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Latest stories from the Department of Sociology

  • UKRI logo

    LSE Collaborative Studentship with Trades Union Congress

    We are pleased to offer a new Collaborative Studentship with Trades Union Congress, commencing in September 2026. The project, titled "Understanding the Health Effects of Trade Unions", will study the intersectional impact of unions in the UK from the 1980s to today to produce timely evidence on whether trade unions impact intersectional inequalities in well-being. The project would involve both quantitative and qualitative analysis, examining data sets like the Labour Force Survey and conducting interviews. Unions in Britain are more salient today than they have been at any time since the 1980s, an important reminder of the role unions could possibly play in addressing inequalities in well-being now and in the future.

    The studentship will commence in September 2026, with a duration of 3.5 years.

    Candidates must have already completed an MSc or MPhil in a related subject (e.g. Sociology, Social Policy, Public Health) and have experience of quantitative methods (such as multivariate regression) gained through study or working experience. Ideally, candidates will have experience using longitudinal data.

  • sacha hilhorst

    Dr Sacha Hilhorst awarded Inaugural Craig J. Calhoun Prize

    The Department of Sociology is delighted to announce that the Craig J. Calhoun Prize for an Outstanding Thesis in Sociology, which recognises exceptional doctoral research in the field of Sociology, has been awarded to Dr Sacha Hilhorst for her thesis “Afterlives of Legitimacy: A Political Ethnography of Two Post-Industrial Towns in England”. Dr Hilhorst’s thesis investigated the shifting politics of ex-mining and manufacturing towns in the Midlands. The project found that there was a crisis of legitimacy in England’s former industrial heartlands, as many citizens have come to understand politics as fundamentally corrupt.

    Commenting on the award, Professor Calhoun said, "Sacha Hilhorst is a terrific sociologist and new LSE PhD. I’ve had the chance to meet her through her teacher, Michael McQuarrie, and I know and admire her work. I am honoured to be associated with it!”

    The Department of Sociology is grateful to Professor Calhoun, former President and Director of LSE, for the generous endowment which supports rigorous and groundbreaking research in the field of Sociology.

  • BJS square logo

    British Journal of Sociology Conference 2026 - Call for Papers

    Following the success of the inaugural British Journal of Sociology Conference in 2024, we’re excited to announce its return in 2026. The British Journal of Sociology (BJS) editors are now accepting abstract submissions for the major international conference, to be held at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on 23 and 24 April 2026, in the year of LSE’s 130th anniversary.

    Find out more about the conference here and submit your abstract by Monday 20 October 2025.

  • LSE campus and globe

    LSE Sociology ranked number one in the UK for Sociology

    We're delighted to have been ranked number one in the UK for Sociology by The Guardian University Guide 2026. LSE was also ranked as the top university in London for the sixth consecutive year, placing fourth across the UK overall.

    The rankings use eight different metrics, including what students say about their teaching, feedback in the National Student Survey and career prospects following graduation.

  • Conor Gearty

    Professor Conor Gearty

    We are greatly saddened at the passing away of Conor Gearty. Conor was the Director of the Centre for Human Rights from its inception in 2002, a centre that was established by colleagues in the Sociology, Law and other departments at LSE. He headed the Centre until 2009. Conor was a wonderful, generous and warm colleague. He was a very popular teacher and appealed to inspired students from across disciplines. Many students in our Sociology department were introduced to law and adopted it as a profession through his brilliant inspiration, his deep commitment to human rights, and his principled defence of them. Conor was a gifted, compelling and witty speaker and hosted many high profile and influential events at the centre, their success owing greatly to Conor’s popularity and charisma. At these events, he conveyed passionately and with persuasion the importance of the rights and dignity that are so much under threat today. Conor will be greatly missed by human rights colleagues, the department and by lawyers and activists across the human rights community.

    The LSE Law School has an expanded tribute highlighting Connor’s many achievements.

  • british academy post doc

    British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025/26 - Applications Now Open

    The Department of Sociology is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the internal selection process for this year’s British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme.

    This prestigious Fellowship offers outstanding early career researchers the chance to enhance their research and teaching experience within an academic setting. Fellows will be expected to develop original lines of enquiry in their field and gain teaching experience (up to five hours per week, as per scheme guidance). Full details, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the British Academy website.

    If you wish to apply, please submit the following documents to Sociology.Research@lse.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday, 27 August 2025:

    A draft research proposal, including a proposed programme and plan of action (maximum 2 pages)

    Your CV (maximum 2 pages)

    An email confirmation of support from your proposed mentor within the Department of Sociology

    Please refer to the scheme’s guide notes when preparing your submission.

    The Department will assess all received applications. Those shortlisted will proceed to preparing and finalising their full Outline Stage applications in line with the BA PDF scheme’s guidelines, with additional guidance and advice from the Research Development Manager at LSE. For any questions regarding the departmental shortlisting process while preparing your application, please contact Sociology.Research@lse.ac.uk

  • Performing arts 2 ahmad-odeh-JhqhGfX_Wd8-unsplash 747x560

    LSE and the University of Roehampton announce new PhD scholarship and training programme focusing on the creative economy

    We are excited to announce that a new PhD programme addressing vital issues of inclusivity within the creative economy has been created by the Department of Sociology at LSE and the University of Roehampton.

    The new programme, named the Consortium for Researching Inclusive Cultures in the Arts (CRICA), was created by the two universities, following their receipt of a highly competitive Doctoral Focal Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

  • impactcircleplain-420

    Department of Sociology winners at LSE Impact Awards

    We are delighted to see four members of the Department of Sociology recognised at the LSE Impact Awards. Winners received £7,500 to help continue their future engagement projects.

    Anthony Miro Born recieved the Outstanding PhD Researcher Impact award for his project "From PhD Research to Comic: The Price of Social Mobility".

    Dr Sacha Hilhorst was runner up in the Rising Star award for her project "A tale of two towns".

    Professor Sam Friedman and Professor Mike Savage recieved the Outstanding Team Impact award for their project "Abolishing the Non-Dom Tax Regime".

  • Campus WW 24-43

    LSE ranked first in London for Sociology

    We're delighted to have been ranked third overall and top in London for Sociology in the Complete University Guide 2026. LSE was also ranked as the top London universityfor the fourteenth consecutive year.

    Universities are evaluated on ten key measures: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, research intensity, academic services spend, spending on student facilities, continuation, student-staff ratio, graduate prospects – outcomes, and graduate prospects.