The RAF Museum and the Centre of War and Diplomacy at Lancaster University have joined forces to offer a new PhD.

They are currently inviting applications for a fully funded PhD to research, write, and complete a dissertation on the project ‘The Europeanisation of British Defence Procurement in the Cold War: The RAF and the Panavia Tornado’.

Funding for the project has come from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership

In making use of the RAF Museum’s collections, as well as national, specialised, and business archives, the student will also have the fascinating and challenging opportunity to explore Britain’s political, economic, and strategic rationale and role in the multinational European co-operation, which produced the Panavio Tornado multirole combat aircraft.

The student must have an excellent background in History (ideally at both undergraduate and postgraduate level) and a good understanding of Military, International, and/or Economic/Business History.

They will work within the University’s History Department and the RAF Museum and will become a full member of Lancaster University’s Centre for War and Diplomacy, supervised by Lancaster University’s Dr Marco Wyss and Dr Thomas Mills together with Dr Harry Raffal from the RAF Museum.

Dr Wyss said: “The Centre for War and Diplomacy is delighted to work with such a prestigious museum as that of the Royal Air Force.

“Moreover, the Panavia Tornado is a fascinating case study to assess the political, economic, and strategic rationales in British defence procurement.”

For further details of the Arts and Humanities Research Council and North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership please visit the jobs.ac.uk website.