Anglo-Hellenic PhD Studentships (three available)
Overview
This is a unique opportunity to gain a PhD through conducting empirical research on a topic
of importance to Greek society, business, or policy. Funded in partnership with the Athens
Institute of Education and Research (ATINER) and Stirling Management School, three
successful candidates will receive a yearly stipend of 10,000 euro (provided by ATINER)
plus yearly tuition fees (worth a further 4,500 euro per year). The candidates will be based in
both Stirling, UK, and Athens, Greece. Students will be part of the Anglo-Hellenic PhD
Community. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside leading British and Greek
academics, gain experience of two cultures, conduct research of national importance, and
develop a genuinely European approach to research.
What is the Anglo-Hellenic Doctoral Community?
The Anglo-Hellenic doctoral community brings together a range of expertise from Scotland
and Greece in order to support the development of talented doctoral students who wish to
engage in empirical research in Greece. Such a community offers opportunities, that
otherwise may not be available, to study at a leading UK University and thus benefit from
international input into better understanding issues of importance to Greece.
Students will spend a minimum of 30% of the period of their doctoral studies based at
Stirling Management School (http://www.stir.ac.uk/management/), University of Stirling,
Scotland, which is recognised for producing internationally excellent research into
understanding and developing business, management, and the wider society. Stirling
Management School will provide academic supervision, high quality facilities, post-graduate
research training, and academic standards and validation. Students, following successful
completion, will gain the internationally recognised PhD in Management from the University
of Stirling.
Students will spend the remainder of their study time in Athens, gaining experience in a
range of research activities. The Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER)
(www.atiner.gr) supports the Anglo Hellenic community through academic expertise and
supervision offered by its director Dr Gregory T. Papanikos and through stipendiary support
via a scholarship fund.
The creation of an Anglo-Hellenic Doctoral Community has six central objectives and related
outcomes:
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To offer opportunities to exceptional students who wish to study at a leading UK
university whilst engaging in empirical research in Greece.
To create a community of early-career scholars that is supported by two researchbased institutions – ATINER in Greece and Stirling Management School in the UK –
thus providing a strong network for supporting for research of distinction leading to a
successful completion of doctoral theses.
To produce innovative research that will be of importance to the academic, policy and
business communities in Greece, UK, Europe and beyond.
To establish lifelong networks of collaboration between the UK and Greece
To create flows of knowledge exchange.
To build the next generation of leading academics, policy makers and business
leaders with a pan-European outlook.
Studying for a PhD at Stirling Management School
PhD students will be expected to pursue structured and supervised research into one of the
many business-related fields in which Stirling Management School has expertise. Students
will be expected to propose and produce innovative research that is both (a) of importance to
the academic, policy and business communities in Greece, UK, Europe and beyond, and (b)
consistent with the research specialisms of Stirling Management School.
Stirling Management School research is based around distinct divisions (Management, Work
and Organisation; Marketing and Retail; Economics; Accounting and Finance), and several
cross-cutting specialist research centres. The School’s collective research strategy
consciously focuses research on niche and specialist areas, explicitly delivering worldleading academic and societal impacts. The overall aim is to continually seek effective ways
of managing the world’s resources so as to improve business, society and lives through
academic excellence. This research positioning relative to other management/business
schools is distinctive in its emphasis on responsible leadership, effective organisations and
sustainable societies, a perspective that has been called for in business/management
schools as a matter of urgency but that has not been delivered elsewhere. Although we
might expect growing interest in this agenda, and despite its especial resonance with
Scottish society, it is not a position that any other management school in the UK occupies.
As such, Stirling Management School offers an ideal environment in which to conduct
research that will be of relevance to Greek society. This description only provides a very
general overview of the school, which has specialists in many other areas, and potential
applications
are
strongly
advised
to
carefully
read
the
website
(http://www.stir.ac.uk/management/), including staff profiles, to consider what research
questions might best both represent a key contribution to understanding Greece and also
make most use of the research expertise within Stirling Management School.
Administration
Successful candidates offered a place to study as part of the Anglo-Hellenic Doctoral
Community will be registered at the University of Stirling, initially as MPhil candidates, being
upgraded to PhD candidate status following satisfactory performance in the first 10 months.
