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School of Law and Government
Arpita PhD scholarship

Applications open for PhD Studentship

PhD Studentship

Applications are invited for a four-year PhD, fully-funded through the Irish Research Council. The student will be based at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University with full access to the DCU Library, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Doctoral Hub, and other resources. This PhD position is part of the Project ‘They are Here Too: Gendered Violence in the South Asian Immigrant Community in Post-COVID Ireland’ led by Dr. Arpita Chakraborty.

The position is open for EU citizens and comes with a €18,000 stipend and fully paid fees for four years, flexible work hours, and graduate training and travel expenses for conference presentation. With previously determined work objectives and work plan, it is a unique opportunity to work towards the creation of a community space for migrant women as part of the project. Applications from non-EU citizens are very welcome, but the fees covered will be partial.

As part of the project, the PhD fellow will work along with the PI to achieve the objectives of the project in terms of conference organisation, presentation, publications and other forms of public dissemination. The fellow will co-author and publish articles and edited volumes with the PI, alongside working on their thesis.

About the Project:

The global rise of domestic violence during COVID-19 pandemic has been shocking: if the lockdown continues for 6 months, 31 million additional gender-based violence cases are expected (UNFPA 2020). This project will be the first extensive post-COVID study of Ireland’s fast growing South Asian community and the unique challenges to mitigate gendered violence within it. It will be the first of its kind to create a detailed report on the specificities and unique factors such as caste identities and linguistic barriers, which lead to such violence and also prevent survivors from reaching out for help. The project aims to provide policy recommendations for the Irish government on how to address these issues in a manner sensitive to the needs of a minority community. The project will explore the factors which lead to cases of gender violence in these communities, how women may be disproportionately affected, the reasons behind their hesitancy to seek help and  how the state can make sure these concerns are addressed.

The successful candidate will begin their fellowship from April 2022 and are expected to be normally resident in Dublin for the entire duration of the programme.

About the School of Law and Government:

Dublin City University (DCU) is the fastest growing Public University in Ireland with a student population of over 17,000. It has been consistently ranked in the ‘Top 50 under 50’ young Universities by QS, reflecting its high quality of teaching, its research reputation and level of internationalisation. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest faculty within DCU with a full range of disciplines. The School of Law and Government is the top-ranked school in the University, it is in the top 150 globally for politics in both the QS and Shanghai rankings and it is in the top 300 for Law. This places us as the most consistently high ranked department of political science on the island of Ireland. The School has an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Its host to the longest running MA in International Relations and the only BA in International relations in Ireland.  Graduates are represented at the highest level of government and in international organisations from the UN to the EU.

Essential Qualifications:

  • MA in Politics, Gender Studies, Human Rights, or similar that broadly aligns with the subject of research
  • Knowledge of and fluency in any one of the South Asian languages
  • Understanding of Irish laws on domestic violence and sexual violence
  • Ability to write in English
  • Organisation skills, particularly social events

Desirable Qualifications:

  • Basic knowledge of Irish support networks for domestic violence survivors
  • Basic understanding of the history and culture of South Asia
  • Previous experience of outreach work or creative work with marginalised communities in Ireland.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates belonging to minority ethnic groups, and gender and sexuality minority groups (LGBTQ+), or those in Direct Provision.

Selection Process:

Interested candidates are requested to send their CVs, a cover letter and a 1,000 word research proposal related to the project to Arpita.chakraborty@dcu.ie with the title ‘PhD Application’. The proposal should follow the format as suggested here.

Deadline for application is 17 February 2022, 5pm Irish time.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Contact:

For any query in relation to the project, email to Arpita.chakraborty@dcu.ie