Research at the Institute for German Studies (IGS), which has an outstanding track record of successful PhD supervision, is cross-disciplinary and encompasses the culture, history, politics and economics of Germany in its European context. Established in 1994, we are one of the leading centres in the UK for expertise on contemporary Germany. Our staff and students work across the College of Arts and Law and the College of Social Sciences, underlining our multi-disciplinary outlook, and researching on a wide spectrum of topics, including German cultural and intellectual history, memory studies, collective identities, the public sphere, and German and EU foreign policy.

A central part of the IGS’s mission is to support postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, bringing them together with experienced scholars and exciting international thinkers on Germany and Europe. Postgraduate researchers form an active and vital part of the IGS community and are encouraged to shape our events and activities. IGS alumni hold positions as researchers, lecturers and professors in many leading universities and international institutions.

We invite applications from PhD candidates wishing to pursue advanced research in any area of German Studies, including the following:

-          modern German intellectual history

-          cultural history of war

-          political violence in twentieth-century Germany

-          remembering state socialist dictatorship

-          GDR cultural and literary history

-          the role of Germany in Europe and the world

-          European identities

-          European public sphere

-          Euroscepticism

-          German and European foreign policy

The IGS belongs to a worldwide network of twenty Centres for German and European Studies supported by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). IGS students and doctoral researchers interact and network with their counterparts at other DAAD Centres during postgraduate conferences, summer schools and study trips. They also have the opportunity to conduct research at other DAAD Centres, and many benefit from DAAD studentships to carry out research in Germany. IGS funding is available for postgraduate students to attend academic conferences and conduct fieldwork.

Fully-funded PhD studentships at the IGS for entry in October 2018 are available from both the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The application process for the studentships differs slightly by Research Council, and also depends on the disciplinary focus of your research.

Please contact Dr Charlotte Galpin ([log in to unmask]) in the first instance with a brief expression of interest. We will then guide you through the application process.

Please contact us by 1^st December 2017 to ensure that your application can be completed in time for the AHRC and ESRC deadlines.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender identity, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.