Students would be expected to abide by, and be subject to, the normal regulations and
policies of the University of Stirling, and the Centre for Graduate Research in Management,
in Stirling Management School, where students will be based. These policies include
specified activities in which students are expected to participate. Acceptance criteria,
acceptable progress of study, and examination will be the same as for all other students,
according to the very high standards of Stirling Management School. Acceptance on the
course is not a guarantee of an award of a PhD, in common with all UK universities
(although the school has a high success rate, and the aspiration is that all students will
successfully complete their doctoral studies). The expected research period for a full-time
PhD is 3 years. During this period, candidates will be expected to produce an extended
thesis, demonstrating evidence of their capacity to pursue scholarly research that is
reflective and offers critical insight into an under-researched area. The results of their
research should make an original contribution to knowledge and be of a standard
appropriate for dissemination and publication to a wide audience. The aspiration is that all
PhD students at Stirling Management School will produce at least three papers from their
doctorate which will be published in high impact international quality academic journals,
developing the research base of their field as well as a strong personal record of
achievement.
As networking and knowledge exchange activities will be at the heart of the Anglo-Hellenic
Doctoral Community’s activities, students will also be expected to submit papers to
international academic conferences in years two and three, and also to present and attend
the ATINER conferences that take place every summer in Athens as a means of regularly
networking with academics from all over the world. Special seminars and workshops will also
be held at ATINER covering methodological issues, and the European business and
economic environment.
As a condition of receiving the stipend, students will additionally gain experience with
projects through providing research assistance for ATINER (such as supporting ongoing
projects and the conference organisation and operation).
The normal fees of £3900 GBP will be waived by the School for successful candidates.
Three successful scholarships will further receive a stipend of 10,000 euros per year from a
total scholarship fund of 90,000 euros over a period of three years. All living costs (including
accommodation and subsistence in both countries) as well as all travel (including between
the UK and Greece) will be the responsibility of the student and applicants should be sure
that they can support themselves on the stipend.
Eligibility and Competition
To be a member of Anglo-Hellenic Doctoral Community, at a minimum, candidates will have
to have a keen personal interest in the topic they will be researching, an interest in the
process and outputs of research, and a strong academic background as demonstrated by;
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A first degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 and above, i.e. GPA 3.2 or better/ a GMAT
score of 600 or above.
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A Master's degree with a significant research component in the Social Sciences (and
associated disciplines) or applied economics, with grades at Merit and Distinctions
levels. Evidence is also required that a candidate’s English proficiency is adequate
for high level academic study. Leading UK universities ask for an IELTS balanced
test score of at least 7.0. If candidates are unable to take the IELTS then an IB
TOEFL score of at least 100 may be accepted. A Cambridge Proficiency Certificate
in English (grade C) may also be accepted. Oral language skills will also be
assessed at interview Two References – one must be from someone who can vouch
for academic ability.
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Two References - one of which must be from someone able to vouch for the
candidate’s academic ability.
The studentship comparisons will involve at least two rounds. In the first round, candidates
will be shortlisted by (a) their academic qualifications, as indicated by their CV, and (b) a
1,000 word statement in English. The statement should be structured under three headings,
each of approximately 330 words; (a) "motivation" , explaining both the candidates
motivation for undertaking a PhD as well as critically why they would want to be part of this
particular scheme; (b) "research outline", giving an indication of the research basic research
question, why this is an original contribution to knowledge, and what methods the research
will use, and (c) how the proposed research fits within the specialities of Stirling
Management School. Short-listed candidates will be initially interview by Dr Gregory
Papanikos (Director of ATINER) and Professor Sharon Bolton (Head of Stirling Management
School).
Details of the second stage will be e-mailed to those who have been selected from the first
short list. At this stage candidates will be expected to provide a much fuller proposal of the
planned research (2,000 word minimum) on which they may get guidance from their
potential supervisor. Final selection will be based on the excellence of this proposal as well
as an interview.
Application
Enquiries and applications for the first stage (including CVs and statement) should be made
to phdprogram@atiner.gr, and will be considered by Gregory T. Papanikos, Director,
ATINER, senior co-ordinating people at the University of Stirling, and their representatives.
Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by Dr Papanikos (ATINER) and Professor Sharon
Bolton (Head of Stirling Management School) before moving to the 2nd stage of full
preparation of proposal.
Self-funded option
Anglo-Hellenic Studentships are very prestigious and highly competitive. As a result, not all
suitable candidates can be awarded a stipend. Shortlisted candidates who are not awarded
one of the three scholarships but who submit an excellent proposal may be offered a PhD
place and full membership of the Anglo-Hellenic community if they are able to support
themselves without the stipend (and can produce evidence to this effect). Such candidates
may also exceptionally be offered a full waiver of fees. Candidates should indicate clearly on
their applications whether they would want to be considered for such a place (which will in
no way affect the judging of their application for a stipend).