Collaborative PhDs

Doctoral Training Partnerships

The National Archives is pleased to be a member of several Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). These are consortia of research organisations offering innovative doctoral training, funded by block grants.

The National Archives is a formal partner in three DTPs:

• London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) 
• Techne
• White Rose Consortium for the Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH)

We contribute to these partnerships through providing training and studentships, and by supporting student placements.

Our current students

Meet our current doctoral students and find out more about their research.

Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships

The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales. It is also an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) and fulfils a leadership role for the wider archive sector.

Working with PhD students is an integral part of The National Archives' Research Vision and thought leadership. PhD studentships allow us to increase capacity for focused and innovative research in areas of strategic importance.

What are Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships?

Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDPs) are PhD studentships jointly supervised by heritage organisations and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The National Archives has four CDP studentships available which will be starting in the academic year 2026-27.

The aims of The National Archives’ CDPs are to:

• Pursue unique and interdisciplinary research to further our Research Vision.
• Unlock our iconic archival collection for the benefit of existing and new audiences.
• Innovate our practice in ways that will deliver practical benefit to us and to the wider archive sector.
• Equip students with the skills and knowledge needed for future careers in the cultural heritage sector.
• Make a distinctive contribution to the broader field of arts and humanities research

Current PhD Opportunities

The making of The National Archive: The first century of the Public Record Office

This fully-funded history PhD project will research the first 100 years of the UK's Public Record Office, in anticipation of its bicentenary in 2038.

This PhD is an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in history, archive studies, and heritage.

The PhD is a collaboration between the University of Leeds and The National Archives. The student will be expected to spend time at both The National Archives and the University of Leeds, as well as becoming part of the wider cohort of CDP funded students across the UK under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme.

Surfacing and sharing visual design records through AI-driven datasets

Millions of design records sit in archives across the UK, spanning decades of British design, manufacturing and creativity. Most have never been digitised, and the connections between them have never been made. This PhD addresses this challenge.

Working across The National Archives and the University of Brighton Design Archives, the PhD will design and implement AI and machine learning workflows that enable comparative analysis linking objects, manufacturers, and locations — with trust, transparency, and participatory design at the heart of the methodology.

The student will be expected to spend time at both The National Archives and the University of Brighton, as well as becoming part of the wider cohort of CDP funded students across the UK under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme.

Keep up to date with news about our PhDs