I welcome applications from prospective students whose proposed research usually relates to any of the following areas: NGOs & activism, volunteerism, LGBT issues, sexuality, sexual & public health policy, and public opinion. As social policy is an interdisciplinary field, my work engages a number of literatures in political science, sociology, public health, organisational studies, and social & public policy.

I’m particularly interested in students who wish to employ mixed-methods research, data collection and analyses that are qualitative and quantitative in nature. Those with creative approaches to answering interesting and important puzzles that have been previously ignored or misunderstood are especially encouraged to apply.

Anyone thinking about pursuing a PhD—irrespective of the institution or supervisor—should first carefully consider the following questions:

Is a PhD really the right thing for you?

Studying for a PhD is not suited for most people. It can be a rather lonely and frustrating process and the rewards at the end rarely match expectations. I love my job and where my PhD eventually got me, but it was a long and emotionally taxing journey. My success, like most other academics, is partly attributable to luck and timing.

What do you want to do after finishing your doctorate? Is getting a PhD necessary to do it?

For many research jobs in government and non-governmental sectors, a masters can be advanced enough of a degree to get hired and thrive.

If you wish to go into academia, are you willing to move anywhere you can find a permanent position?

The academic job market is brutal: it’s incredibly competitive, fickle, unpredictable, and often unfair. Moreover, you’re unlikely to have much choice as to where you work and live. I tell prospective PhD students to think of the least desirable place to live in their home country and ask: would you accept an academic position there if it were your only option? 

Do you have a realistic understanding of all aspects involved in being an academic?

Many who consider studying for a PhD have an overly-romanticised idea of what it’s like to be an academic. Even when (or if!) you secure a tenure-track job you might not be able to research as much in academia as you assume. When supervising PhD students, I work to ensure that they have an honest understanding of the kind of career they are embarking upon, warts and all. But I also aim to make them be as well-prepared for the job market as possible.

Have you secured enough funding to focus on your PhD, without having to live hand to mouth for four years?

London is expensive. While I admire the sacrifice some make to finish their PhD, no student should live in (near) poverty to do so—especially considering that a tenure-track job upon completion is not something any institution or supervisor can promise its students. As such, our Department normally will not admit applicants who are ‘self-funded’ (i.e., those who do not receive LSE studentships or external funding) and we discourage doing part-time PhD studies.

Application process for PhD studies

Admission into doctoral programmes with funding is very competitive at LSE. Successful applications must include a well-thought-out research proposal, including a focused question and methods for data collection and analysis. Strong proposals will clearly demonstrate that the research is interesting, important, and do-able. There are PhD research projects that change the field, and those that get done. Choose a project that you can actually get done. With a more compressed timeframe than many PhD programmes in North America, you need to convince the admissions committee that you are ready to 'hit the ground running' upon arriving in London. 

More information on the PhD application process can be found on the Department of Social Policy’s webpage, along with some guidance about funding opportunities.

Current PhD students

Eliz M.Y. Wong, 2019–

Project: ‘I can’t be openly gay, I am the only child’: A four-city empirical comparative study on how family pressure on LGB Chinese is impacted by family planning and elder care policies

Research interests: family, LGBT, sexuality, gender, public policy 

Major funding: PhD Studentship, LSE

Biography: Eliz Wong began PhD studies at LSE in 2019. Previously, she was Project Manager for the Sexualities Research Programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong where she focused on LGBT politics and policies. Her research has been published in academic journals such as Journal of Homosexuality, edited volumes, and policy briefs. Eliz is also frequently asked to speak on LGBTI issues at universities and organisations around the world, including SOAS-University of London, Amnesty International, and AIESEC, Hong Kong. She holds an MPhil in Multi-Disciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, supported by The Women Foundation’s Hong Kong Scholarship.

To learn more about Eliz, visit her website.

Guodong Ju, 2020–

Project: ‘Exploring the effect of visiblity on the wellbeing of LGBTQ people in contemporary China’

Research interests: machine learning, LGBT, sexuality, public opinion,China

Major funding: PhD Studentship, LSE

To learn more about Guodong, visit his website.

Sam Nadel, 2022–

Former PhD students

Jessica S.C. Ng, PhD awarded 2021

Project: ‘Surviving success: Organisational adaptation in post-success environments’

Research interests: NGO development, activism, LGBT, public health

Major funding: PhD Studentship, LSE; Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSCHRC)

Notable achievements: Jess received the Social Policy Association’s 2019 Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research for her conference paper entitled ‘Understanding the persistence of “short-term” health crisis NGOs: the case of Toronto’s minority ethnospecific HIV/AIDS service organisations’.