About us
Over the past twelve years the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, based in the History Department, has succeeded in making the history of slavery more widely known in Britain by building a publicly accessible evidence base. Our collective and individual publications have been a major part of our analysis of this material and added greatly to public and scholarly knowledge on British slavery.
Our database on the compensation payments of £20 million made to British slave-owners for the loss of their human property after emancipation in 1834 has contributed monumentally to the national conversation on slavery, rights, justice, empire, memorialization and how we reckon with uncomfortable truths. We have also completed a second project on the structure and significance of slave ownership, by linking slave-owners to Caribbean estates for the period 1763-1833 and connecting them to cultural, political, industrial, imperial and religious activities in Britain.
Our Centre is now embarking on a larger and pivotal phase of research on the experiences of enslaved people in the Caribbean. Through a fulsome and rigorous analysis of the extant slave registers, this research project will offer details on the lives of the men, women and children who made the British sugar empire function. This will be joined to our earlier work to provide the most expansive, publicly available data on British imperial slavery. For current work of the Centre, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs.
About the role
The Scholarship
In this funded 4-year doctoral studentship the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with academics from the Centre and benefit from involvement in our public engagement activities. This is one of two new related scholarships funded by a generous donation to explore the legacies of Transatlantic slavery in Britain and the issue of reparations, with a particular focus on the Caribbean.
This scholarship centres on a trans-Atlantic historical investigation of legacies of the history of British slavery and abolition in Britain and/or the Caribbean for a doctoral project. Based within the Department of History, the student will be expected to collaborate closely with UCL’s School of European Languages, Culture and Society – Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (SELCS-CMII), where the other scholarship and the second supervisor will be based. They will also have the opportunity to engage with the postgraduate research culture within the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism & Racialisation (SPRC)
The project will involve overseas fieldwork.
We're inviting applications from eligible candidates for a full-time PhD studentship, fully funded for 4 years to commence 1st October 2025
Interviews: w/c 14th July
For further details about postgraduate research in the History Department at UCL see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/history
PhD Supervision
Primary Doctoral supervision will be undertaken by Professor Matthew Smith, Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery (Department of History) and secondary supervision by Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Associate Professor of Film, Culture and Society (SELCS).
The student will participate in the Research Training programme in the department and will have the opportunity to contribute to the research and public engagement activities which form an important part of both the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery and SELCS.
About you
Eligibility
Candidates should have completed a relevant MA and must fulfil the normal academic requirements for acceptance for postgraduate study at UCL.
We are looking for a Black Caribbean Non-UK Domiciled student with relevant training in history, particularly of Britain and Empire in the 18th- 20th centuries. The design and launch of this scholarship has included an equality impact assessment to identify potential impacts on equality, and advance equality of opportunity and access. Other forms of financial support are available at UCL that do not have criteria restrictions.
What we offer
Funding
The studentship will be full-time and run for 4 years from October 2025. The scholarship will cover full-time tuition of international student fees at the Doctoral Level, plus a Stipend of £22,780.00 for first year with increases for subsequent years, International Student Visa fees and the International Health Surcharge fee. There is also funding for additional research expenses, including for overseas fieldwork.
How to Apply
Please DO NOT apply via the "Apply Now" button.
Please submit the application via the UCL admissions portal and list Prof. Matthew J. Smith as the name of the proposed supervisor. You should also upload a writing sample e.g. undergraduate dissertation, MA essay to your application.
For academic enquiries relating to the studentship, please contact Prof. Matthew J. Smith [email protected] .
For enquiries about the application process please contact Carole Tilsley, Postgraduate Research Administrator [email protected]
Closing date for applications: Monday 7th July 2025.
Interview: Week commencing Monday 14th July 2025.
Applications that are submitted without following the correct application process will not be considered.
