Scholarships & Fellowships
SIRC, the Seafarers International Research Centre, is a constituent center at the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. At this institution, The Nippon Foundation has established a masters program under which participants study maritime-related social science. In the course, students are given training in social science research methods, required to write a thesis of up to 60,000 words, and funded to attend an international maritime conference related to the human element. One exceptional student each year will be offered the opportunity to continue on to a PhD. The purpose of the course is to create an international network of social scientists studying the lives of seafarers.
In order to facilitate contact and at the same time protect the privacy of the people on this list, we ask that those who wish to contact them use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page to send us your name, email address and a brief message. We will make sure that the scholar receives your message. However, we leave any response up to the individual.
 | Ngwatung Akamangwa |
| Country of Citizenship | Cameroon |
| Major Field of Study | Ngwatung is interested in the shortage of personnel entering and remaining in the shipping industry. His research investigates the influence of the shipboard environment on crew turnover. He anticipates that this study would provide insights on how the global shortage of skilled personnel in the industry might be addressed. |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | Ngwatung began his career in civil society work in Cameroon in 2004 when he joined Transparency International as Programme Officer. His interest in Cameroon’s transport sector development took him to Transnational Automotive Group Inc. in 2006 and there he was part of a fine effort to modernize passenger logistics. In 2007 he took up a teaching position at the Regional Maritime University, Ghana. His academic career has afforded him expertise in maritime environmental protection. In addition, he has lectured in Maritime Administration, Economics and Operations Research. He has prior research experience in the impact of technological changes on the supply of seafarers. |
| Other | Ngwatung graduated from the University of Buea, Cameroon in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Economics. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Ports and Shipping Administration from the University of Ghana, Legon (2006). He has a passion for music, badminton and jogging. He is Executive Editor of Success Story Magazine, a bi-monthly e-magazine which relates the experiences of successful Cameroonians at home and abroad. |
 | Roderick G. Galam |
| Country of Citizenship | Philippines |
| Major Field of Study | My research is entitled “Seafaring, Family Dynamics, and the (Re)Construction of Filipino Seafarers’ Masculinities.” |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | I finished an undergraduate degree in education (English/ Social Studies), magna cum laude, and a masters in comparative literature both at the University of the Philippines Diliman. As an undergraduate student, I was inducted into the Pi Gamma Mu International Social Science Honor Society. I taught for almost ten years at the University of the Philippines Integrated School where I had the opportunity to be involved in research, development, and writing projects. I was part of a research that looked into ‘indigenization’ and the education curricula in Cordillera (Northern Philippines); worked with local education departments and local governments in the area of teacher training; and co-wrote instructional materials for teaching English to high school and pre- university students from affirmative-action areas. In July 2008, my book “The Promise of the Nation: Gender, History, and Nationalism in Contemporary Ilokano Literature” was published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press. This book is a revised version of my master’s thesis which won the Lontok-Cruz Award for Outstanding Research from the University of the Philippines - Center for Women’s Studies. |
| Other | Because of my academic training and work experience, I have abiding interests in issues of education and social justice; power, pedagogy, and language; literature, gender, and social change; and social memory, Ilokano literature, and the Marcos dictatorship. I am also interested in Southeast Asia and would like to learn Bahasa Indonesia. |
 | Aditi Kataria |
| Country | India |
| Major Field of Study | The impact of English language on seafarers from non English speaking south Asian countries |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | Worked with the Times of India Newspaper as Executive Result and Market Development to promote the brand under the aegis of the Newspaper in Education (NIE) program in schools, in the geographical area entrusted to me. Have also worked with the Royal Bank of Scotland as a Customer Services Officer. On the Academic front have continuously sought to upgrade self by utilising the opportunities available. Academic qualifications include BA(Hons)English, MA English, MBA and BEd |
| Other | Have been a National level Lawn Tennis Player. Love to read fiction, write poetry and be creative by making rag dolls and flowers out of both fabric and paper. |
 | Peidong Yang |
| Country | China |
| Major Field of Study | For my research at SIRC Cardiff, I am interested in issues related to the trade unions in the shipping industry |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | I graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore with a BSc in Maritime Studies in 2008. During my degree course, I also did a 10-week internship in a major Japanese liner company: Kline (Singapore). |