2025 Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Doctoral Scholarship

**Please note the application deadline for this scholarship has now passed.** 

Application deadline for the scholarship application form: 3rd February 2025, 23:59 GMT.

If you want to be considered for the scholarship, you must first submit a PhD application via the University's EUCLID system by: 20th January 2025, 23:59 GMT.

Why study here?

The Edinburgh Buddhist Studies network (EBS) offers a growing research community, and the successful applicant will be encouraged to participate in our rich array of events and activities, including works-in-progress workshops and round-table discussions with visiting scholars. EBS has established itself as a hub for Buddhist Studies in the north of the UK and draws on a network of scholars in Scotland and the wider region, providing beneficial opportunities for research students.

All PhD students in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are provided with study facilities, world-class library facilities, access to student research funds for archive/fieldwork/conference trips, and extensive skills training (including the chance to audit taught courses at undergraduate and masters level where these would enhance your research, or to participate in PhD-level reading groups). 

Buddhism can be the focus of doctoral studies across a range of schools, in Religious Studies (School of Divinity), Art History, Philosophy and Asian Studies. Each student has at least two supervisors, and these can be from different schools, which is of particular benefit to multidisciplinary fields such as Buddhist Studies. Supervisory expertise includes Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese; and textual, historical, art-historical, literary, and philosophical methods. 

Award

The awardee will receive free tuition, with fees at either domestic or international rate covered by the University. In addition, the awardee will receive a stipend to the value of 25,000 USD per year, for a maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory progress reports each year. The stipend is funded by the Khyentse Foundation and paid directly by the Foundation to the student.

Khyentse Foundation website

Criteria

In order to qualify for the scholarship competition, applicants must first qualify for a PhD place at the University of Edinburgh, for a project in the field of Buddhist Studies. Please see the Degree Finder for information about the entry requirements for your chosen programme, which typically include a specialist masters degree with a high level of attainment. You should also have academic training in the area of your research project.

Degree Finder (for entry requirements for PhD study)

Applications for the scholarship will be assessed by the steering committee of the Edinburgh Buddhist Studies network, according to three main criteria:

• the qualities of the applicant (qualifications/experience; preparedness for the proposed study)
• the qualities of the research project (coherence, originality, significance)
• the extent to which the project fits the expertise of the supervisors available and the research environment in Edinburgh.

Applying

To apply for this scholarship:

Step 1: Take a look at the research profiles of the following scholars to see which one(s) most closely match your interests. Contact the appropriate person (your potential primary supervisor) by email to discuss your proposed topic.

• Professor Naomi Appleton: Chair of Buddhist Studies and Indian Religions, School of Divinity
• Dr Yashaswini Chandra: Lecturer in South Asian Art History, Edinburgh College of Art
• Dr Paul Fuller: Teaching Fellow in Buddhist Studies, School of Divinity
• Professor Joachim Gentz: Chair of Chinese Philosophy and Religion, Asian Studies, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
• Dr Abigail MacBain: Lecturer in Premodern Japanese Studies, Asian Studies, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
• Dr Takeshi Morisato: Lecturer in Japanese and Buddhist Philosophy, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
• Dr Halle O’Neal: Reader in Japanese Art, Edinburgh College of Art 
• Dr Paul Schweizer: Senior Lecturer in Informatics, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Step 2: Apply for a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in the relevant area: Religious Studies, Japanese Studies, Chinese Studies, History of Art, or Philosophy. Your proposed supervisor can advise you as to which programme is most suitable for your project. You should apply as soon as you are able, but at least two weeks before the scholarship deadline.

Step 3: Download the Buddhist Studies scholarship form below, complete it and email it to Buddhist.studies@ed.ac.uk by the scholarship deadine: 3rd February 2025, 23:59GMT. You do not need to wait for official acceptance of your PhD application before submitting the scholarship form.

Further information / questions

If you have any questions about the scholarship, please address them to your proposed supervisor, or to Buddhist.studies@ed.ac.uk.