This week, the British Council Scotland and Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities awarded 13 international EARTH scholarships to early-career researchers.
These researchers, from 11 countries, were identified as having projects that addressed the climate emergency from a new angle.
The scholarships will result in placements in April at 15 universities across Scotland, offering opportunities to connect with PhD researchers, as well as industry and community partners.
“Through a vigorous, global selection process we’ve found an amazing cohort from across the world, all working on projects that are raising awareness and challenging perceptions about environmental issues and the interface between art and science,” Claire Squires, director of SGSAH, said.
The partnership also seeks to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across environmental and sustainability themes while incorporating the arts and humanities, the partners noted.
“Our work through the Climate Connection has proven that building global links between higher education institutions and scholars can be a powerful way to identify new approaches to address the climate emergency,” said British Council Scotland country director, Lucy Young.
One EARTH scholarship recipient is Camellia Biswas, who is a doctoral researcher in Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indiana Institute of Technology.
“I’m really looking froward to coming to Scotland and building relationships”
“I’m really looking froward to coming to Scotland and building relationships with other PhD scholars across environmental arts and humanities,” she said. “The program will enrich my understanding of STEAM education in Scotland, and I hope to bring some of these learnings to apply in India.”
First-year doctoral researcher based in Switzerland Marianna Fernandes Cavadini will also be travelling to Scotland and enrolling at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Her project’s focus on the cultural and environmental implications of using digital technologies in mining sites will be addressed through the scholarship.
“Beyond contributing to my ongoing PhD work on the development of technologies in the mining industry, I am confident this scholarship will promote enriching dialogues and collaborations between me, my mentor and other Scotland-based scholars,” she said.
