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 Creative Events Management student sat behind a music desk](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/creative_events_management_guy_peterson_-_cem_fives_guy_peterson_mayn-6.jpg?itok=Kbtf61LZ)
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...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/textile-design-td-14.jpg?itok=c-2h8kyG)
African Portrait Photography Archives
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Students sitting and under a fern and walking through Falmouth campus greenery.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/falmouth-campus-students-under-fern.jpg?itok=ROqXeAxu)
ANIMAL/LAB
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![circuit breaking](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/simon-clarke_teaching-manifesto-and-reading-m_heidi-ball.jpeg.jpg?itok=ZZJJ0Xk0)
Circuit Breaking: Counter-narration in Situated Contemporary Image Practice
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![A group of students seated on sofas in a blue room with book cases and art on walls](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Lighthouse_13Journalism_SOC_%C2%A9MattJessop%20%281%29%20%281%29.jpg?itok=Sh96gh_d)
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...
![Students walking towards a gateway between red brick walls on Falmouth campus.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/falmouth-campus_cmattjessop60.jpg?itok=bj-jjAWd)
Creating a Destination Storyworld
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/penryn_campus_exterior_003.jpg?itok=0XTmqxgj)
Death and Dying: Texts, Practices, and Inequalities
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![St Ives](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Explore%20Cornwall%201.jpeg.jpg?itok=lv4SVo6D)
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...
![Bafta Costume Design](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/bafta_costume_design.jpg?itok=C9OQaGcT)
Digital healthcare interfaces
This doctoral project develops on existing research that utilises 3D scanning technology to capture ...
![Falmouth University student immersed up to knees in river, bending down to view though camera on tripod.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/borneo3.jpeg.jpg?itok=3DQ74Mdc)
ENVIRO/PHOTO
Based within Falmouth’s Institute of Photography, but working with partners locally and globally, ...
![A white building behind greenery](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Campus%20buildings_Falmouth%20Campus%20%281%29_0.jpg?itok=Ledtrvjp)
Ethical, Sustainable, Development and Curriculum Design for the Creative Industries
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/dance_jw_october_2011_vid_7690-edit.jpg?itok=K_FB4iDx)
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...
![microphone and audio recording screen photo](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/pexels-tommy-lopez-765139.jpg?itok=VLqxxT4s)
Futures of Audio Storytelling
We're looking for theoretical and and practice-based doctoral project proposals which explore produc...
![View of busy games academy, students working on computers](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/panob_05_stitch_edited_1.jpg?itok=6t5BSyoY)
Games Education Landscapes
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Graphic design work presentations suspended in studio at Falmouth University](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/graphic-design-show-gallery-exhibition.jpeg.jpg?itok=z8cc_fco)
Graphic Design Urgencies
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![A pathway winds between apple trees in full blossom](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Grounds%2004_Penryn%20Campus_%C2%A9MattJessop%20%282%29_0.jpg?itok=tDk1x8K1)
Grunts and Squeaks and Squawks: Humans and Other Animals
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Riviere](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/riviere-doctoral-project-image-1_heidi-ball.jpeg.jpg?itok=bRdH5rBy)
Housing community resilience
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Two students walking past a large building on Penryn Campus](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/penryn_campus_students_walking.jpg?itok=2EDNxLEH)
Investigating Factors Associated with the Propensity for Sustainable Entrepreneurship
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Picturesque buildings on Falmouth High street.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/falmouth_town_high_street.jpg?itok=KwCE3Ta1)
Investigating the success of SMEs in rural locations
This project builds upon existing staff research on the importance that SMEs contribute to the econo...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/1p5b8404.jpg?itok=YUDCN7Oh)
Kernow Computes
This research will help provide an evidence-led approach to computing education in secondary-level s...
![Landscape shot of the Cornish coast - the ocean and cliffs are visible](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/landscape%202.jpg?itok=hY7dJ_vV)
Landscape stories: diverse narratives and perspectives for landscape justice
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![View down onto Penryn campus foyer and people walking and chatting.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/birds_eye_penryn_campus.jpg_0.jpg?itok=PTPOrriU)
Living Heritage and the Ethics of Participation
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Birds eye shot of the Games academy](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/game_jam.jpeg.jpg?itok=0pPo4jdP)
Ludomancy: The Magic of Play
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![LAAA Deaf attendees using haptic floor (1).jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/LAAA%20Deaf%20attendees%20using%20haptic%20floor%20%281%29.jpg?itok=OWahfli4)
Musical Responses to Haptic Technologies (MRHT)
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/barney-wilczak-falmouth-article-800676.jpg?itok=0uellgKX)
Nature, Magic, and Myth: The Dark Arts in Cornish Writing
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Student looking at computer](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/computing_for_games_21_games_acadmey_cmattjessop.jpg?itok=vIzSsThW)
Peacegaming: how can games be leveraged to support peacekeeping?
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Art student working in studio with large window on Falmouth campus and person walking past and looking in.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/ug14_p023_fine-art-studios.jpg?itok=QvV4bVFO)
Radical Spaces of Making
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Fine Art summer shows 2023 work by Deborah Bunce](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/deborah_bunce_fineart_summershows2308cmatt_jessop.jpg?itok=l2DyifZh)
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...
![Students sit and read on the grass outside the Stannary](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Penryn%20Campus%2010_%C2%A9mjessop%20%281%29.jpg?itok=6cmkyjkE)
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](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/ricardo-resende-o87fpf3-urw-unsplash-1_helen-worthington-1_0.jpg?itok=kWgERiez)
Social Sustainability: Convergence between theory and practice at place-based events
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Edit Page Sonic Political Agency and the Environment](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/1266778_10151568234850738_197298649_o_heidi_ball.jpeg.jpg?itok=7N24neaK)
Sonic Political Agency and the Environment
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Two students talking in the Lighthouse](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/lighthouse_09journalism_soc_cmattjessop_1.jpg?itok=eUmWK52n)
Sport Literature: Body, Society, Self
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Surfer inside the tube of a wave](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/surfing_02_student_life.jpeg.jpg?itok=jMW5uPcd)
Surfing & Sustainability
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Student at mixing deck adjusting controls](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/cmt_close-up_mixer_acalex_faulkner_0.jpg?itok=X7V9A1WY)
Sustainable Practice in the Music Business
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Panoramic view of Penryn Campus with buildings and trees](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/penryn_campus_pano_kevin_moir_2.jpg?itok=bXkmEz3X)
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...
![Aerial view of an estuary with sandy beaches and fields](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/sustainable_tourism_management_ba_cropped.jpg?itok=4va4LElF)
The Ethics of Dark Tourism
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![Student on cliffs](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Explore%20Cornwall4.jpeg.jpg?itok=0ioHXOCq)
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...
![Business Students Banner Image](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/business_students_banner_image.jpg?itok=-1n3y7M6)
The role of entrepreneurship to accomplish sustainable tourism
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/1p5b8529.jpg?itok=hCE4IGTi)
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...
![An image of a large garden on a sunny day](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/media/images/Fox%20Hill%20Gardens_Falmouth%20Campus%20%281%29.jpg?itok=TiNWyEdW)
‘Colliding voices’: Discovering, Transforming and Enacting Cornwall’s Poetics
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...
![](/sites/default/files/styles/article_teaser_mobile/public/image/soft-15.jpg?itok=7BTeHNyD)
‘Speak up’: Screen & Identity
This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of resea...