexts, and in different historical periods; and, thirdly, theories of environment, including creative approaches to researching species, energy, ecology and the geohumanities. The cluster will take an inclusive approach to these themes, and seek to deliver training through its range of key existing research projects and centres including (but not limited to) Centre for Cultural Policy Research, The Dear Green Bothy, Creative Geohumanities, A + E Collective (Glasgow), Centre for Environment Heritage and Policy (Stirling), British Animal Studies Network, One Ocean Hub (Strathclyde), Centre for Climate Justice (GCU), and the Protracted Crisis Research Centre  (UWS) as well as other relevant academic groupings and affiliates. The wide range of Scottish sector partners and potential sites for research placements might include BBC Scotland, The Hunterian Museum, Creative Scotland, Creative Carbon Scotland, Fife Contemporary, the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, and Zero Waste Scotland inter alia – plus our members have an extensive range of international and institutional networks on which to draw in order to support student recruitment and training.  The cluster also commits to providing cross-cluster training where possible, and to hosting a cohort-wide networking or programme event hosted by The Dear Green Bothy at the new University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre (ARC). 

Full details of each of the Clusters can be accessed via their individual webpages, hyperlinked above.

Read the Guidelines for the scheme (available to download above) thoroughly before applying. You should then contact your chosen institution as soon as possible to discuss their process for supporting your application. 

The application is made through SGSAH’s online system which can be accessed here. The Guidelines include details of the information you will be required to complete online, as well as the assessment criteria for the scheme.

For this deadline, you must submit:

• A full research proposal; and details of how you will benefit from Cluster membership, cohort-building, training and development activities
• A budget and justification of resources
• A CV (up to 4pp)
• A letter of support from your PhD supervisor (up to 2pp)
• A letter of support from the proposed Host Institution (Head of Department or equivalent) (up to 2pp)

Late applications will only be considered where there is evidenced breakdown in SGSAH's operational systems and where such system failures have made submission by the deadline impossible. Please note that SGSAH will not accept late applications where there has been a systems failure at the applicant's end (e.g failure of internet connection). For this reason, we strongly advise applicants to complete the application process at least 48 hours in advance of the deadline.

‘This year, SGSAH will be opening an application process for Scotland-based PhD researchers to join the EARTH Scholarships Cohort Programme from 23 April-2 May 2025.’

For any enquiries about the programme, please contact enquiries@sgsah.ac.uk