Applications are invited for a 3-year fully funded (stipend and fees) PhD studentship entitled ‘War, Commemoration and International Relations‘.

This unique PhD studentship is a collaboration between the University of Chester and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). It provides an opportunity to conduct academic research, while also engaging with knowledge exchange and the public presentation of the past. 

The student working on this PhD project will play a key role in helping to realise the CWGC’s strategic mission. Their task is to research the historic foundations of the CWGC’s work in the interconnected realms of international relations and commemoration, giving consideration to the Commission’s past operations and present-day legacies, as well as their continuing relevance to the organisation’s member governments.

This project will be particularly suited to students with a background in Modern History, International Relations, Military History, Social and Cultural History, as well as Memory and Heritage Studies. 

The principal supervisor will be Professor Tim Grady (Professor of Modern European History), who has published numerous histories of war, memory and commemoration in twentieth century Europe. Dr Kara Critchell (Senior Lecturer in History) brings expertise into legacies of conflict and their post-war representation. Dr George Hay (Chief Historian CWGC), who has an intimate knowledge of the CWGC’s archival holdings will also be part of the team.

The studentship will be based in History within the Division of Humanities, Culture and Environment at the University of Chester, but there is no requirement to be resident in or near Chester itself.

More information can be found here: https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/studentships/studentship-details/war-commemoration-and-international-relations.html