• Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • Accessibility options
University of Brighton
  • About us
  • Business and
    employers
  • Alumni and
    supporters
  • For
    students
  • For
    staff
  • Accessibility
    options
Open menu
Home
Home
  • Close
  • Study here
    • Courses and subjects
    • Find a course
    • A-Z course list
    • Explore our subjects
    • Academic departments
    • Visiting the university
    • Explore: get to know us
    • Upcoming events
    • Virtual tours
    • Chat to our students and staff
    • Open days
    • Applicant days
    • Order a prospectus
    • Ask a question
    • Studying here
    • Accommodation and locations
    • Applying
    • Undergraduate
    • Postgraduate
    • Transferring from another university
    • The Student Contract
    • Clearing
    • International students
    • Fees and finance
    • Advice and help
    • Advice for students
    • Advice for parents and carers
    • Advice for schools and teachers
    • Managing your application
    • Undergraduate
    • Postgraduate
    • Apprenticeships
  • Research
    • Research and knowledge exchange
    • Research and knowledge exchange organisation
    • The Global Challenges
    • Centres of Research Excellence (COREs)
    • Research Excellence Groups (REGs)
    • Our research database
    • Information for business
    • Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP)
    • Postgraduate research degrees
    • PhD research disciplines and programmes
    • PhD funding opportunities and studentships
    • How to apply for your PhD
    • Research environment
    • Investing in research careers
    • Strategic plan
    • Research concordat
    • News, events, publications and films
    • Featured research and knowledge exchange projects
    • Research and knowledge exchange news
    • Inaugural lectures
    • Research and knowledge exchange publications and films
    • Academic staff search
  • About us
  • Business and employers
  • Alumni, supporters and giving
  • Current students
  • Staff
  • Accessibility
Search our site
Image illustrating education policy and practice research shows rows of worn wooden chairs with book holders on the backs.
Research and knowledge exchange
  • Postgraduate research degrees
  • Research features
  • Research organisation
  • Research environment
  • Postgraduate research degrees
    • Postgraduate research degrees
    • PhD-films
    • Our postgraduate research disciplines
    • Research Masters
    • Funding and studentships
    • Support and training
    • Postgraduate open evening
    • Apply for a PhD
    • Contact us
  • Our postgraduate research disciplines
    • Our postgraduate research disciplines
    • Archaeology | Archaeological Sciences PhD
    • Art and creative practices PhD
    • Biology PhD | Biomaterials PhD
    • Architecture PhD | Built Environment PhD
    • Business and management PhD
    • Chemistry PhD
    • Civil engineering PhD
    • Computing PhD
    • Conservation Ecology and Zoonosis PhD
    • Criminology
    • Cultural studies PhD | Global studies PhD
    • Design PhD
    • Digital media and culture PhD
    • Ecology and environmental management
    • Education
    • Engineering PhD
    • English literature PhD
    • Environmental communication PhD
    • Film, screen and popular culture PhD
    • Geology and Earth Science PhD
    • Health and wellbeing PhD | Resilience PhD
    • History of design PhD | History of art PhD
    • History PhD
    • Human geography PhD
    • Linguistics and language PhD
    • Mathematics and statistics PhD
    • Media communications PhD
    • Medicines Optimisation
    • Neuroscience PhD
    • Nuclear physics PhD
    • Nursing PhD | Midwifery PhD
    • Occupational therapy PhD
    • Philosophy, politics and ethics PhD
    • Physiotherapy PhD
    • Podiatry PhD
    • Politics PhD
    • Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD)
    • Psychology and Community Psychology
    • Regenerative medicine PhD
    • Sociology PhD
    • Sport and exercise science PhD
    • Sport and leisure cultures PhD
    • Tourism and hospitality PhD
  • Education

Education PhD

We welcome applications to study for an Education PhD at the University of Brighton’s School of Education, particularly across the broad themes that are supported through our Research and Enterprise Groups:

  • Voice and Participation in Childhood and Education
  • Narrative and Biographical Methodologies in Education
  • Teaching, Learning and Professional Lives

As an Education PhD student, you will undertake applied research, combining theoretical analysis with fieldwork data collection to produce leading edge studies.

