PhD Studentship: Representing Intentional Communities in Wales
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) studentship
Project Title: Future archives: Representing intentional communities in Wales as blueprints for cooperative, equitable and resilient cultures, with Amgueddfa Cymru and Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Start date: 1 October 2026
Application Deadline: 1 June 2026
Interviews will take place on: 22 and 23 June 2026
Amgueddfa Cymru and the Cardiff Metropolitan University are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2026 under the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme.
This project seeks to investigate and document intentional communities in Wales.
This PhD will collaborate with intentional communities in Wales, creating a dedicated archive within Amgueddfa Cymru to represent their histories, practices, and values. Intentional communities - ecovillages, co-housing projects, communes, and cooperative housing are founded on shared social, political, spiritual, or ecological ideals. They often experiment with alternative ways of living, forging intimate relationships with the land and prioritising sustainability, self-reliance, and collective responsibility.
The student will be based at Cardiff Metropolitan University and at Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales sites. There will be opportunities to take part in the programme of CDP Cohort Development Events organised for CDP students by the AHRC, as well as training and development provided by Cardiff Metropolitan University and the CDP4 Welsh Culture and Heritage Consortium.
Project Overview
The project aims to co-create and share a collection enabling Amgueddfa Cymru to represent people living in intentional communities across Wales by:
- Producing original doctoral research employing a more-than-human approach to community–landscape relations.
- Developing an audio-visual collection as a springboard for future research and interpretation.
- Creating a toolkit including an ethical framework for co-creating collections to diversify museum practice.
Potential Research Questions
- How might we document and archive the interconnectedness between land and community to create blueprints for sustainable lifestyles?
- How can intentional communities’ low-impact practices be represented inclusively through a more-than-human approach?
- In what ways have intentional communities shaped the culture and landscape of Wales?
- How do we develop ethical frameworks for collecting and co-creating collections with communities that seek to live outside societal norms?
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Kirsten Stevens-Wood at kstevens-wood@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
Details of Award
CDP doctoral training grants fund full-time studentships for 4 years or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of 8 years
The award pays tuition fees up to the value of the full-time home fee. Research Councils UK Indicative Fee Level is £5,238. ‘Overseas’ students are welcome to apply and will be required to reside in the UK until completion of the PhD. Cardiff Metropolitan University have waived the difference between international and home fees for this award.
The award pays an annual stipend for all students, both home and international students. This stipend is tax free, and is the equivalent of an annual salary, enabling the student to pay living costs. The UKRI Minimum Doctoral Stipend is £21,805. There is also a CDP maintenance payment of £600 per year.
Further details can be found on the UKRI website.
The successful candidate is eligible to receive an additional travel, and related expenses grant during the course of the project courtesy of the CDP4 Welsh Culture and Heritage Consortium worth up to £400 per year for 4 years.
Eligibility
- This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants.
- To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a UK or Irish National (meeting residency requirements), or
- Have settled status, or
- Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
- Have indefinite leave to remain or enter
- The latest revision of the AHRC Training Grant Funding Guide.
- International students are eligible to receive the full award for maintenance as are home students.
- We want to encourage the widest range of potential students to study for a CDP studentship and are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply. We welcome applications from all members of the global community irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
- Applicants should ideally have or expect to receive a relevant Masters-level qualification in a relevant subject for example Social History, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Expanded Practice, Visual Communication, Fine Art, Digital Direction, Documentary & Factual, , or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience in a professional setting such as Museums, Archives, research institutions.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate an interest in sustainable alternative lifestyles and an enthusiasm for developing skills more widely in related areas.
- The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced DBS check due to the nature of the research.
- As a collaborative award, students will be expected to spend time at both Cardiff Metropolitan University and Amgueddfa Cymru-Museum Wales sites as appropriate.
- There is an expectation that students will spend significant periods of time with the communities in Wales that they are researching.
NB. All applicants must meet UKRI terms and conditions for funding.
Project details and how to apply
We will support applicants through the application and interview process by offering reasonable adjustments and further information on request. This might include, but is not limited to, opportunities to speak to project supervisors and to learn more about the support systems and policies in place at both Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Please contact Dr Kirsten Stevens-Wood (kstevens-wood@cardiffmet.ac.uk) for information about the project and application process and Huw Jones, Research and Innovation Services: hpjones@cardiffmet.ac.uk for enquiries about available institutional support in the first instance.
We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary EDI monitoring form. All responses are anonymous.