Information for supervisors at University of Liverpool
We are now seeking projects for the next cohort of NERC ACCE (Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment) DTP students commencing study in October 2024; the deadline for submission of project proposals is Tuesday 26th September 2023. We expect to advertise up to 20 University of Liverpool projects in this round. All projects submitted will be assessed and ranked based on the sift criteria. Projects with a non-academic partner are more likely to be advertised, for example if they have CASE partner support or partnership support (see below).
Partnership projects
A core principle of ACCE is to encourage studentships that incorporate genuine collaborations between academics and non-academic, end-user partners. Proposals that demonstrate clear co-design between an academic or academic supervisory team and a supervisor from a partner organisation will be considered to be “partnership projects”, and will be more likely to be advertised. These include CASE projects, where the partner contributes at least £1,000 per year of the project. You will be required to evidence this co-design in the ACCE application. We strongly encourage supervisors who developed an unsuccessful proposal in previous Highlight Topic rounds to resubmit that proposal. More information about partnership PhDs.
Diversity in supervisory teams
When bringing together the supervisory team for your project, please consider its diversity in terms of area of expertise, gender, ethnicity, disability, career stage, etc. A diverse supervisory team can significantly benefit the student by bringing together a wider range of expertise and experiences. We also strongly recommend having supervisors from different ACCE institutions.
Submitting a project proposal
ACCE is working to improve inclusivity within our recruitment practices. On average, women find job advertisements with masculine-coded language off-putting, while men do not find adverts with feminine-coded language any less appealing. Before submitting your proposal, please use at least one of the gender bias decoder tools to identify and limit the use of masculine coded words within your project description and essential/desirable criteria:
Links or attachments to the following documents are provided:
- The PhD project application form. Your proposal must be submitted on this revised Google form. If you need to see the questions before completing the form, a PDF version and Word version of the project proposal form is available.
- Guidance on sift criteria for projects.
- A list of potential CASE partners (you are not restricted to these organisations, but these partners have previously agreed to be part of the ACCE DTP).
Please submit your online form by 12 noon on Tuesday 26th September 2023.
Diversity in candidate selection
The ACCE DTP is committed to recruiting extraordinary future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or career pathway to date. To achieve that we commit that:
- Advertised projects will be accompanied by an equality, diversity and inclusion statement.
- The student application process will seek to maximise transparency and reduce the effects of mentor bias. We still encourage communication between supervisors and prospective students prior to them submitting their applications
- Selection criteria for applicants will be designed to reduce discrimination and reflect that excellence and dedication can come in many forms.
See our rubric and guidelines for detailed guidance on our recruitment and candidate evaluation processes.
Timeline
- Tuesday 26th September 2023: Academics to submit project via the online form (please note you can make submissions at any time up until this deadline).
- September/October 2023: Liverpool ACCE team meet to approve and sift projects for advertising.
- October 2023: Projects advertised on the web and FindAPhD.
- January 2024: Closing date for candidate applications. Supervisors will have about two weeks to review their applications and select their candidates. Details of these dates will be circulated in due course.
ACCE studentships include a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG), currently set at £8,200, to cover the costs of the project and any training beyond what is offered by the University and the DTP.