Fully Funded PhD Studentship at Edinburgh Law School 2026: Apply to Research AI, Algorithms and Legal Decision-Making
Edinburgh Law School and the Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life invite applications for a fully funded PhD studentship focusing on artificial intelligence, algorithmic technologies, law, and decision-making.
Overview
The University of Edinburgh, via Edinburgh Law School and the Decisions Cluster of the Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life, is offering a fully funded PhD studentship. The successful candidate will collaborate with Professor Nehal Bhuta and participate in an interdisciplinary research community exploring how artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies impact legal decision-making, governance, norms, and accountability.
Research themes within the cluster include algorithmic decision-making, automated decision systems, legal responsibility and accountability, ethical approaches to automated systems, and human-machine interactions in high-risk environments such as security, welfare, and public administration.
Benefits
- Tuition fees covered at the UK Home Fee rate.
- An annual stipend aligned with UK Research and Innovation rates, currently valued at approximately £21,805 per year, paid in equal monthly installments.
- Funding provided for 3.5 years, subject to satisfactory academic progress.
- Additional financial support for research training and development.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold excellent grades in undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees, with at least one degree in law.
- Open specifically to candidates who qualify for UK Home fee status, which includes citizens of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and EU-EEA applicants with Pre-settled status.
- Non-native English speakers must demonstrate language proficiency, typically through an overall IELTS score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in writing and 6.5 in all other components) or an equivalent accepted qualification.
How to Apply
Candidates must submit their applications through the University of Edinburgh’s EUCLID admissions system by selecting the PhD Law programme and entering Professor Nehal Bhuta in the proposed supervisor section.
Required application documents include:
- Academic transcripts and degree certificates.
- Evidence of English language proficiency, if applicable.
- A short research proposal of no more than two pages detailing research questions, approach, and relevance to the studentship themes.
- A full Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- A cover letter of no more than two pages explaining background, suitability, and research interests.
- Two recent references submitted before the deadline.
Applicants must combine the research proposal, CV, and cover letter into a single document for upload in the application portal.
Deadline
Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on 30 September 2026. Online interviews are scheduled for late October 2026, with the PhD starting in either January 2027 or September 2027.