An annual PMC Doctoral Scholarship is to be awarded to a UK-based student embarking on doctoral studies in the field of British art history. The scholarship is of the New Narratives set of funding opportunities designed to increase the diversity of perspectives among researchers and students within the field of British art history.
This scholarship is an award of £32,000 per year for three years, and is designed to cover university fees and living costs.
As well as funding, recipients of the scholarship will benefit from mentorship and guidance from Centre staff, from members of the wider British art studies community and from the Early Career Fellows elected under this scheme. In turn, they themselves will be expected to provide guidance and mentorship to the recipients of the MA/MPhil Studentships.
The New Narratives scheme particularly welcomes applications from those who are under-represented within the academic field of the Humanities in the UK.
Applications are now closed, the next round will be Spring 2026.
This is a three-year academic scholarship, specifically designed to support an individual whilst undertaking and completing a PhD in the area of British art history.
Three payments of £32,000 will be allocated to the successful applicant, in the September of each year they are undertaking their PhD programme.
The Centre’s Public Study Room will be open to the individual to use as a working environment if required. The PMC Doctoral Scholar will also be invited to participate in the PMC’s academic events programme, and in the Centre’s life more generally. Longer term, they will form part of a network of awardees who, both during and after their period of funding, will be affiliated with the PMC and who will be encouraged to use the Centre as a base to meet and exchange ideas.
To apply for the PMC Doctoral Scholarship, applicants must:
- Have applied for, or be in receipt of an offer of, a PhD that engages with the histories of British art
- Expect to begin their PhD studies on 1 October of the year in which the scholarship is awarded (deferrals are not permitted)
- Have completed a masters-level qualification or equivalent prior to commencing the PhD
- Be based in the UK (and thus qualify for Home Student status)
In addition to academic background and demonstrated academic achievement, PMC Doctoral Scholarship awards will take into account such factors as an applicant’s:
- Intent to pursue research, activities or a career pathway that contribute to the reframing of British art history and that challenge the received histories of British art
- Demonstrated interest or involvement in such research and issues in their work, community, academic or educational experience
The subject of the PhD, and the organisation where the PhD is to be taken are open and entirely of the candidate’s choosing. Our only stipulation is that the subject of the thesis must fall within the field of British art history, understood in its most diverse and international contexts. The proposed topic of the doctorate should be clearly detailed in the application form.
The successful applicant is expected to begin their PhD programme in October 2025. Scholarships cannot be deferred to later academic years nor can they run concurrently with an award by another organisation.
Individuals who have already started their PhD programme are not eligible to apply.
Individuals applying for this award cannot apply for any other award in the same round of funding.
Applications are now closed, the next round will be Spring 2026.
To apply for this scholarship applicants must use our online system at grants.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk. Once registered you will be able to fill out the online application form (an example of which can be downloaded below), you will also need to provide the details of two referees. Once the application has been submitted, and the references have been received, we will check it to ensure eligibility. All accepted applications will then be read and assessed by our Advisory Council made up of twelve external academics and professionals with relevant expertise (you can find a list of the current members here). Three senior members of Paul Mellon Centre staff also sit on our Advisory Council.
The number of good applications is likely to exceed the funding available, so the Advisory Council are advised to use some or all of the following criteria to help them in making decisions on how best to allocate funding:
- academic rigour
- originality and distinctness in the context of current scholarship
- contribution to scholarship in the longer term
- timeliness, where a project is connected with a particular moment or opportunity
- where a grant would support work in a geographical or cultural context which has not hitherto been supported by PMC
- need, where the research would be unlikely to go ahead without this support
- impact and inclusion, where the research would include voices or reach a broader range of people than have hitherto been represented in the field of British art studies
We also advise applicants to read our FAQ & Guidance webpage before starting their application, our Grant Making Policy and Due Diligence Policy can also be found there.
Please note that this award is part of our New Narratives set of funding opportunities and is designed to increase the diversity of perspectives among scholars within this field as well as encourage new perspectives on British art and visual culture of all periods so do keep this purpose in mind when completing the application.
Decisions made by the Advisory Council will be communicated to all applicants within two months of the application submission date. Given the volume of applications, we cannot guarantee individual feedback if you are unsuccessful. However, we do try to accommodate specific requests. Please email our Grants and Fellowships Manager to request this.
If you have any access requirements or experience any issues using our online grants system (or accessing and filling out the application forms) then please do contact the Grants and Fellowships Manager who will be able to assist you.
As part of the application form, you will need to provide the name and email address of two referees who are willing to submit a short reference (500 words) for you. The referees should have first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s academic career and/or the subject area for which funding is being sought. The Advisory Council would like to be informed of the originality of the subject matter and the applicant’s suitability to pursue such research. These references are an essential part of our due diligence process, and your application cannot proceed to assessment without them.
Once your application is submitted, an automatic email notification will be sent to your referees with a link that allows them to view your application and submit their reference. They will also have the option to decline the request.
The deadline for submitting references will depend on the funding round, but it is generally between 7-10 days after the application closing date. The deadline date will be clearly communicated to you and your referees during the application process. You will receive an email notification when each referee has submitted their reference. Once both references are received, your application will proceed to the assessment round.
For more guidance on the content of the references, please refer to our FAQ & Guidance page.
Please ensure you speak to your referees before including their details in the application form so they are aware of the reference requirement and the deadline. We also recommend submitting your application in advance of the closing date to allow your referees as much time as possible to complete their reference.
Each round, we encounter reference requests that are not received by the intended recipients due to misspelled email addresses. To avoid delays, please double-check that all contact details are entered correctly when submitting your application.
- The successful applicant must provide a 1000-word report of their progress at the end of each academic year.
- The successful applicant must submit a 2500-word final written report within two months of receiving their PhD.
- The full terms and conditions of grant awards can be read here.
This sholarship is normally expected to be a three-year award. However, should a student be enrolled in a part-time Doctoral programme, the Centre will be prepared to consider the possibility of splitting the award over this longer period
Image: Bhajan Hunjan, Dialogue II, 1993, acrylic and embroidery on canvas, 156 x 214 cm. © Bhajan Hunjan