Applications Open for Stavros Niarchos Foundation PhD Scholarships in STEAM-focused Research
Applications are open for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation PhD Scholarships. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has awarded a grant of £300,000 to the Royal College of Art to a new STEAM Scholarship & Research Fund that will offer six PhD Scholarships in three new research fields at the RCA: Materials Science, City Design, and Machine Learning.Â
Six outstanding PhD candidates will join the creative postgraduate research community at the RCA to undertake doctoral research that draws together design, scientific and technological fields of enquiry to address key contemporary challenges. The RCA Stravros Niarchos Foundation PhD Scholarships will form a cluster of doctoral researchers who share – and can demonstrate through their research – the values, integrity and sense of social responsibility upheld by both the Foundation and the RCA.
These scholarships will support the first generation of RCA STEAM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) doctoral students, which will build the foundations for the RCA's research activity and capacity in three new fields.
Two Materials Science scholarships will be offered to candidates that propose research that will build upon the College’s previous work in material thinking and design for ageing populations, to develop ways in which design-led research can improve people's lives across a range of social and individual needs.
City Design scholarships are available to two applicants with research proposals that relate to one of the current research themes in the School of Architecture: Intergenerational Cities, Learning Environments, Digitising London, Neighbourhood Transformations and New Communities, and Architecture and Social Movements.
Two Machine Learning scholarships will be awarded to candidates with research proposals that build upon the College’s previous work in the area of robotic perception, mobility and manipulation. Applicants with backgrounds in mechatronics, software, or engineering design are encouraged to apply. Â
The scholarships will cover academic fees for three years as well as provide a tax-free stipend of £7,200 per year for candidates enrolling to start their program in September 2017. The work of the Stavros Niarcos Foundation scholars will directly inform and influence the early years of the College’s new research centres, and fellows will be encouraged to pursue professional integration in the centres. These research centres will be based in the new building at the Battersea, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, and are set to open in 2021.
‘As global concerns with rapid urbanisation, migration and ageing populations grow, the role of artificial intelligence, smart cities and robotics becomes an increasingly and compellingly vibrant area of research,’ explained Dr Catherine Dormor, Head of Research Programmes. ‘In contrast to larger, multi-faculty universities, which have strong STEM arenas, but whose scale and structure often mitigate against art and science collaborations, the RCA's goal is to add the A of STEAM to STEM.’
‘This direction is a world first for an art and design university and one in which we are strategically placed to lead,' continued Dr Dormor. 'We have new research centres opening and in development, which build upon a rich history of industry collaborations. These scholarships will provide funding for highly skilled researchers to work at this vital interface.’
These scholarships are highly competitive and applicants will be selected upon the quality of their application, interview and portfolio of practice. Full application details are available here.
Applications close: Friday 30 June 2017 at 11.59pm
Interviews: Week beginning 18Â June 2017