Read more about collaborative PhDs at The National Archives, where researchers use our collections to generate new knowledge and insights.
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:
In addition to this, the aims of The National Archive's CDLAs are to:
Our AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award projects are open for expressions of interest from potential UK HEI co-supervisors.
For October 2027 entry, we will be funding a maximum of five PhD projects.
Details of each project, how to submit your EOI, and eligibility criteria can be found below.
Please follow the links below to find out more about the CDLA projects currently open for collaboration.
This project will produce the first history of the creation, collection, interpretation and use of government mental health statistics in England and Wales from the foundation of the NHS in 1948 to the early twenty-first century.
Digital Transformation and Community Memory This PhD project will examine how the landscape of religious archives across the UK has changed since the 2010 Religious Archives Survey and identify the strategic interventions needed to safeguard, diversify and sustain these collections in a rapidly changing social and digital environment.
This PhD project will examine how a Linked Data model about governmental departments’ evolution over time can be utilised to explore areas of interests for policymakers and academics, including shifts in departmental responsibility and the balance of power between local and central government.
This project takes a new approach to the history of twentieth-century science by utilising British Council and Foreign Office records.
This PhD addresses a critical skills gap by using the Dixon-Scott Collection to develop an innovative approach to activating photographic heritage in the present.
This PhD project will investigate what happens when public inquiries become public archives, by examining the processes by which operational inquiries are transferred, catalogued, and made available to the public.
This project will utilise a broad selection of archival material in national and regional collections, especially family papers, manorial documents and urban government records, to develop new knowledge and insight into the production and storage of war material in manors, towns, castles, granaries, and manufactories.
This PhD will investigate how artificial intelligence (AI), Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), knowledge management systems, similarity checking and other data-driven approaches can support more consistent, scalable and trusted sensitivity review of digital records selected for transfer to The National Archives.
Potential co-supervisors must:
EOI form
Please submit your expression of interest using this form. The closing date for receiving EOIs is 17.00 on Friday 9th October 2026.
A member of the Research Impact, Culture and Engagement Team will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your EOI after the closing date.
Successful proposed co-supervisors will be invited to develop a full PhD project proposal collaboratively with The National Archives’ supervisory team. A webinar will be offered on Thursday 15th October 2026 to support applicants.
The deadline for full CDLA project proposals is 17.00 on Monday 7th December 2026.
CDLA proposals are assessed by a panel of internal and external experts on the following criteria (on a scale of 1-5):
What innovative contribution will this project make to The National Archives and its areas of work?
How does the research fit with The National Archives’ strategic objectives, priorities and research themes as outlined in our Research Vision?
Is there staff capacity at The National Archives to supervise the project? Is this a suitable project for a PhD and can it be completed within the timeframe?
Why does this need to be a collaborative project and how does this collaboration add value to The National Archives’ research portfolio?
How will the CDLA project enable the student to develop their skills?
How will this project promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in its research and supervision?
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:
We contribute to these partnerships through providing training and studentships, and by supporting student placements.
Meet our current doctoral students and find out more about their research.