Digital Humanities Research

This is a pioneering doctoral programme, based in one of the world’s most prestigious centres for the emerging discipline of Digital Humanities. We welcome applications from potential students with any disciplinary background in the humanities. Our research explores the intersection of digital tools and methods with one or more artefacts, cultural expressions or processes studied in the humanities or interpretative social sciences. Examples might include: the reconstruction of historical persons and communities from scattered evidence; the modelling of literary contexts; the formation of identities through online activities; the exploration of the relationship between verbal description and visual representation; the online imagining of diasporic communities; and the visualization of data from historic sources. A distinctive and exciting feature of the programme is its interdisciplinary structure, with collaborative supervision between the Department of Digital Humanities and other appropriate Departments such as History or Classics. In addition to these areas, Digital Humanities is developing links with the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries that allow broad exploration of the meaning of digital cultures and the information society, with particular emphasis on social networks and digital industries, digital ontologies and political action online.

We offer a lively range of activities for research students, including a regular doctoral seminar, advanced seminars such as the London Seminar in Digital Text and Scholarship. Students are also encouraged to participate in such London activities as the Decoding the Digital Humanities reading group.

PhD candidates meet with supervisors regularly throughout the academic year. A PhD seminar meets every three weeks, in which students present their research to each other and discuss its progress. Space, equipment and technical help are provided as facilities permit. All candidates are invited to participate in the ongoing departmental seminar in Humanities Computing, in the online discussion group Humanist and to attend the London. Seminar in Digital Text and Scholarship, held in conjunction with the Institute of English Studies. Attendance at the annual Digital Humanities conference is sponsored whenever possible.

PhD candidates are required to take a research methods course in the basics of the digital humanities and may be offered additional technical training if required. Additional requirements may be made by the supervisor(s), especially for those primarily in the social sciences.