Governance and Accountability Research Group

An opportunity to apply for a funded full-time PhD in the College of Business and Law, UWE Bristol.

Reference: 25-26-April-CBL02

The expected start date of this studentship is 1  April 2026.

The closing date for applications is 25 January 2026.

Governance and Accountability Research Group (GARG) invites applications for a PhD studentship. Proposed projects should examine innovation signalling and its influence on equity crowdfunding campaigns amongst British SMEs.

Equity crowdfunding is an increasingly important source of entrepreneurial finance, yet how investors interpret innovation signals, their quality, and credibility remains unclear. Proposed project may focus on investigating financial indicators, narrative framing, visual cues, such as research and development activity, patent disclosures, and campaign storytelling in relation to investor decisions.

The study will be set within the post-2016 regulatory framework shaped by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which strengthened disclosure and investor protection in the UK crowdfunding market. Project proposals should assume utilisation of data from Crowdcube, Seedrs, and firm-level sources such as Companies House and Beauhurst, and consider use of natural language processing, computer vision, and explainable machine learning to analyse campaign text, imagery, and investment outcomes. While experience in analytics or programming is desirable, training and supervision will be provided. Applicants should demonstrate strong analytical skills and motivation to develop quantitative and computational expertise.

For general enquiries about the project proposal please email Dr Yan Zen at yan.zeng@uwe.ac.uk.

For an informal discussion about the studentship, please email College Director of Doctoral Research, Dr Paweł Capik at pawel.capik@uwe.ac.uk.

The studentship is available from 1 April 2026 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress, and includes a tax-exempt stipend of £20,780 per annum.

In addition, full-time home/international tuition fees will also be included.

Applicants must have at least 2.1 degree in accounting, finance, economics or a cognate discipline; demonstrable strong analytical and writing skills, and preferably Masters degree (with average programme mark of no less than 65%, UK grading scale or international equivalent).

A recognised English language qualification is required. IELTS score of 7.0 overall, or equivalent.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 25-26-April-CBL02.

Supporting documentation: Prepare your research proposal - no more than five pages all-inclusive; font size 11, 1.5-spacing, 2-inch margins. Indicative contents: research context and rationale, brief literature review, research focus (objectives/research questions), proposed methodology and expected contribution of the project. Development of research proposal should happen in consultation with the potential supervisor. You should contact the potential supervisor with an advanced draft of the proposal to confirm they are willing to support your application.

References: You will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application. At least one referee must be an academic referee from the institution that conferred your highest degree. Your referee will be asked for a reference at the time you submit your application, so please ensure that your nominated referees are willing and able to provide references within 14 days of your application being submitted.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 25 January 2026 at 18:00 (UK time).

Interviews will take place online in February. If you have not heard from us by 27 February 2026, we thank you for your application but on this occasion you have not been successful.