The research of our supervisory staff generates knowledge that advances social justice and fosters critical understanding of learning and teaching in diverse cultures and complex worlds.

Staff and PhD student research spans broad areas of education, including for example: investigating children and young people’s rights in UK and international contexts; researching the learning, development and working lives of educators in different educational settings; mentoring and coaching in education settings; and examining pedagogical practices in higher education.

We carry out innovative, creative and participatory research involving children, young people, adults and those who work with them. We also specialise in narrative and biographical methodologies and approaches and, as part of this, listen to educators’ and learners' stories and examine their life histories, to better understand their experiences and world views.

Our PhD students have gone on to a variety of different roles following the successful completion of their research. These include academic posts as lecturers and postdoctoral research assistants at Brighton and elsewhere. Many have gone on to management positions in related areas such as business consultancy.

ApplY to 'Education' in the portal

Key information

Education PhD study is available on a full-time or part-time basis. As one of our postgraduate research students, you will:

  • benefit from a supervisory team comprising two members of academic staff with expertise in your area of interest. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional external supervisor from another school or another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry
  • benefit from access to a range of electronic resources via the University’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Aldrich Library and other campus libraries.

Full-time Education PhD students also have access to desk space and a desktop PC.

Academic environment

Staff and doctoral student research spans broad areas of education, including for example: investigating children and young people’s rights in UK and international contexts; researching the learning, development and working lives of educators in different educational settings; mentoring and coaching in education settings; and examining pedagogical practices in higher education. 

Based at the university’s Falmer campus, the School of Education has over 90 academic and research staff. Staff expertise within the School of Education spans a range of disciplines covering policy, pedagogy, practice and professional development within early years, primary, secondary, further and higher education, as well as within youth work and other non-formal educational contexts.

PhD students take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the School. Postgraduate students working in Education are encouraged to integrate into one or more of our three Research and Enterprise Groups (REGs) listed above. These groups provide students with opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.

The Brighton Doctoral College offer a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research skills and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate workshops within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the School's various seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Research themes

Researchers within the School of Education are engaged in work across a broad range of areas; we are, therefore, able to accommodate a wide range of doctoral research interests. Our particular areas of expertise currently include:

  • children and young people’s learning and education
  • children and young people’s rights and voice
  • educators’ initial, early and continuing professional learning and development
  • the role of video technology in facilitating professional learning and development
  • educators’ use of digital tools
  • professional identities
  • educator wellbeing
  • educator retention
  • mentoring and coaching
  • professional migration and boundary crossing
  • pedagogy in formal and informal contexts
  • higher education pedagogy, policy and practice.

Some of our supervisors

Profile photo for Prof Becky Allen

Prof Becky Allen

Becky is happy to hear from prospective students who are interested in studying research areas that are aligned with her own interests, particularly if they plan to conduct some quantitative analysis as part of their studies.

Profile photo for Dr Alison Barnes

Dr Alison Barnes

Alison’s supervisory interests include learning and teaching in primary schools and in particular, mathematics pedagogy and learning, including  the role of affect and emotions. She is interested in supervising studies in these areas and those adopting intervention or action research methodologies.

Profile photo for Dr Andy Chandler-Grevatt

Dr Andy Chandler-Grevatt

My research interests and supervisory interests include: Science education, formative assessment, classroom assessment, teacher assessment literacy. Science teaching and learning: including the nervous system, learning about the brain, microscopes in the classroom and moss.  organisms. Science teachers, teacher well-being, teacher recruitment and retention, emotional needs of teachers.

Profile photo for Dr Nadia Edmond

Dr Nadia Edmond

I currently supervise doctoral students (PhD and EdD), and am interested in supervising new doctoral students, in the following areas:

Professionalism/professional identities/professional development and learning;

Higher Education pedagogy and policy;

Diversity and inclusion in Higher Education;

The development of learning and professional knowledge through postgraduate study.

I am a critical realist and welcome supporting research from that perspective. 

