About this role
Social Policy sits within the School of Social Sciences, and the Department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy. The Department is also home to the Centre for Social Change, which hosts regular seminars by both Swansea academics, collaborators and other academics across the globe. Swansea University hosts the ESRC Administrative Data Research Centre (Wales), which facilitates access to linked, de-identified administrative data in a secure environment.
Social Care and Social Work sit within the School of Health and Social Care, and is home to the award-winning DEEP initiative, devoted to devising new forms of participatory evidence-gathering, in ways suited to informing policy.
The Social Policy and Social Work teams are interested in supervising PhD work across the domains of the subjects. Particular areas of research expertise include:
Inequalities and social justice Poverty The politics of social welfare Relations between the state and civil society Advocacy Ageing Disability studies Devolution Ethical issues in social policy Children and children’s right The family Communities and social care The social policy roles of the third sector Co-production Service outcomes for children, young people and families The rights of excluded groups (e.g. Asylum seekers, romanai and traveller families) Inclusive practices in social care research Experiences of the care system Experiences of care-leavers Sexuality and social care Safeguarding and child protection Older people
Funding Comment
The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees and an annual tax-free living stipend in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £20,780 for 2025/26). Students also have access to a Research Training Support Grant.
If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)