The newly established ESRC Centre for Population Change at the University of Southampton is pleased to announce a new PhD studentship in demography.

The studentship would suit a person with good computing skills and an interest in demographic measurement, who has, or expects to have, a postgraduate degree in demography, or a related social science or quantitative discipline, or equivalent experience.

The project is part of a wider programme of research into the determinants of recent fertility and partnership trends in the UK. The specific purpose of the PhD project is to generate updated time series of period parity progression indicators for Great Britain. It is an ESRC +3 studentship linked to the ESRC Research Centre for Population Change, where the student will work under the direction of Professor Máire Ní Bhrolcháin. The PhD project will use the combined file of General Household Survey maternity histories, supplemented by own child reconstructions in the most recent period, to extend previous sets of estimates and will evaluate these measures against alternative estimates and sources.

This ESRC award pays all University tuition fees, plus an annual maintenance stipend, set at £13,290 for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Further details of the project, of eligibility and of how to apply, are available at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/socstats/funding/cpcstudentship.html

Informal inquiries may be made to Professor Máire Ní Bhrolcháin (M.Ni-Bhrolchain@soton.ac.uk)

The deadline for applications is the 15th May 2009.

Interviews will be held on 28th May 2009.

Scottish Human Geography Consortium

TWO ESRC Postgraduate Research Studentship Opportunities (1+3/+3), 2009 start

The Scottish Human Geography Consortium incorporates human geography delivery units at the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, and Strathclyde. It provides ESRC-recognised specialist postgraduate training in the form of the Kindrogan Postgraduate Training Weekend and other activities, and has played a central role in cultivating a vibrant and meaningful Scotland-wide network of postgraduate scholars.
The Consortium studentships allow the successful applicants to draw on the rich range of resources offered by Scottish-based human geography programmes. The successful applicants will be registered in one university, and normally jointly supervised by staff from one other university in the Consortium. Applicants and potential supervisors will work together to establish which cross-institutional arrangement would best serve the student and project.
Applicants for +3 must hold an ESRC-recognised Masters (or equivalent). Students pursuing a 1+3 model are eligible to enter any of the ESRC-recognised Masters Research training programmes run by Consortium members.

UK Applicants receive full fees plus maintenance. Non-resident EU Applicants receive fees only. EU Applicants resident in the UK for at least three years are normally eligible for fees plus maintenance.
[For further details: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Postgraduate%20Funding%20Guide%20-%20January%202009_tcm6-12067.pdf]

Applications must include 8 copies of the following: a letter of application stating which institution/s and supervisor/s the applicant would seek to affiliate with; a CV; a two page outline of the proposed research topic; and two sealed letters of reference (note: only 1 copy of references required).

Contact for enquiries and applications:
Dr Ed Hall,
Studentship Convenor,
Scottish Human Geography Consortium,
Geography, School of Social and Environmental Sciences,
University of Dundee,
Perth Road, Dundee DD1 4HN.
Email: e.c.hall@dundee.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1382 388073

BSPS Prize 2009

Entries are invited for the 2009 BSPS Prize.
This is awarded to the entry judged to be the best MSc. Dissertation on a demographic topic during the year 2008 (which would normally be at or around distinction level). Applicants should supply four copies of their dissertation, which do not need to be bound – electronic submissions can also be accepted.

Please note that all entries should be submitted by the institution awarding the degree, or by the supervising academic, and not by the authors themselves. A maximum of two entries per institution will be accepted. A word limit of 12,000 words per entry is encouraged, on the basis that it is very difficult to judge and compare entries of vastly differing lengths. However, longer dissertations may also be entered, with a section not exceeding the given word limit being nominated for judging.

A cash prize of £300 is offered, which will be increased to £400 if there is a tie for first place and the Prize is split between two winners. The winner(s) will be announced at the BSPS Conference in September.

For the purposes of this prize, demography is defined as
1. the scientific study of human populations, especially with reference to their size, structure and distribution
2. the scientific study of the determining processes, such as fertility, mortality and migration, and
3. the relationship of these with the social, economic and cultural context within which they exist.

Entries should be received by 31 May 2009 at the BSPS Secretariat, PS201, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, or pic@lse.ac.uk

Division of Social Statistics, School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton

Applications are invited for PhD studentships in demography and in social statistics in the Division of Social Statistics, University of Southampton. These are ESRC quota awards that may be on a 1+3 or +3 basis, i.e. funding for a 1-year MSc in Demography or in Social Statistics, followed by three years of doctoral research, or for three years of doctoral research where candidates already have appropriate research training. Students in receipt of these awards are potentially eligible for a stipend enhanced by £3,000 in respect of advanced quantitative training (see Section 4.9 of the ESRC’s “Guidance notes..”). Applications in the following areas are particularly welcome:

Demography and well-being
Fertility
Family and partnership
International and internal migration
Population and health
Reproductive health
Statistical modelling of social data
Sample survey methodology

Details of eligibility for ESRC postgraduate studentships are given in Section 2 of the ESRC’s “Guidance notes for applicants,” available online at:  http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/GUIDANCE%20MARK%202_tcm6-7186.pdf

Further details of these studentships, and how to apply for them, are available at:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/socsci/socstats/funding/esrc.html

The deadline for applications is 6 March 2009, but late applications may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Further postgraduate studentships may be available that are not subject to ESRC eligibility restrictions.

Informal enquiries may be made to:
Prof. Máire Ní Bhrolcháin: mnb2@soton.ac.uk or John Jerrim: jpj106@soton.ac.uk (Demography) and
Dr. Yves Berger Y.G.Berger@soton.ac.uk (Social Statistics)

We would like to draw your attention to Popfest 2009, the 17th annual conference of postgraduate students in Population-related studies. Popfest 2009 will be taking place from the 2nd July to the 4th of July 2009, and will be hosted by the Population At LSE research students at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Popfest is organised by postgraduates, for postgraduates, and is an event which aims to give researchers in Social Science, Demography, Human Geography, Social Anthropology, Social Statistics, Development, Health, Social Policy and other related fields, a relaxed and supportive forum to meet and present their research.

Popfest 2009 is now ready to accept abstracts for papers and posters. We welcome contributions from postgraduate students studying any aspect of population.

Please forward this on to anyone who you feel might be interested in participating in this event.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 20 April 2009
Deadline for registration: 08 May 2009

The conference registration fee for Popfest 2009 is £25 which covers all conference materials, lunches on 6th and 7th of July, refreshments, and a conference dinner.

For further information and on-line abstract submission please visit our conference website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/BSPS/postgraduates/PopFest.htm