Collaborative PhDs

Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards

We are delighted to announce that The National Archives has been awarded a total of 16 Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Awards (CDLA), funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

CDLAs are PhD studentships jointly supervised by heritage organisations and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) based in the UK. Studentships will start in October 2027. ​

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.

The National Archives’ CDLA projects are characterised by:

• Excellent research
• A high-quality training environment
• A focus on student experience

In addition to this, the aims of The National Archive's CDLAs are to:​

• Pursue unique and interdisciplinary research to further our Research Vision and organisational strategy
• Unlock our iconic archival collection for the benefit of new and existing audiences
• Innovate our practice in ways that will deliver practical benefit to us and the wider archives 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

We will be opening our call for expressions of interest for potential HEI co-supervisors to our shortlisted CDLA projects for 2027 in the early autumn.

Collaborative Doctoral Opportunities

The National Archives is pleased to work with a number of UK HEIs on other collaborative doctoral opportunities and projects which speak to our Research Vision and organisational strategy.

Doctoral Training Partnerships

The National Archives is pleased to be a member of several Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs). These are a 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.

Keep up to date with news about our PhDs