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.
 | Manasi Dutt |
| Country | India |
| Major Field of Study | I am interested in investigating the effect that cultural and/or institutional differences may have on the process of recruitment in the shipping industry, with a view to exploring the potential impact of this on the reported shortage of well-trained and experienced officers within the industry. |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | I graduated with a BA (Hons) in Human Sciences (which is essentially social anthropology) from Durham University in 2006. I then worked with a B2B market research company and was involved in managing the research process and writing executive summary reports. After this experience of the world of work, human resources was the area that most appealed to me and I attended Manchester Business School to study for a MSc in International Human Resource Management and Comparative Industrial Relations. |
| Other | My association with the maritime industry comes from the fact that my father was a seafarer before taking a position ashore. My current research interest provides me with the perfect opportunity to combine my previous degrees in an attempt to explore an industry that has a direct impact on our everyday lives but is largely unacknowledged by most people. I love spending time doing some creative writing or reading fiction. I enjoy learning new languages and would like to engage with Mandarin and revisit French in particular. |
 | Sanley S Abila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Major Field of Study | My research will focus on the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of Filipino seafarers especially those who live and work in foreign countries regarding health care system for seafarers. |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | I worked as an instructor and later on as assistant professor at the University of the Philippines Visayas from 1999 until the end of September 2009. I was teaching philosophy courses to undergraduate students (introduction to western philosophy, and ethics). Also, I have 2 master’s degrees: one in philosophy (2006, Ateneo de Manila University) and another in bioethics under the Erasmus Mundus Program of the European Commission (2009, a consortium of 3 participating universities- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Radboud University, and University of Padova). |
| Other | While in the University of the Philippines, I worked on a research project documenting the aid programs and rehabilitation programs of non-governmental organizations and private foundations for the victims of the 2006 oil spill off the coast of the island of Guimaras in 2006. The research output is being edited for publication as part of a book that focused on the social science research done in relation to the maritime disaster of 2006. |
 | Sarah Simons |
| Country | Kenya |
| Major Field of Study | A Geo - Spatial Analysis of Maritime Piracy Along the Eastern Africa coastline from 1998 – 2008. |
| Pre Cardiff Occupation | Mrs. Sarah Simons is a mid-career professional with work experience in the Public and Private Sector initially in university academic circles, but increasingly in International Organizations in the Eastern Africa region. Her academic background is in Education, Gender in Development (GAD), Development Studies and Environmental Studies. Transitioning to become a trained Crime Investigator and Trainer, she has been personally involved in cutting-edge International Organized Criminal research and analysis on a global and regional level - more specifically on Anti-Human Trafficking and Maritime Piracy. In recent years she was been actively engaged as trainer, lecturer and research in Criminology. |