Falmouth University invites MPhil and PhD project proposals that align with and respond to the Doctoral Project briefs.
About Doctoral Project briefs
Doctoral Project briefs are prospective research calls devised by Falmouth University staff to indicate our priority areas of research interest for research degree applicants.
Each brief considers our overarching Research & Innovation strategy and has been subsequently designed to align with one, or more, of our strategic aims. It's expected that research MPhil and PhD applicants will emphasise the link between their proposed project idea and our Research & Innovation strategy within their application.
Doctoral Project briefs are expressed in the form of challenges and have been designed to elicit a range of creative responses. In each case, it is imperative that applicants are able to demonstrate an imaginative, methodologically robust and independent response to the thematic area.
How to apply
Responding to a Doctoral Project brief is a straight-forward process, simply:
- Check out the Doctoral Project briefs: we list them below so you can find the challenge you'd like to explore during your research PhD or MPhil.
- Check out the Department aligned with the Project brief to understand the drivers behind the Project call.
- Check out our Research & Innovation pages to understand the wider context of the Project briefs.
- Check out our How to Apply for a research degree page for key dates, and to start your application.
Funding
We have a range of options to help you fund your research degree. Applicants responding to any of our Doctoral Project briefs are eligible to be considered for a Falmouth Doctoral Studentship or to make use of a Doctoral Loan.
List of project briefs

A comprehensive evaluation of triggers and catalysts of Word-of-Mouth Marketing for Event Promotion in Event destinations
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

African Portrait Photography Archives
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

ANIMAL/LAB
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Circuit Breaking: Counter-narration in Situated Contemporary Image Practice
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Cosy Crime: Violent Death and Domestic Comfort From the Golden Age to the Present
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Creating a Destination Storyworld
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Death and Dying: Texts, Practices, and Inequalities
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Destination Branding for Cornwall: Crafting a Multifaceted Tourist Identity Through Brand Associations
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Digital healthcare interfaces
This doctoral project develops on existing research that utilises 3D scanning technology to capture ...

ENVIRO/PHOTO
Based within Falmouth’s Institute of Photography, but working with partners locally and globally, ...

Ethical, Sustainable, Development and Curriculum Design for the Creative Industries
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Expertise in creative making processes – what is it? How do you get it?
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Futures of podcasting and audio journalism
We're looking for theoretical and and practice-based doctoral project proposals which explore produc...

Games Education Landscapes
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Graphic Design Urgencies
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Grunts and Squeaks and Squawks: Humans and Other Animals
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Housing community resilience
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Investigating Factors Associated with the Propensity for Sustainable Entrepreneurship
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Investigating the success of SMEs in rural locations
This project builds upon existing staff research on the importance that SMEs contribute to the econo...

Kernow Computes
This research will help provide an evidence-led approach to computing education in secondary-level s...

Landscape stories: diverse narratives and perspectives for landscape justice
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Living Heritage and the Ethics of Participation
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Ludomancy: The Magic of Play
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Musical Responses to Haptic Technologies (MRHT)
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Nature, Magic, and Myth: The Dark Arts in Cornish Writing
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Radical Spaces of Making
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Work by Deborah Bunce
Re-thinking diagnosis: an artistic approach to diagnosis in mental health
The aim of this practice-led research project is to contribute to existing knowledge surrounding...

Right support, right place, right time: Effective transitions for SEND students
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Social Sustainability: Convergence between theory and practice at place-based events
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Sonic Political Agency and the Environment
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Sport Literature: Body, Society, Self
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Surfing & Sustainability
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Sustainable Practice in the Music Business
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Textiles and Sustainable New Technology as a form of protection and shelter in natural disaster and conflict settings: A Design Response
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

The Ethics of Dark Tourism
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

The Role of Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in supporting sustainable business in Cornwall
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

The role of entrepreneurship to accomplish sustainable tourism
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

Unseen: examining underwear dress techniques and practices around the Textiles and Dress Collection’s Men’s Bodywear Collection and/or Ivy Leaf Corsetry Collection
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

‘Colliding voices’: Discovering, Transforming and Enacting Cornwall’s Poetics
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...

‘Speak up’: Screen & Identity
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...