Photo of the Museum building from outside
Portsmouth Museum - City Guide 2022

The programme will help to uncover new perspectives on the city’s past and help to share its story and heritage in new and exciting ways.

2 June 2023

2 minutes

Portsmouth’s heritage, culture and collections are set to be explored and revealed like never before, thanks to support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.  

Portsmouth City Council has been awarded nine fully-funded PhD studentships as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships programme.  

The programme will see the city’s museums and archive team working closely with researchers from the University of Portsmouth as well as other higher education institutions, to design and co-supervise research projects based on Portsmouth historic collections, heritage and culture.  

These funded PhD studentships are a fantastic opportunity for University-based researchers to collaborate with Portsmouth City Council’s museums, archives and libraries on innovative projects to support their work and objectives. Their discoveries will open up Portsmouth’s amazing heritage and culture to new perspectives and audiences in and beyond the city.

Professor Anne Murphy, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Professor Anne Murphy, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth said: “These funded PhD studentships are a fantastic opportunity for University-based researchers to collaborate with Portsmouth City Council’s museums, archives and libraries on innovative projects to support their work and objectives.

“Their discoveries will open up Portsmouth’s amazing heritage and culture to new perspectives and audiences in and beyond the city. We look forward to working with Portsmouth City Council’s museums and archives team as part of this exciting programme to research and share the rich heritage to be found in Portsmouth.” 

Cllr Steve Pitt, the Leader of Portsmouth City Council with responsibility for culture, said: “This is a real coup for the city as the programme typically supports national organisations – it shows the strength and depth of our heritage and collections. This programme will help us uncover new perspectives on the city’s past and help us to share our story and heritage in new and exciting ways!” 

Portsmouth City Council will be inviting expressions of interest this summer from higher education institutions who would like to work together on research proposals. Aspiring PhD students will then be able to apply for a studentship and the opportunity to work alongside the museum and archives team. 

More information on how to apply will be shared over the coming months on portsmouthmuseums.co.uk and librariesandarchives.portsmouth.gov.uk 

The first projects are likely to begin in October 2024. 

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