Scholarships

The College proposes to elect a Wai Seng Senior Research Scholar in Asia-Pacific Studies with effect from October (Michaelmas Term) 2025.

The Scholarship is tenable at St Antony’s College for two years and is open to all matriculated students of the University of Oxford working for a Doctor of Philosophy degree in fields such as modern history, social sciences (e.g. politics, international relations, economics, sociology, social anthropology), education and human geography and whose research involves the study of the Asia-Pacific. Students who expect to be accepted for a DPhil from the beginning of Trinity Term 2025 may also apply.

Preference will be given to candidates whose research interests are focused on China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan or on comparative Asian studies involving one of these territories.

Award
The scholarship will provide an annual maintenance grant of £9,000, to be paid in monthly instalments. It will also cover approved University and College fees up to the value of £15,000. If the successful candidate is not a member of the College they will be expected to move to St Antony’s upon election to the scholarship.

Application
There is no application form. Applications (and references) should be submitted no later than Friday of the Seventh Week in Hilary Term 2025. Election, by a committee of the Asian Studies Centre, will be made in May 2025.

Applications shall be sent electronically to the Administrator at asian@sant.ox.ac.uk and comprise:

• a letter in pdf format, addressed to the Selection Sub-Committee, including a statement, no more than two pages in length, describing the research the candidate proposes to carry out if elected to the scholarship;

• a curriculum vitae in pdf format;
• an example of written work in pdf format, which should normally be a draft chapter of the candidate’s DPhil thesis and not more than 8,000 words. The candidate may choose to submit an alternative sample of their work, of similar length, but should state their reason for doing so.
• Two references, one of which would normally be provided by the candidate’s University supervisor. The references should discuss the candidate’s academic progress, the value of the intended project, and other appropriate information to support the application. The references are to be sent in confidence by the referees directly to the Administrator at asian@sant.ox.ac.uk.

Each Wai Seng Senior Scholar will be expected to pursue their studies under supervision, as the Management Committee of the Asian Studies Centre may determine, and may be required to submit a satisfactory report upon the work he or she has accomplished, before receiving the final portion of the emoluments of the scholarship. The Wai Seng scholar will also be expected to attend seminars and lectures organised by the Asian Studies Centre.

The Scholarship will open for applications in December 2024 with a deadline of in March 2025, for tenure from October, 2025.

Queries may be emailed to asian@sant.ox.ac.uk.

The scholarship has enabled scholars to pursue pioneering research, and our Wai Seng scholars have gone on to be leaders in their fields. Click here to meet our previous scholars.

St Antony’s receives a generous grant from the Sino-British Fellowship Trust (SBFT), which has funded academic exchanges between the UK and China since 1947. The grant is available to a doctoral student at St Antony’s College with preference being given where possible to research with an environmental focus. This Grant is given every three years and will be open for applications again in 2026.

Grant information
The three-year grant is given by the Sino-British Fellowship Trust to eligible members of St Antony’s College and is administered on its behalf by the Asian Studies Centre. Applicants of all nationalities are eligible, with the proviso that they have completed an earlier degree (or held a research post) at an academic institution in China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in addition to mainland China). Grant applications are normally considered by a committee of the Asian Studies Centre, which evaluates and decides on applications shortly after the deadline when applications must be submitted.

Award value
The value of the three-year grant £15,000 per annum, the grant is provided for travel, subsistence and living costs only. If the successful candidate is not a member of the College they will be expected to move to St Antony’s.

Application
Applications need to be submitted in writing to the Asian Studies Centre (asian@sant.ox.ac.uk) and should include:
– detailed proposal of the project (no more than 2 pages),
– CV
– budget
– letter of support from an academic referee
If awarded then short reports from the successful candidate and their supervisor on the progress of the successful candidate’s research will be expected at the end of each of the grant’s three years.

Deadlines
The closing date for applications is January 2026, with interviews being held in March 2026. The grant will be tenable starting in October 2026. Please contact the office at asian@sant.ox.ac.uk for more information.