Hardiman Research Scholarships and Dr Tony Ryan Research Scholarships in Ireland, 2016

The Hardiman Research Scholarships and Dr Tony Ryan Research Scholarships are fully funded for four years, with a stipend of €16,000 p.a. plus fees.  The Scholarships offer opportunities for suitably qualified individuals to pursue a Structured PhD focused on the five key areas of research in which the University offers leading expertise. These are:

• Applied Social Sciences and Public Policy
  
• Biomedical Science and Engineering
  
• Environment, Marine, and Energy
  
• Humanities in Context, including Digital Humanities
  
• Informatics, Data Analytics, Physical and Computational Sciences
  

The primary strategic aim is to attract the best students to NUI Galway and to support their development as innovative individuals who will contribute globally to economic, cultural and social development.
While a majority of these Scholarships will be awarded to European Union (EU) citizens, or to those who are ordinarily resident within a member state of the EU, a proportion of awards will also be offered to exceptional candidates who are ordinarily resident in non-EU member states.
Scholarships will be awarded only to those who will engage full-time in research during the period of the award in NUI Galway.
Successful candidates will register for a Structured PhD in one of the five Colleges.
Read more about our ‌Structured PhDs at NUI Galway

‎Requirements

• Successful applicants will be expected to have a first or upper second class honours primary degree or equivalent. For students with undergraduate results expressed in GPA ("Grade Point Average") or QCA form, in the Irish university system a first corresponds to a 3.6 or above and an upper second corresponds to a 3.2 or above (but less than a 3.6).

Applications will not be accepted from persons currently registered as PhD students.

Application Process

1)      Complete the application form below and submit to hrscholar@nuigalway.ie by 17:00 (GMT) Friday, 20th November 2015.
 Notes:

• You are asked to list up to three preferred research supervisors - find potential supervisors HERE  
• Applications received will be considered for Hardiman Research Scholarships and Dr Tony Ryan Research Scholarships depending on eligibility.
• Applications will be accepted in either the English or the Irish language only.

    (Application Form)    (Application Form Gaeilge)
 2)      Academic References - two references are required that indicate your academic suitability and potential to undertake postgraduate research.

1. Fill out Section A in two copies of the Academic Reference Form and provide these to your referees.
2. Each of your referees should then complete Section B of the Academic Reference Form and submit to hrscholar@nuigalway.ie by 17:00 (GMT) Friday, 20th November 2015.

Notes:

• References from any proposed supervisors will not be accepted.
• It is the Applicant’s responsibility to ensure that references are submitted by the deadline.
• References are supplied confidentially and are not made available to applicants at any stage during or after the competition.

  (Academic Reference Form) (Academic Reference Form Gaeilge)

Assessment Process

All applications will be assessed by a panel of assessors. The panel will consist of a number of assessors with experience of similar review processes. All applications will be assessed by at least three assessors from different backgrounds.
The applications will be assessed under four main headings which reflect the main sections of the application process. Assessors will consider all four elements of the application and allocate scores as follows:

• Personal Research Statement (max. 50 points)
• Academic Qualifications (max. 30 points)
• Referees’ reports (max. 10 points)
• Prior Research Experience (max. 10 points)

Applications will not be assessed if they are incomplete (i.e. an incomplete application form or two references not supplied) or received after the advertised closing date.

Shortlisting of applicants will be undertaken by the panel of assessors. All shortlisted candidates will be interviewed. An indicative timescale is given below.

Applications Open	2 October 2015
Applications Close	20 November 2015 (17:00 GMT)
Interviews (Skype may be used)	17 December - 08 January 2016
Scholarship begins	1 September 2016