A PhD studentship for women in underrepresented subjects
To further strengthen our postgraduate community, one of the goals of the Anniversary Fundraising Campaign is to endow five new postgraduate studentships to cover course fees and living costs. This focus on postgraduate support coincides with another very special anniversary. In Michaelmas Term 2026 Trinity Hall will be marking 50 years since the admission of women, firstly with Fellows (Sandra Raban and Kareen Thorne) and postgraduates in 1976, followed by undergraduates in 1977.
The College has identified a significant underrepresentation of women admitted to Cambridge for PhD study in STEM subjects and in Economics. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Admission of Women we intend that one of the endowed studentships will be for women in these underrepresented subjects.
Cambridge’s overall gender balance for postgraduate admissions has improved in recent years. During the 2023/24 admissions round, women made up 47% of applications and 51% of admissions. However, patterns differ significantly in STEM subjects and in Economics.
In 2022, women made up around 39.6% of total STEM PhD admissions at Cambridge. However, this number isn’t increasing, but stagnating; in 2023 it had dropped to 38.7%.
In the UK, economics remains more male-dominated than most social sciences. Nationally, women make up around 30% of Economics PhD students – similar to STEM fields like maths and physical sciences. University of Cambridge data indicate that while we are doing significantly better than the national average, women still only represent about only 36% of applications to study Economics and receive about 37% of offers.
Fewer women studying for PhD in these subjects is having an impact further along the pipeline, particularly in academic career progression where female representation drops sharply. In UK universities, despite women making up about 44–45% of academic staff overall, they comprise only 17–20% of professors in STEM disciplines, and just 6% of professors in mathematics. Only ~26% of academic economists are women, dropping to ~15% at professor level.
Trinity Hall Postgraduate Tutor & Professor of Geochemistry
Professor Alexandra Turchyn
“Increasing women at the postgraduate level in STEM and Economics is exceptionally important, both for increasing gender diversity at the professional level through feeding the ‘pipeline’ but also because it helps our undergraduate students. Postgraduate students often demonstrate or supervise undergraduate students, therefore the benefit of increasing the number of women PhD students in STEM and Economics has a broader impact on the entire Trinity Hall STEM and Economic community through the informal role model positions they play across the University.”
The cost to endow the PhD studentship in perpetuity is £1 million. We are pleased to announce that the College is able to contribute £500,000 from historic funds to cover half of the cost. As we approach 50 years since the College admitted women, we are seeking donations from our alumni and supporters to match the College contribution, so that we are able to offer a full studentship to talented postgraduate applicants who might otherwise not be able to come to Cambridge for their research.
Offering postgraduate studentships enables Trinity Hall to attract the best applicants and to strengthen our research community. Your donation can help us to support the next generation of researchers, innovators and academic leaders. A studentship can be life-changing, making a transformative difference in enabling someone to undertake their research, pursue a potential career in academia and provide enhanced lifelong employment opportunities.
The 675 Anniversary Campaign
The underrepresentation of women in STEM subjects and economics does not begin at Cambridge. This significant gender gap can be seen at all levels, despite girls outperforming boys academically in almost all STEM disciplines.
Some key reasons for this include:
- Persistent confidence gaps—many girls report insecurity in maths and science, despite strong academic performance
- Stereotypes and cultural expectations still dissuade girls from technical subjects like computing or engineering
- Lack of representation—with few visible role models in technical and economics fields, girls may feel less inclined to participate
This PhD Studentship should be viewed as one element of a series of measures to increase diversity in our student community for which the College is seeking support through the 675th Anniversary Campaign. To address the issues of underrepresentation our Admissions Team lead a range of innovative Widening Participation programmes designed to support and encourage applications from students from all backgrounds from Year 7 pupils upwards.
Give to a PhD Studentship for women in underrepresented subjects
The online payment service is provided for your convenience. Please be aware that there are transaction fees involved, and for larger gifts you may wish to consider an alternative payment method such as a Bank Transfer. Please contact the Alumni & Development Office for more information.
For more information about the PhD studentship for women in underrepresented subjects, or any of our 675th Anniversary Campaign projects, please contact Dr Rachelle Stretch or Donna Thomas-Watson at development@trinhall.cam.ac.uk.
Thank you for your support.