The successful candidate will undertake a PhD under the supervision of Dr Jocelyn Bosse, in parallel to her UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project entitled ‘A Century of Propertising Plants: examining the role of intellectual property law in protecting biodiversity and food security’.

WHAT THE STUDENTSHIP WILL COVER:

• The funded studentship may cover UK tuition fees, plus a DfE stipend, for a maximum of three years. For further details re eligibility criteria (including academic, citizenship and residency criteria) please click on the https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/postgraduate/research-degrees/funding/
• The researcher will have access to facilities and staff at the School of Law and The Thomas J Moran Graduate School to develop the research project and analyse the research findings.

To apply, please complete an application form on the Queen’s University Applicant Management Portal including a curriculum vitae (CV), a cover letter explaining why you are interested in a PhD in this area and a proposal of up to 1500 words (including references but excluding bibliography). In the proposal, applicants should demonstrate their understanding of the area(s) of law that are relevant to their research questions, as well as academic commentary on the research approaches and methods they would hope to use if awarded this studentship.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 21 January 2026 at 16:00 (GMT)

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in early February 2026.

Candidates will be notified by end of February of the outcome of their application.

Please insert the code PLANT26 into the Funding section within your application form.

ELIGIBILITY

• UK studentships – cover tuition fees and include a maintenance stipend per annum, together representing an investment in your education
• A UK studentship is open to UK and ROI nationals, and to EU nationals with settled status in the UK, subject to meeting specific nationality and residency criteria. 
• DfE studentship eligibility information (including citizenship and residency criteria) can be viewed here
• Please note this studentship is not available to international students.
• Study can only be undertaken on a full-time basis.
•  Qualifications:
  • An Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline, plus a Master's degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) with an average above 60%.
  • Applicants with an Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline, who are currently studying a Master’s degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) will also be considered.
  • Applicants with an Upper Second or First Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) in law or another relevant discipline, plus evidence of ability to conduct independent and original research will be considered on a case by case basis.

RESEARCH THEME

Title: Regulating Plants and Agriculture

Summary: For this opportunity, the proposed PhD topic must fall within the remit of Dr Jocelyn Bosse’s research expertise. Specifically, the project should focus on research questions related to intellectual property law and plants/agriculture. This includes projects on plant variety rights (also known as plant breeders' rights), patents, trade marks, or geographical indications, as well as cognate regulations such as the EU seed marketing directives or access and benefit sharing laws.  

The proposed research questions may speak to the themes of biodiversity and/or food security, but this is not required. PhD proposals are welcome to focus on any jurisdiction, provided there is a clear justification for the choice.

Requirements: The applicant should have sufficient knowledge of their chosen area(s) of law, as well as experience of, or knowledge of, qualitative research methods; this may emerge out of prior studies of or practice in law, but could similarly be demonstrated through study or work in other relevant fields.

Further information: Prospective applicants are welcome to contact Dr Jocelyn Bosse (j.bosse@qub.ac.uk) for further information, or to discuss their ideas for research topics.