Wolfson launches first fully-funded endowed PhD studentship

John Hughes and Wolfson Professor Jane Clarke

The new studentship will cover tuition (at the Home rate) and maintenance costs (currently £17,368/year) for a PhD candidate in any subject.

The first recipient will begin their course in the 2023/24 academic year and applications will open on 5 January 2023 and close 1 April.

Susan Larsen, Wolfson College Senior Tutor, said: “We’re delighted to launch the new John Hughes PhD Studentship and excited about the opportunity that it provides to expand our support for postgraduate students at Wolfson. Each year we see top doctoral candidates declining their Cambridge places because they cannot afford the cost.”

The new studentship was launched following a significant donation from alumnus John Hughes (Civil Engineering, 1969), and supplemented by the University of Cambridge as part of its aim to support fully-funded PhD studentships.

John Hughes said: “During my time at Wolfson, I was lucky enough to be supported by funding for four years. That funding was essential for me to study, and it also enabled me to travel across Europe and the U.S for research.

“Those trips were foundational to my development and created so many memories: in particular, I remember a visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I was part of a team from the Cambridge Soil Mechanics Department who won an engineering competition.

“Those kinds of experiences are so important, and I’d like others to have the same opportunity that I had – to get the chance to follow their ideas."

Simon Crookall, Wolfson College Development Director, said: “The John Hughes PhD Studentship is a wonderful example of a Wolfson alumnus supporting and inspiring our current generation of students, and is at the heart of what College fundraising is all about at Wolfson. This is philanthropy in action. We’re all excited to welcome the first student recipient next year – and to see the impacts of their research.”