Militarized Landscapes in the Twentieth Century: Britain, France and the United States' - a team in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Bristol led by Dr Peter Coates has been awarded a three-year Project Studentship (full-time only) to work on a doctoral thesis entitled `"Greening" the Ministry of Defence: An Environmental History of the Defence Estates in Post-war Britain.' The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is one of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom, yet no environmental history of the UK's Defence Estates has been written to date. This is a particularly important gap in the scholarship on landscape and environment in view of the high ecological significance of these lands and the MoD's growing recognition of this "green" value. This doctoral thesis will investigate this "greening" of the MoD through case studies of sites in Southwest England and South Wales. The applicant must be a UK national, satisfy UK residency requirements, or be a (non-UK) EU national who has been ordinarily resident in the UK throughout the 3-year period immediately prior to 1 June 2007 or, if this 3-year period of ordinary residence has been wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education, ordinarily resident in the EU immediately prior to this period. Applicants should hold a BA degree in history or a related subject such as human/historical geography (upper second class or higher) and, preferably, a formal postgraduate qualification. Applicants with a particular aptitude for the project who do not hold a master's degree must show evidence of sustained experience beyond first degree level that is specifically relevant to the doctoral research project and which qualifies them, exceptionally, as prepared for doctoral research without prior formal postgraduate training.In addition to pursuing the designated research project, the Project Student will contribute a paper to the Project Conference, submit a journal article, and work with our two Project Partners, the Defence Estate's Environmental Support Team and Icon Films (in the production of a TV documentary proposal related to the theme of militarized landscapes).

Contact for informal inquiries: Dr Peter Coates: p.a.coates@bristol.ac.uk

Value of award: L48,090 (covers tuition and maintenance). The AHRC will also reimburse research-related travel and subsistence costs within the UK.

Timescale of appointment: 1 June 2007 - 31 May 2010

Application process: There is no application form. Submit CV (including the names of two referees) and covering letter to Dr Peter Coates, Department of Historical Studies, School of Humanities, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TB, UK. E-mailed applications are acceptable.

Closing date for applications: 26 February 2007

Anticipated interview date: 21 March 2007