The Open University is part of the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership. Find out more about this partnership and the application process via the OOC-Studentship Funding page.

What we offer

Each student is supported by at least two supervisors as well as by a strong programme of university-wide and DTP-based training in research skills. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in a lively research culture and to contribute to seminar programmes, conferences and workshops. The Open University offers excellent provision for new PhD students and is highly rated in the national Postgraduate Research Experience Survey; see the prospectus online.

Subject areas

The department’s research covers a wide range of topics and showcases the diversity that Classical Studies has to offer. While we are proud of our success in producing research on traditional literary, archaeological and historical topics, we also play a leading role in shaping new or interdisciplinary fields such as digital classics and reception. The department fosters an ambitious and supportive research environment and encourages collaborations within The Open University and beyond. We have a successful track record in winning external research funding and leading large-scale collaborative research projects like the Classical Reception Studies Network, the Herodotus Hestia project, and the linked open data project Pelagios, which is constituted of over 40 online data partners, including the British Library, Perseus and the German Archaeological Institute. Classical Studies has also established and hosts two international peer-reviewed e-journals: New Voices in Classical Reception Studies, which showcases the work of early career researchers and scholars new to this field, and Practitioners’ Voices in Classical Reception Studies, which provides a forum for anyone involved in creative practices to discuss the relationship between their work and the classical texts, themes and contexts on which they draw.

Applications should be made in the subject areas of Archaeology and/or Classics. We would particularly welcome applications that map onto our research strengths in:

• Ancient material religion
• Ancient and modern receptions of antiquity
• Digital and spatial classics
• Greek and Latin texts
• Greek and Roman material culture
• Pedagogy of classic teaching
• The ancient body and the senses

For more information, see our Staff page for their respective research interests.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP studentship, please see our information page. You will find all the necessary information, forms and guidance to apply for the studentship on the OOC website. You will need to apply to do a research degree (see how to apply) and complete the OOC Application Form by the deadline of midday 9 January 2024.

Interviews for admission will take place online soon after the deadline. OOC applications will then be considered by the faculty on a competitive basis and selected applications forwarded to OOC panels for further assessment and ranking. For full details including eligibility, please see the OOC website.

Enquiries

We encourage potential candidates to contact us as soon as possible to discuss their research plans. Informal enquiries should be made in the first instance to the Classical Studies department’s Postgraduate Co-ordinators, Dr Jasmine Hunter Evans and Dr Marchella Ward .