Opportunity, Mobility, and Inherited Inequalities Visiting PhD Grant

The Visiting PhD Grant offered by the Opportunity and Mobility (OM) Research Programme at the International Inequalities Institute (III) of the London School of Economics and Political Science is intended to support research students from other universities to spend one academic term at the LSE International Inequalities Institute.

This visiting period aims to assist doctoral researchers in their own research, granting them temporary access to the facilities and supervision offered by III members as well as establishing a network of academic contacts within the field of Intergenerational Mobility, Inequality of Opportunity, and Inherited Inequalities.

The core group of the OM Research Programme currently consists of Professor Francisco Ferreira (Director of the III), Dr Paolo Brunori (Associate Professorial Research Fellow), Dr Louis Sirugue (Research Officer), and Pedro Torres-Lopez (PhD student).

The Visiting PhD Grant package for 2026/27 includes:

• £104/week for LSE tuition fees (paid by III directly)
• Up to £100/week for accommodation (reimbursement)
• Up to £250 for travel costs (reimbursement)

The visiting period may last up to 11 consecutive weeks within either Autumn or Winter term. Autumn term starts on 28 September 2026 and ends on 11 December 2026. Winter term starts on 11 January 2027 and ends on 25 March 2027.

To apply, please send the following documents via email to l.a.sirugue@lse.ac.uk by 30 January 2026:

1. Any relevant completion certificates or transcripts for undergraduate and graduate degrees previously obtained.
2. A statement of purpose (1,000 - 1,500 words) that explains your academic interest in, and understanding of, social/intergenerational mobility, inequality of opportunity, and/or inherited inequalities, and your academic preparedness for the visit.
3. Two reference letters, which may be sent either by the candidate directly, or separately by recommenders themselves.
4. A CV.
5. An outline research proposal (1,000 - 1,500 words) of what you intend to work on during your visit. Please indicate during which term you would like the visit to take place.
6. A sample of written work (e.g., a publication, working paper, or thesis chapter).

For each type of document, please follow the corresponding guidelines available here.

Once the application period closes, OM Programme members will review all submissions and select one to three candidates. If no suitable candidate is identified, the grant will remain unallocated.

The III cannot host visiting PhD students without the endorsement of an LSE Department (Department of Social Policy, Department of Economics, etc.). Once successful candidate(s) have been notified by the III that they have been selected to receive the grant, they will need to apply for the status of Visiting Research Students at an LSE Department (same documents as in the list above to apply). The III will support the application of the selected candidate(s), but we cannot guarantee that they will be accepted. Hence, the allocation of the grant is conditional on ultimately being accepted as a Visiting Research Student by an LSE Department.

Please contact l.a.sirugue@lse.ac.uk for clarifications on the application process.