The Parfit Scholarship is intended to support students reading for a DPhil in Philosophy at the University of Oxford who are working on topics relevant to global priorities research and who are expected to make a significant contribution to global priorities research over the course of their careers.
About the scholarship
Derek Parfit came to be widely regarded as "the most original moral philosopher in the English-speaking world" during his tenure as a fellow of All Souls College from 1967 to 2017. His work on personal identity, rationality, and ethics left an enduring mark on philosophy; among other contributions, he is responsible for establishing the field of population ethics.
In honour of Derek Parfit, the Global Priorities Institute is offering up to two scholarships to exceptional students who are undertaking a DPhil in Philosophy. These will be awarded to students whose dissertation topics are relevant to global priorities research - that is, broadly, the question of how agents can use their resources to do as much good as possible.
These scholarships will provide:
- a stipend for living costs of at least £19,000 p.a., as well as applicable tuition/continuation fees, for three years; and
- the opportunity to work with GPI researchers and to receive support in pursuing the research project.
We anticipate that many applicants considered for the Parfit Scholarship will also be offered funding from elsewhere to cover the first three years of their DPhil programme. In such cases, the financial benefits of the Parfit Scholarship will commence after the scholar's other funding ceases, such that the scholar is able to fully fund their DPhil for four years. For scholars not in receipt of other funding, the Parfit Scholarship will commence in their first year. In case the scholar receives partial funding from other sources, the Parfit Scholarship can also be used as top-up funding with amounts adjusted appropriately. Details will be confirmed on a case-by-case basis.
Note that these scholarships are awarded in conjunction with the Atkinson Scholarship, which is offered to students undertaking a DPhil in Economics. A maximum of two Parfit and/or Atkinson Scholarships will be awarded each year, to the best candidates across both philosophy and economics.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must be commencing a full-time Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Philosophy programme at the University of Oxford. Applications are open to both Home and Overseas students.
Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of (i) academic excellence, (ii) the relevance of the applicant's proposed dissertation topic to global priorities research, and (iii) the applicant’s expected capacity to contribute to global priorities research over the course of their career. For non-exhaustive examples of research questions which we consider highly relevant, see GPI's research agenda.