PhDs and Masters

We support research at post-graduate and doctoral level. This can range from making data and information available to support projects, to being full partners on a project and contributing to a supervisory team.  

You can learn about some of the options available below, and read features about some of the projects we've supported in the past.  

Through our IRO status we hold a joint award with other Scottish cultural and heritage organisations to support PhD studentships through the AHRC's Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme.

CDPs act as a bridge between universities and the heritage sector by supporting applied research into a topic of interest to a museum, archive, library, or heritage organisation. By undertaking research that neither we nor a university could undertake alone, these studentships significantly advance our knowledge and practice.

We identify priorities for CDP research each year, and put out an open call for topics to address these. Each proposal requires a university academic and a Historic Environment Scotland member of staff to act as co-supervisors. Proposals are assessed first by an internal panel at HES, and successful applications are put forward to a full review panel of the Scottish Cultural Heritage Consortium which decides which studentships to fund.

Find out more about CDPs

Apart from CDP, there are various ways for doctoral students or post-doctoral researchers to partner with us. Funded by AHRC or various academic organisations, these programmes provide opportunities for researchers to develop their skills and experiences, and build a career pathway through and beyond their internships and fellowships.

SGSAH’s Internships and Artist Residencies scheme

Funded by Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities, this programme provides opportunities for doctoral students studying in a Scottish HEI to work with us and undertake research on certain topics.

More about the programme

AHRC Early Career Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions

Funded by AHRC, this is a pilot programme aiming to offer funding opportunities to early career researchers to work with the cultural and heritage sector. The scheme aims to support post-doctoral researchers to take up a position within an IRO, undertake research in a certain topic to support the research priorities of the IRO, and gain relevance experience that can advance their career pathway. Our research project A Community-centred Approach to the Climate Emergency is funded under this scheme.

More about the fellowship

A Community-centred Approach to the Climate Emergency