You’ll need to prepare the following documentation to support your application to ARIES:

(1) Cover Letter (sometimes also called a personal statement)

This is a chance for you to give your reasons for applying for your chosen PhD project. You may wish to give details about your academic/professional background, your future career plans, your interests etc. You could also detail here why you are a good candidate for this project, and how your skills, experiences, and qualifications mean you are well suited to the PhD. Don’t worry if you don’t have experience outside of your degree – we recognise that different people have different opportunities to gain experience. You might discuss what training you think you need to become a successful researcher, or what your aspirations are for the future. We are really interested in your potential as well as what you’ve already achieved.

(2) CV

This should include your qualifications to date and any relevant experience you have. If you have professional qualifications, publications, or have attended any courses or conferences that are relevant then include these as well.

(3) Academic Transcripts

Please provide scanned copies of transcripts related to your degree/qualifications. This is helpful for the panels to understand what topics your degree/experiences have covered.

(4) Information About You

ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) Information from all of our applicants. You will be asked by your University of Registration to complete the ARIES EDI form (or you can do this now). The data we collect here is not attached to your application or given to the interview panels or supervisors, and is used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes, to ensure we do not have any biases in our recruitment processes.

Your data will remain confidential, and will be stored on the UEA sharepoint server.  UEA’s GDPR statements may be viewed online. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships, and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form.