Research community
You will have to opportunity to study your chosen topic with the support of an active research community.
You will join a research community of around 35 doctoral and postdoctoral students and around 35 full-time academic staff. You will benefit from regular interaction with the academic staff through an excellent seminar and workshop programme, which brings leading researchers from around the world. Together with regular meetings with your fellow students.
The School of Economics at the University of Edinburgh is one of the top ten economics departments in the UK according to the evaluation of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 and the best in Scotland. Over 30% of the outputs submitted to the REF were rated as world-leading with over 85% recognised as internationally excellent. Our research environment is rated as best in Scotland and sixth best in the UK.
The School receives research grant income from the Economic and Social Research Council, the European Research Council, the British Academy amongst others. For the period 2015-2020, we host an ESRC large grant worth £6 million that brings together researchers from Edinburgh, the US and Europe to work on the Credit and Labour Market Foundations of the Macroeconomy.
The PhD programme is affiliated with the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics (SGPE). The SGPE was established in 1989 to provide post-graduate education and training in economics. It is a collaborative arrangement between eight Scottish Universities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot Watt, Stirling, Strathclyde and St. Andrews.
The PhD programme has an Erasmus programme with the Center for Doctoral Studies in Economics, Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Mannheim that allows one-semester length exchanges.
The School is the home of the Behavioural Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh. Launched in 2013 its primary objective is to promote and facilitate experimental research by social scientists at the University of Edinburgh. The laboratory has 18 fully partitioned work-stations with a separate experimenter's office. BLUE maintains a subject pool consisting of students from the University of Edinburgh and of non-student subjects living in the area of Edinburgh.
The School is also affiliated with the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE). SIRE supports research in economics in Scotland through conferences, hosting visitors and offering specialist training and support for doctoral students.
The School of Economics is a vibrant, inclusive and diverse research community. Under the guidance of my supervisors and other members of the faculty, I have found my transition from taught postgraduate study to be seamless and enjoyable. The many seminars and workshops offer a wonderful opportunity to listen to visiting researchers across a wide range of fields, and more importantly, to take part in academic review and critique. Collaboration amongst PhD candidates and with faculty is actively encouraged. A wide range of teaching opportunities are also offered, and the department is particularly flexible and supportive in this regard. A PhD in economics is a significant challenge, and a very serious commitment, but I’m glad I chose Edinburgh.