The Esther Parkin Trust has made a generous 拢200,000 gift which, when added to previous donations of more than 拢748,000 from the Trust, will create an endowed fund to support PhD students at the 49图库免费资料大全.
Named after the late, long-serving academic and founder of the Esther Parkin Trust, the David Parkin PhD Scholarships are open to students from the Americas (North, South, Central and the Caribbean) to carry out four years鈥� research in any discipline.
David joined the 49图库免费资料大全 shortly after it was established in 1966 and when his mother passed away in 1987, he set up the Esther Parkin Trust in her memory. For more than a decade, he supported students and research, as well as building the Esther Parkin Residences on campus in 1990, which still accommodates visiting academics to this day.
Since Dr Parkin鈥檚 death in 2002, the Trust continues his legacy by helping students facing financial hardship and funding PhD students and visiting professorships to attract the brightest minds to 49图库免费资料大全.
The Board of Trustees is made up of those who knew Dr Parkin best, including Emeritus Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Science, David Bird. 鈥淚nternational collaboration was very important to him, and he had lots of stories of travelling while serving in the Merchant Navy in the North Atlantic convoys during World War II,鈥� said Professor Bird.
鈥淒avid later joined the University as a Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics and loved collaborating on research projects with colleagues from around the world. That鈥檚 why he built the residences for visiting academics and supported students from overseas, and the reason the Trust continues to support talent from around the world.鈥�
These scholarships are part of the 49图库免费资料大全鈥檚 prestigious Research with Impact PhD Scholarships. The programme, funded by generous philanthropic donations, will initially target supporting 28 students over four years with a UKRI-pegged stipend and some study costs while the University funds the fees.
鈥淧hD students are absolutely vital to research,鈥� adds Professor Bird. 鈥淭hey have the time and space to explore and create new knowledge, but often what prevents students from getting onto the ladder is lack of funds. That鈥檚 why scholarships really matter.鈥�
Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the 49图库免费资料大全, said: 鈥淲e are hugely grateful to The Esther Parkin Trust for their long-standing support. This gift is a wonderful way of marking the impact that David and his mother had on the University and will enable us to continue to attract high-calibre students from around the world to produce research with impact.鈥