James McCune Smith Scholarships

In 2021, and as a response to the URTUC report, the College of Science and Engineering (CoSE) proposed a PhD Scholarship for ethnic minority students. After conducting an equality impact assessment, it was identified that across the University and the sector, the most underrepresented group was UK Black PhD students. CoSE proposed this model to the other College Graduate Schools and the James McCune Smith PhD Scholarship was developed. This scholarship runs for three years and is open to UK Black students, it includes an industry placement, mentoring and specially designed training for the Supervisors. In the first intake (October 2022), there were 10 scholarships available. The University received 700+ notes of interest, 200+ applications and the University extended the awards – appointing 17 scholars in total. Recruitment has started for the 2023 intake.