Graduate Scholarships

"The primary focus of my research is paleoepidemiology and the changing disease burden associated with the transition to agriculture and domestication processes c. 10,000-5000 years ago. Using aDNA methods within a framework emphasising coevolutionary processes I am exploring ancient human, animal, and plant pathogens within their wider ecological and social context. This includes the potential effects of prehistoric climatic change and shifts in human cultural practices upon pathogen evolution.

“The Merton College Graduate Archaeology Scholarship allows me the space to pursue strands of research that may initially seem disparate, and in doing so create a novel approach in understanding long standing questions regarding our complex relationship with disease. In addition to the opportunities to work alongside world class academics within and beyond my discipline, being a part of Merton College is an honour and a privilege, inspiring me to continue my work every day despite any inevitable challenges during my research."

Katherine Hearne (DPhil Archaeology, 2023) 

In today’s world, a graduate degree is essential for academic careers and highly desirable for a wide range of other professions. The makeup of Merton’s student body has evolved to reflect this dynamic, and we now have approximately equal numbers of undergraduate and graduate students.

However, the biggest financial barrier to entering Oxford is at graduate level. Students now face significantly higher tuition fees and living costs, as well as increased competition for external sources of funding. We are concerned that many exceptionally talented graduates will not be able to take up their place at Merton due to lack of financial support or more substantial funding offers from other institutions, such as Ivy League universities in the US.

Increasing the number of Graduate Scholarships we can offer will be vital in addressing this problem and attracting the best and brightest graduates to Merton, from all backgrounds. Graduate students provide many benefits to the College: they support our Fellows’ research programmes, mentor our undergraduates, and bring an even wider range of specialisms within our walls through their own original research. After Merton, many will go on to make a significant impact in academia and society at large.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we currently offer over 60 Graduate Scholarships.