Bloomberg Philanthropies PhD Studentship in Cities – Call for Applications 2026

Topic:

Bloomberg Philanthropies PhD Studentships in Cities — Urban governance, innovation & leadership

Overview:

For 2026 entry, Bloomberg Philanthropies PhD Studentships in Cities are available across LSE’s Departments of Government, Geography & Environment, Management, and Sociology. Students of all nationalities are eligible. Co-supervision by LSE Cities faculty is available and encouraged where possible.

The Studentships support a collaborative approach with city governments as co-hosting institutions. Doctoral researchers will undertake original, significant research on city government innovation, urban governance and leadership, including exploratory, open research on the critical uncertainties that will challenge urban governance over the next decade.

Research will be highly contemporary, informed by the concerns of the twenty-first-century European city, and focused on essential future agendas for European cities.

Participating departments & eligible programmes:

• Department of Government
  MRes/PhD Political Science (focus on urban governance)
• Department of Geography & Environment
  MPhil/PhD Human Geography and Urban Studies • MPhil/PhD Regional and Urban Planning Studies
• Department of Management
  MPhil/PhD in Management – Information Systems & Innovation (focus on urban management)
• Department of Sociology
  MPhil/PhD Sociology (focus on cities)

Eligibility:

Open to applicants of all nationalities applying to the eligible programmes above. Please note: there is a cap on the number of studentships awarded to any single country.

What the studentship offers:

• Full tuition fees for the duration of the award
• Annual stipend of at least £22,780 (2025/26 amount)
• Additional funding to engage with city administrations and academic urban-governance networks
• Opportunities for co-supervision by LSE Cities and collaboration with city governments

How to apply:

1. Apply to your chosen LSE research programme via the LSE application portal (see programme pages listed above).
2. Submit a separate application for the Bloomberg Philanthropies PhD Studentship in Cities via the application link provided on the call page.

Deadlines: Both applications must be submitted before the funding deadline of your chosen programme (see each programme’s “Fees and Funding” section). Early submission is strongly encouraged.

Key link:

Full call, instructions & application link — LSE Cities

Contact:

Queries: Keenan Collett, Student & Professional Development Manager