‘Water Stories: capturing, mapping and sharing stories and imagined futures in the Forth Water Basin’ – – A prestigious, fully-funded, 4-year PhD studentship linked to an exciting, ground-breaking £5m UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership

This exciting and prestigious PhD Studentship, fully funded by the University of Stirling, will consider how to understand people’s connection with the cultural and natural heritage around water in the Forth Water Basin. We are especially keen to make visible, audible and tangible the narratives and experiences that may have been overlooked or marginalised.

Everywhere in the world people depend on water. Its resources and assets, including rivers and lochs, provide essential ‘goods’ and ‘services’ for the economy, society, communities and individuals. Water is also a key component of place and personal identity – strongly connected to landscape and heritage. But water can also be a threat to livelihoods, property, health and wellbeing – through pollution, flood or drought. As a result, people and communities have many interesting stories to tell about their past, present or imagined future relationships with water.

Do you want to contribute to our high-profile and cutting-edge research on these issues as part of an interdisciplinary team? If so, this studentship will appeal to you.

The studentship is linked with a ground-breaking £5m UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnership project. This major Partnership, called ‘FORTH2O’, involves seven Universities/Institutes, and over eighty stakeholder partners (including Scottish Government, Scottish Water, SEPA, Scottish Canals, Forth Ports, City Region Deals, Local Authorities, Health Boards, FE Colleges, Innovation Centres, and Chambers of Commerce, alongside numerous national agencies and organisations, environmental charities and community organisations).

This important PhD project will focus on people living, working and visiting the Forth Water Basin, gathering, mapping and sharing the rich narratives, history, and experiences of their lived experiences and imagined futures with regard to water and water resources. The PhD will aim to:

A) examine how stories can connect us with water environments and how they can enrich our experiences of ‘place’, both now and in the future

B) foster a deeper connection with the cultural and natural heritages of water in the FWB region

C) develop strategies for engagement and critique to capture broader cultural narratives, inclusive involvement and access

D) work with communities and arts-based partners and be underpinned by an ethos of knowledge exchange that promotes shared learning

E) support colleagues within the FORTH2O partnership in showing how the outputs from these interventions contribute to the wider policy process.

The successful candidate will draw on a range of relevant research frameworks and methodologies in the construction of this research, which they will be expected to shape with support from the supervisory team. We anticipate a collaborative co-designed digital media project via a GIS-linked ‘Story Map’. People’s stories could be historical or contemporary, and be represented through any form of creative media (including audio, videos, images). Selected stories, curated objects and artefacts will be combined to develop participants’ imagined water futures through the novel idea of a ‘Museum of Tomorrow’ (MoT), in which physical objects and artefacts will be curated from partner organisations, and workshops carried out wit0h local artist facilitators.

This PhD project will align new creative thinking, build an exciting new contribution for policy innovation, and provide a significant and timely contribution to knowledge – not only within the FORTH2O Partnership, but potentially across the UK and internationally.

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Supervisors

Dr. Katherine Champion (Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Arts and Humanities and FORTH2O Work Task lead for cultural and natural heritage) [email protected]

Prof. Richard Simmons (Professor of Public and Social Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences and LPIP/FORTH2O project lead) [email protected]

NB. The successful candidate will also benefit from working with other academic colleagues and stakeholder partners across the whole Partnership in developing, enriching and applying their research. 

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Essential Attributes:

• Master’s degree (awarded at Merit or above) in a relevant academic discipline
• Strong motivation, with evidence of independent research skills relevant to the project
• Competent in discipline-specific conceptual knowledge
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Creativity and versatility
• Good time management
• Willingness and ability to work as part of a team within the wider FORTH₂O Project

Desirable Attributes:

• Award of Distinction in Master’s degree
• Knowledge and/or experience of relevant arts-based or stakeholder engagement projects
• Knowledge of fundamental social science research methods
• Knowledge of GIS mapping software applications (e.g. ArcGIS)
• Knowledge and/or experience of qualitative data collection and analysis

Application Procedure:

Please send the following documents with the e-mail title ‘FORTH₂O Water Stories PhD Studentship’ to [email protected] by the closing date 26th August 2024 (NB. Indicative interview date 5^th September 2024);

(1)  An up-to-date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information.

(2)  Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. If your Master’s degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.

(3)  The names and contact details of two academic referees, one of which should be your Master’s dissertation supervisor. Referees will not be contacted unless you are invited to interview.

(4)  A supporting statement of a maximum of 1500 words in two sections:

o  Your motivation for applying for this studentship

o  How your previous experience will support you in developing this PhD project, with regard to the essential/desirable attributes listed above

NB. A full PhD Proposal is NOT required.

The studentship will be based at the University of Stirling. The University is situated on a beautiful 330-acre campus just outside the historic city of Stirling. The campus offers a peaceful yet stimulating environment with everything you need for a good work-life balance. It boasts sports, academic, entertainment and cultural facilities as well as a loch, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and an 18-century castle. In the Faculty of Arts and Humanities you’ll discover a welcoming and supportive learning environment that will equip you with all you need to make a significant difference in the world.

We are committed to creating a workplace that promotes and values diversity. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this studentship further, please contact Dr. Katherine Champion ([email protected]).