Profile photo for Prof Angie Hart

Prof Angie Hart

Students drawn to studying with me are generally people with a commitment to social change. All of them share my passion for researching resilience-related topics and most of their studies involve some form of co-production with communities, policymakers or practitioners. Many of them also volunteer for our social enterprise Boingboing and there are loads of opportunities in our CRSJ for students to get involved in some fabulous personal development activities, for example attending conferences on behalf of our Centre, being on the Management Group, staffing a stand at international events, etc.

Prospective supervisory topics I get excited about include:Co-productive and resilience-based approaches to tackling social and environmental issues including:Child, family and adult mental healthPractitioner stress and burnoutSchools practicesHigher Education community-university partnership practices.

Profile photo for Prof Andrew Hobson

Prof Andrew Hobson

Andy is interested to work with applicants seeking to conduct research relating to the professional learning, development and/or well-being of teachers and other professionals. Specific foci include but are not restricted to studies of:

  • Teachers’ early professional learning
  • Teacher well-being
  • Mentoring and/or coaching for early career teachers / professionals
  • Mentoring and/or coaching across professions
  • Judgementoring
  • ONSIDE Mentoring
  • Co-mentoring (collaborative, compassionate mentoring and coaching)
Profile photo for Dr Rachel Marks

Dr Rachel Marks

My supervisory interests include teaching and learning in primary schools and wider society, particularly in primary and early years mathematics. I am interested in the social/cultural context of schooling, policy and assessment, including interests related to ability-grouping, popular images of mathematics and equity issues. I am interested in supervising projects involving a range of approaches including mixed methods, as well as large-scale literature reviews including meta-analyses.

Profile photo for Dr Tom Newlands

Dr Tom Newlands

Tom is interested in a range of topics within the field of primary and secondary education but has particular expertise in the following areas: Citizenship Education; Collective Worship; Faith Schools; Fundamental British Values; Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education; Religious Education; Relationships and Sex Education; Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development / Education.

Profile photo for Dr Jools Page

Dr Jools Page

I am working with PhD and EdD students within the field of Early Years and I welcome enquiries from prospective candidates who are interested in my specific areas of specialism which include:

  • 'Professional Love'
  • Infants, toddlers & children under 3 years of age
  • Attachment based relationships -  Love, Care and Intimacy
  • Theory, policy and practices with infants and toddlers
  • Quality and learning/ policy, practice and pedagogy
  • The Rights of babies and young children
  • Professional adult roles – e.g primary caregiving/key person approach
  • Parent roles

I have supervised seven students to successful completion of their doctorates and examined 17 full doctoral theses.

Profile photo for Dr Soo Sturrock

Dr Soo Sturrock

Soo is registered to supervise doctoral students and welcomes enquiries. She regularly supervise students on the Doctorate and MA programmes, both in the UK and in partnership with the Mauritius Institute of Education. She is involved in progression panels on the PhD. She also works with PG and UG students on extended projects at both level 6 and 7. 

Her particular interests are in critical policy research, primary and secondary education, insider research and primary English education.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

Making an  application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Sign in to our online application portal to begin.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistance during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2022–23

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD
 Full-timePart-time

UK

£4,596 

£2,298

International (including EU)

£15,282 

£7,641

International students registered in the School of Humanities and Social Science or in the School of Business and Law

£13,464 

£6,732


PhD by Publication
Full-time Part-time
 N/A  £2,298 (UK)

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page.

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.

Back to top
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn icon

Contact us

University of Brighton
Mithras House
Lewes Road
Brighton
BN2 4AT

Main switchboard 01273 600900

Course enquiries

Sign up for updates

University contacts

Report a problem with this page

Quick links Quick links

  • Courses
  • Open days
  • Order a prospectus
  • Academic departments
  • Academic staff
  • Professional services departments
  • Jobs
  • Privacy and cookie policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Libraries
  • Term dates
  • Maps
  • Graduation
  • Site information
  • Online shop
  • COVID-19

Information for Information for

  • Current students
  • International students
  • Media/press
  • Careers advisers/teachers
  • Parents/carers
  • Business/employers
  • Alumni/supporters
  • Suppliers
  • Local residents