PhD Studentship

Project Scope

The School of Creative and Performing Arts located at the Creative Campus on Shaw Street in Liverpool city centre has an outstanding commitment to research as indicated by its rich and vibrant community environment. The Liverpool Hope Carter Preston Foundation is a registered charity (Registration number 1169637) established in 2016 through the generosity of the Carter Preston family. It is independent of Liverpool Hope University, but one of its objects is the advancement of education at the University in the creative and visual arts.

In collaboration with the Foundation, the School of CPA is offering a paid PhD studentship (tuition fees only) working with the Carter Preston collection which includes a wide range of paintings, sculptures, medals, and other art objects. Edward Carter Preston (1885-1965) was a local sculptor, designer, painter, and printmaker born in Walton, Liverpool. He received his early training at the University Art Sheds, Liverpool, one of the tutors being Augustus John. Although early in his career Carter Preston worked in many two-dimensional media, later he developed an interest in three-dimensional ones, producing sculptures in stone and wood.

He became proficient in designing and producing medals, largely encouraged by his success in winning the open competition for the next of kin plaque at the end of World War I – under assumed names he won first and second prizes, the same design being used for World War II. Commissions for many medals followed, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Coronation Medal and Queen’s Seal for the County Palatine of Lancashire. Some of Carter Preston’s work can be viewed online at https://artuk.org/discover/artists/preston-edward-carter-18851965-53218.

Edward was also the father of Julia Carter Preston (1926-2012), an acclaimed ceramicist who revived the sgraffito style in the 1950s, developing a highly individual style. Her work is in several UK collections, as well as the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. Her work is discussed here: https://vgm.liverpool.ac.uk/blog/2023/most-lustrous-the-ceramics-of-julia-carter-preston/

The proposed PhD project will conduct research on the Carter Preston collection (which includes work by Edward and Julia Carter Preston) including archivism and preservation work and promoting the work of the artists, for example, by creating a database of work in the Hope collection, curating an exhibition of work and/or publication. The Foundation is particularly interested in Edward Carter Preston’s art historical significance in relation to early-British Modernism. There may also be scope to deliver handling workshops on the collection to Hope’s undergraduate Visual Art students. The specific aims and objectives of the project will be agreed by the Foundation’s Trustees and supervisor in consultation with the successful applicant.

Applicant Criteria

The successful applicant will:

• Have an excellent understanding of art and/or design history, including object handling, and archivism.
• Have competent skills in curating, and IT (including database design).
• Have desirable experience in art conservation/preservation, and/or arts/heritage administration/management.
• Have a Masters degree from a recognised UK Higher Education Institution.  In some circumstances applicants with a Bachelors Degree at 2.1 Honours standard or above will be considered.
• Excellent people skills and ability to work with different key stakeholders in the project.
• Have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

For full details on on PhD entry requirements please consult our Entry Requirements section of the website.

Research Supervisors

This PhD studentship will be conducted in the School of Creative and Performing Arts, Liverpool Hope University.

The project will be supervised by Dr Lynn Hilditch and supported by the Liverpool Hope Carter Preston Foundation. Email: hilditl@hope.ac.uk.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants should apply via the Online Application System located on University’s postgraduate research web pages. 

Expression of Interest is a formal stage of the online application. Applicants are advised to do this at the earliest opportunity as the full application form is not released until this stage of application process is complete. Please contact Dr Lynn Hilditch at hilditl@hope.ac.uk.

Applicants will be able to upload copies of official academic achievements in undergraduate degree classification and master’s degree award, plus copies of official transcripts of all degree subjects taken.

Please refer to University’s Postgraduate Research page at for guidelines.

The deadline for full applications is midnight on Friday 1st March 2024.

On the closing of the specified deadline for online application submission, all applications will be reviewed and scrutinised by a panel and interviews will be accordingly scheduled for those shortlisted.

Funding Notes

Funding for this studentship will be solely from the Liverpool Hope Carter Preston Foundation, an independent charitable body. The studentship is for a Home (UK) student for a period of three years (full time), subject to satisfactory progress. The studentship will support the payment of standard tuition fees (currently £4,100 per year for full-time students) plus a supplementary bursary up to £900 per year to cover any travel or tutoring costs in relation to the PhD research. 

Please contact Dr Lynn Hilditch at hilditl@hope.ac.uk with any queries.