What is a SENSS student-led studentship?

Students work on a research project they have come up with themselves.

They will be guided in this work by an expert academic supervisory team.

The project may involve working with a collaborative partner (for example, a business, charity or think tank) who provides researchers with access to data, equipment or participants for a study, additional funding for their studentship, an additional supervisor, and/or a placement.

What are we looking for?

Interesting research ideas that will provide new knowledge in their academic field and may also help to address the major challenges facing Britain and the world.

A good match between applicant researchers and their proposed university and supervisors.

We are especially keen to receive applications from those who meet that form part of SENSS's equality and diversity policy, such as being from a particular ethnic background, having grown up in a less affluent area, having a disability, being a carer, and/or having been in care as a child. If you qualify as a “Home” student and come from one of these backgrounds, you will have the option of indicating this in the equal opportunities form that is part of our online application process. We aim to award a number of studentships to applicants coming from these backgrounds.

SENSS positively encourages applications from talented students holding undergraduate degrees only. If you are successful, you will receive financial support to do a Masters as well as your PhD.

We are also keen to receive applications which fall under the headings of Data Skills or Advanced Quantative Methods (AQM). SENSS ring-fences six studentships across these two areas each year and so, if your project is Data Skills or AQM-based, please highlight this in your application.

Data Skills studentships refer to the use of large datasets, linked administrative datasets ( - Administrative Data Research UK, which is part of the ESRC) and/or big data methods and associated innovative analytical methods.  

AQM-steered studentships would feature one or more of the following: the development and use of advanced statistical methods; the use of large-scale datasets; the use and analysis of ‘big data’.

For further information on what constitutes a Data Skills or AQM-based application, please click .

At a glance

  • Funding valueThe scholarship is reviewed annually so please see the for details.
  • Suitable for Applicants fromDoctoral research for students
  • DeadlineOn going
  • Funding provider(s)UKRI via SENSS

What it covers

This scholarship is reviewed annually, please check the for details. 

Who can apply

To apply, students must be an offer holders from Cranfield university 

Applicable courses

Further information

This competition will typically opens in September and closes in January for courses beginning the following autumn.

For more information please visit the

How to apply

Once you have identified the academic with whom you wish to work and secured an offer to study at Cranfield, you can apply using their online .