MPhil/PhD Studentship in Speculative Reproductive Futures: Exploring and Reimagining Reproductive Imaginaries through Creative Co-production

Investing in excellence: studentship opportunities

The University of Derby has an opportunity for a full-time postgraduate research studentship in the Creative Industries and Public Services areas of research in the College of Health and Humanities (HH).

The successful applicant will receive a maintenance stipend (based on the minimum stipend defined by UKRI, currently £21,805 for the academic year 2026/27) and home MPhil/PhD tuition fees (£5,238 - subject to amendment) only up to the target submission date.

The intended intake period is January 2027.

International applicants may need to defer to March 2027 to allow sufficient time for CAS issuance and visa processing.

Please note: If your application is successful and you are assessed as international for fees purposes, you will need to pay the difference between the home fees and the international fees.

The successful applicant will be expected to complete their MPhil/PhD within 3 years on the MPhil/PhD route, contribute to the College REF submission and get involved in the wider research activities of the College.

Applicants will become part of a friendly and welcoming team and will be supported and managed by their supervisors.

The vacancy details are as follows:

Project description

Speculative Reproductive Futures: Arts, Health and Collective Imagination

How can creative practice help us understand and improve reproductive health futures? This interdisciplinary PhD project sits at the intersection of arts and health, exploring how speculative fictioning can be used to investigate reproductive health experiences and imagine more equitable futures with communities experiencing reproductive health inequities.

The project focuses on reproductive imaginaries; the ideas, values and expectations that shape how people understand reproduction including pregnancy decision-making, parenthood, family-making, health and care. While reproductive health is often discussed through medical, policy or technological frameworks, less attention has been paid to how communities themselves creatively imagine alternative futures.

Working with communities experiencing reproductive health inequities, the successful candidate will use speculative fictioning as a participatory arts method to explore lived experiences of reproductive health. Participants will co-create stories, artworks to create future scenarios that challenge dominant assumptions and generate new possibilities for reproductive justice.

The project offers an exciting opportunity for candidates interested in arts and health, creative research methods, visual culture, social justice and community engagement. It aligns strongly with the University of Derby's academic themes of Creative and Cultural Industries and Public Services.

Purpose/objectives 

This project aims to explore how creative practice and speculative fictioning can be used to understand and reimagine reproductive health futures with communities experiencing reproductive health inequities.

The successful candidate will:

• Investigate how reproductive health imaginaries are experienced, negotiated and expressed by communities experiencing reproductive health inequities through creative and participatory arts methods.
• Use speculative fictioning and artistic co-production to generate alternative reproductive health futures that foreground care, equity, inclusion and lived experience.
• Develop and evaluate speculative fictioning as an innovative arts and health methodology for researching health issues.
• Produce academic (e.g artworks, exhibition, publications) outputs that contribute to public engagement, health equity and new approaches to reproductive health research and practice.

This project will contribute to the growing field of arts and health by demonstrating how creative methods can generate new insights into reproductive health, wellbeing and social justice.

Potential project impact 

Developing innovative arts-based approaches for engaging communities in conversations about reproductive health, care and future wellbeing.

• Amplifying perspectives often absent from reproductive health research, enabling communities experiencing reproductive health inequities to shape more inclusive and equitable reproductive futures.
• Generating creative outputs, exhibitions and public engagement activities that inform future health research, policy, cultural practice and community dialogue.

The project is linked to an established multi-university research network on reproductive futures, providing opportunities for collaboration, wider impact and future research development in arts and health

To apply

Please review our entry requirements before submitting your application and check out the 'Getting Started' section below.

Completed applications should be submitted via our online application system. It is important that you quote the funding reference: QR_HH_COPRODUCTION_2627

Apply online

Closing dates for applications: Sunday 8 November 2026.

Interviews: Friday 20 November 2026 to Thursday 26 November 2026.

If you have not been invited for an interview by the interview date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.

For other enquiries which are subject-specific please contact:

Dr Paula McCloskey - p.mccloskey2@derby.ac.uk

Dr Rukaiyya Muhammad - r.muhammad@derby.ac.uk

Getting started

Before you begin your application, make sure you have the following:

Studentship funding reference code

It is important that you quote the funding reference: QR_HH_COPRODUCTION_2627 in your application, at the top of your personal statement.

Required Documents

Before submitting your application, please ensure you upload all required documents to enable us to assess your application fully. References may be provided at a later stage.

Personal statement

A 500-word personal statement outlining your suitability for the studentship project. This is a mandatory requirement and you must upload it into your application. You should include your reasons for applying for the studentship, your experience in the field, how you feel you would benefit from studying and relevant information about your previous studies.

Your CV

A CV outlining your academic and professional experience.

Qualifications

Your qualification details including grades and dates taken. You will have the opportunity to upload scanned copies of your qualification certificates and transcripts in the application. If you have no formal qualifications, you can also state this in your application.

Photo ID

A scanned copy of your photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence. This will help us verify your application to study with us.

Academic references

Two signed academic references. This is optional at application stage but highly encouraged. If successful in your application, two academic references will be a mandatory requirement of admission. The references should be in written format, signed and dated from either a supervisor or tutor from your most recent studies.

For international applicants

The University of Derby has a network of international agents and representatives in different regions. For postgraduate research degree applications, depending on your country of origin, you may need to apply through an agent. You can contact any of our agents and apply to study with us through them.

Some agents may charge for provision of services so please check this directly with the agent. Please be aware that, if you apply directly to the University without going through an agent, we may contact you and you will be required to re-apply through an agent or representative before your application can be considered.