Applications are invited for a fully funded three-year PhD to commence in October 2026
This exciting PhD studentship, and the pioneering Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green project, are funded by . ‘Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green’ seeks to understand the role of local knowledge and the past and present-day impact of the maritime industry and globalisation on communities in the Global South. The advertised PhD programme will focus on the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, and is one of four PhDs to be funded by the project.
The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, in the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures (PCMC) and in partnership with the AEGIS Centre (Advancement of Equality, Gender, and Inclusion Studies), and will be supervised by Dr Melanie Bassett, Professor Tamsin Bradley, and Professor Brad Beaven. Additional mentorship will be offered by our academic partners at the and , Kenya.
This doctoral-level research programme will involve a cross-disciplinary study that combines historical research with contemporary social scientific data collection. The project focuses on the historical, contemporary, and future significance of urban-maritime cultures and communities in a global context, aligning with PCMC's key research themes. The study will compare the port of Mombasa, Kenya, during the transition from sail to steam power in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with present-day measures to integrate decarbonisation technology.
By collaborating with academics, creative practitioners, funders, and local community groups, the project will explore the relationships between urban and maritime spaces and aim to incorporate local voices into the research.
This exciting opportunity includes an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26), a generous travel allowance for the student to conduct national and international research, and a ‘community engagement fund’ to enable the student to co-produce impactful responses to the historical research and current challenges associated with energy transition.
Costs for student visa and immigration health surcharge may be covered. For further guidance and advice visit our international and EU students ‘Visa FAQs’ page.
This funded PhD is only open to new students who do not hold a previous doctoral-level qualification.
For more information, entry requirements and application details, please visit the dedicated PhD studentship page.
Deadline: 6 March 2026