Law and Education
College of Society & Professions
School of Law and Education
PhD Scholarships – Tuition Fee Waiver
LSBU School of Law and Education is offering two PhD Scholarships which cover tuition fees for up to four years. Applications are invited from candidates with a strong background in research methods and a keen interest in the relevant research topics.
Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for excellent candidates who meet the following criteria:
- Open to both UK and international applicants. The programme starts in September 2025.
- The candidate must meet the minimum entry requirements for PhD Law or PhD Education
- Previous research experience in social sciences, law or education as relevant to the project topic.
- Knowledge of research methods relevant to the research project.
- IT skills: proficiency in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel is essential.
- Communication skills: the candidate should be highly motivated, able to collaborate effectively, and possess strong visual, oral, and written communication skills, with the ability to present research outcomes to commercial, industrial, and academic audiences.
- Teamwork and collaboration: ability to work effectively with academic supervisors, research participants, and other students.
Training & Development Opportunities
Doctoral students at London South Bank University (LSBU), through the London Doctoral College (LDC), benefit from a rich and structured training environment designed to support academic excellence and professional development. All PhD candidates are offered a comprehensive programme of workshops and seminars covering essential research skills, including research design, data analysis, academic writing, ethics, and project management. These sessions aim to support students through every stage of their doctoral journey—from literature review and methodology to thesis completion and viva preparation. Postgraduate researchers can access advanced, discipline-specific training aligned with their research focus. LSBU’s doctoral training environment is designed to build deep expertise in a chosen research area and the broader skills necessary for successful careers in research, industry, and beyond.
How to apply:
- Before you begin the application process, make sure you familiarise yourself with the requirements of the application process.
- Read the Project Descriptions presented in the table below. Choose a topic(s) of interest.
- To apply, please submit a 1,000-word Research proposal which addresses the Project Description via the official LSBU application platform.
- In addition to the Research Proposal, you will need to submit your CV and additional documents as detailed in the course pages above.
- When you apply, please quote the full reference number of the relevant research project, for example CSP2/LE/
PhD Law – the reference number is available in the first column of the table below.
- Selected candidates will be invited to an online interview.
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all places are filled, so early application is strongly encouraged to secure your spot. International applicants are responsible for their visa costs and CAS insurance.
Reference number | Project title and supervisors | Project description and additional requirements |
CSP1/LE/PhD Law | Law and digital transformation. Dr Ozan Kamiloglu Prof. Geoff Cox | We are looking for projects that explore the intersection of law and the digitization of justice. Over the past decade, the digital transformation of the legal system has reshaped the relationships between traditional actors in the legal process. Courts, judges, lawyers, the public, and the media have all been affected by this accelerating digital transformation. In addition to the actors, this transformation also effected administration of justice including laws relation with data, space and archives. We invite projects that explore the relationship between law and its material infrastructures in the digital age. This includes the transformation of physical spaces into virtual spaces for courts and their archives/data, and the increasing role of automated systems in evidence gathering, decision-making, and the management of administrative data flows and systems, laws relation with the public and media. We particularly seek projects with an interdisciplinary focus across law, critical theory, and critical AI studies. Potential project topics include, but are not limited to; - Data and digital management of Courts - Space and Courts/Virtual Courts - AI and Algorithmic Justice - Automated Decision Making - The Digital Aesthetics of Justice - Law and Archives in the Digital Age - Open Justice and rule of law in the digital era We look forward to innovative projects that address these critical areas, and we are also happy to discuss with candidates, other projects that fit within the above framework. |
CSP2/LE/PhD Law | The role of case law in driving change for disabled students in higher education. Dr Cameron Giles Prof. Nicola Martin Dr Charlotte Clements | The decision of the High Court in University of Bristol v Abrahart [2024] EWHC 299 raises fundamental questions about the role of assessment within Higher Education and the expectations on universities regarding their knowledge of students’ disabilities (De Sabbata and Pearson 2024). As institutions integrate post-Abrahart guidance (EHRC 2024) into institutional processes and practices, research is needed to understand how these developments sit alongside, complement or conflict with broader shifts in UK Higher Education including the changing use of technology within higher education and the acknowledgement of the uneven access this might have dependent on protected characteristics such as disability (Savanta 2024, p.3). This PhD research is intended to build upon existing expertise in law policy and education within the College of Society and Professions and the Building Future Communities research centre. It is envisaged that the project will involve empirical legal and/or educational research, which may take the form of documentary analysis, interviews, stakeholder discussions or other appropriate methods to explore the impact of Abrahart and subsequent developments, such as Meagher v University of Cambridge [2025] EWHC 30, on higher education policy. Given the potential for the impact of Abrahart to be particularly complex in relation to the development of HE provision in disciplines where competency standards deviate from standard HE norms (D’Alton-Harrison 2024), the research may focus on particular disciplines or may take a sector-wide or sub-sector-wide approach. |