PhD studentship in Creative Writing
Overview
- Qualification type: PhD
- Subject area: Creative Writing
- Location/Campus: Hatfield, College Lane campus
- Start date: 1 October 2025
- Closing application date: Friday 20 June 2025
- Duration: 3 years, full time
The School of Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire is inviting applications for the Dr Gboyega Odubanjo PhD Studentship for Black Writers.
The poet Gboyega Odubanjo was studying for his PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire when he tragically died in 2023. Gboyega had received an Eric Gregory Award, New Poets’ Prize and the Michael Marks Award. His full-length collection, Adam, was published by Faber in 2024, and shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot poetry prize. He was awarded his PhD posthumously in 2024.
Gboyega’s family and friends have set up the Gboyega Odubanjo Foundation for low-income Black writers, but as a university we also wanted to honour the legacy of Gboyega, both his writing and his ethic of nurturing others.
This three-year studentship entails a tuition fee waiver and maintenance grant. You will receive PhD supervision from members of our Literature and Creative Writing team.
Project outline
While Gboyega’s practice was principally poetry, this studentship is open to Black writers working in any genre—poetry, prose (fiction, nonfiction), or drama (screen, stage). We have expertise in each of these areas as well as broader Literary Studies. Please look at our webpages for more information on our research and teaching.
Applicants are encouraged to get in touch with the department to have a short online meeting with a member of the Literature and Creative Writing team. You can do this before submitting a formal proposal so that we can support you through that process. We know that there are many obstacles to higher level academic study, so want to make the application as transparent as possible.
The studentship applications will be reviewed by members of the Literature and Creative Writing Group, and the strongest proposals will be invited to interview. Please note that we will follow the University’s commitment to diverse interview panels.
Supervisors
We have diverse supervisory expertise in English Literature and Creative Writing.
Entry requirements
- to apply for this studentship, you must hold a good honours degree (2:1 or above) and a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Essential).
Eligibility
To apply for this scholarship, you must:
- be permanently resident in the UK and have UK Home fee status
- hold an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline
- self-identify as a Black student.
How to apply
Applicants must submit:
- a completed application form
- a sample of creative writing
- a 2000-word research proposal – while there is no set template for a proposal, it should largely contain the following:
- a proposed title
- an outline of both the creative component and the critical commentary that goes alongside it – e.g., an outline of the poetry collection or novel; and an outline of the commentary that situates your work in a larger context
- research questions
- a bibliography of indicative secondary reading you will engage with
- a rough timeline of writing.
- two references – at least one of these should be academic, though one can be of a writing mentor. References must be sent direct from the referee to the Doctoral College
- copies of qualification certificates and transcripts
- certification of English language competence (minimum IELTS 6.5 or equivalent) for candidates for whom English is not their first language.
Please send your application to the Doctoral College. You should indicate that you wish to be considered for the Gboyega Odubanjo Scholarship in the subject line of the email.
For general enquiries regarding research degrees at the University of Hertfordshire, please email the Doctoral College.
For advice on this studentship and on the application process, please contact Dr Laura Mee, Research Tutor for the School of Creative Arts or Dr Chris Lloyd.
Funding information
Full tuition fee waiver for three years and a stipend each year at UK Research Council rates, which for 2025-2026 will be £20,780 .