Posted on 12 August 2010
Adrian Davis
Known for its generosity and emphasis on further education, the University of Wales has made available a number of Postgraduate Studentships in a bid to make postgraduate education more accessible to those with a distinguished academic record.
One such recipient of this comprehensive studentship is Adrian Davis, an Archaeology and Anthropology PhD researcher working at the newly formed University of Wales Trinity Saint David (formerly the University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College). Here he reveals how the studentship has helped him thus far.
Why did you apply for a University of Wales (UW) Scholarship?
I was particularly taken with the overall research package, which included fees, a living allowance and a generous research bursary.
What effect has this had on your career?
The scholarship has impacted very positively on my plans to train as a published researcher and teaching fellow in a higher education Institute. Conducting a research project on campus has lead to several teaching engagements, which have both strengthened my research, and helped my academic CV immensely.
Can you tell me a little bit about your research?
My research is an ongoing cross disciplinary campus based project at UW Lampeter that includes some additional museum and archaeological fieldwork. I hope to alter quite radically how museum professionals and academic archaeologists typically present and explain material culture in a public context.
What importance do you place on the availability of scholarship funding?
As a mature student with family and financial commitments, I speak from experience when I say, that having a secure financial base from which to research is hugely important to those who would otherwise be unable to afford to study for a higher degree. Where one is in receipt of a full UW scholarship, it clearly obviates the onerous task of having to secure piecemeal funding. These distractions are largely absent with a UW studentship, so in very simple terms, it frees up research time that would otherwise be spent on raising funds.
In short, it presents as a win win opportunity. I believe that my research project is an original contribution to what I consider to be an emerging ‘knowledge economy’ in Wales. These very generous UW scholarships should continue to play an ongoing and integral role in these sorts of research projects, and can, I think, be shown to add considerable academic and long term financial value.
What advice would you give to burgeoning students thinking of applying for a UW scholarship?
Do not hesitate in applying! Funding is always an issue when pursuing a higher degree and this is where the University of Wales scholarships and awards come into their own. My advice would also be, to word your research project carefully, look at the prospective supervisory teams at your chosen institution and the institutional research clusters on offer, and then apply. You may be pleasantly surprised, and I for one, have always been struck by the generosity and continued support that the University of Wales have provided.
Finally, I would like to add, that I have been able to attend research conferences and give research papers, and ‘fly’ the University of Wales flag at Bristol University, Queens University Belfast, Cardiff University, Durham University and Hertfordshire University in the last 18 months or so. I could not have done any of this without your generous and continued support.
/Ends
Notes to Editors:
Adrian has presented his research findings to a number of Universities across the country – examples of which can be viewed by clicking on the links below:
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/asa/asa09/panels.php5?PanelID=567
http://www.dur.ac.uk/tag.2009/_abstract_book.pdf
http://www.nomadit.co.uk/asa/asa10/panels.php5?PanelID=813
http://www.lamp.ac.uk/postgrads/conference/
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/archanth/tag/index.htm
For more information about the University of Wales’s scholarships:
http://www.wales.ac.uk/en/Scholarships/ScholarshipRecords.aspx
Or email awards@wales.ac.uk
For more information on The University of Wales please visit: www.wales.ac.uk
For press and media information, please contact Tom Barrett, Communications Officer, University of Wales: t.barrett@wales.ac.uk