Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award Grant

Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Royal Geographical Society
Amount: Up to £6,000
Last Updated: December 20, 2025

Summary

The Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award supports PhD students researching the social, economic, and cultural aspects of any region globally, offering up to £6,000. Open to individuals or teams from any nation registered at a UK Higher Education Institution, the award encourages ethical research practices. Established in 2010, it reflects Frederick Soddy's legacy of interdisciplinary inquiry into community life, with one or two awards granted annually.

Overview

Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award The Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award provides up to £6,000 to support PhD students carrying out research on 'the study of the social, economic and cultural life of a region’ - anywhere in the world. About the Award Born in 1877, Frederick Soddy was a Nobel Prize winning atomic scientist, who later in his life developed economic and sociological interests. Through the foundation of the Frederick Soddy Trust, he sought to encourage research that would provide a holistic view of the whole life of an area or community, encompassing both human and physical geography. The Frederick Soddy Postgraduate Award was established in 2010 and was previously administred by RGS-IBG on behalf of the Frederick Soddy Trust. The award is open to individual PhD students or teams of PhD students. One or two awards are given every year. In 2018 the Frederick Soddy Trust became a linked charity of RGS-IBG, creating a new set of grants, the Frederick Soddy Awards, to support school and student fieldwork and expeditions.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must registered at a UK Higher Education Institution. The grant is open to applicants from any nation. Applicants must currently be registered for a PhD. Grants are available to individuals or small groups working together.Project expenses covered by the award can include, but are not limited to, travel, subsistence, equipment and field assistants.The awards support fieldwork/research in the UK or overseas.The RGS-IBG requires that the research it funds be conducted in an ethical and responsible manner.

Ineligibility

The Society will not fund projects that take place in countries or within an area where the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel before the project goes into the field.Applicants registered on MPhil or other Masters courses are not eligible.Re-application for the same project is not permitted.Awards cannot be made retrospectively