Reading Room · Application kit
PhD Application Kit · SOAS Politics & International Studies
Everything assembled for the founder's MPhil/PhD application to SOAS for September 2026 entry. Six artefacts, all downloadable, all referenced from this page so an admissions reader can verify scope without taking my word for any of it.
Working title — Civic infrastructure as transitional justice: the TLTE / VinMin archive as a case study in diaspora-led post-conflict accountability and the limits of stateless civic governance.
The six artefacts
Download in order. The kit is self-contained — you can hand the six files to any reader.
Supervisor email — Dr Sutha Nadarajah
First-contact email to the proposed primary supervisor. Send before January 2026.
Concept note (1 page)
Attach to the supervisor email. One-page summary of question, case, theory, method.
Research proposal (full)
10 sections, ~2,500 words. The spine of the formal application. Polish to 2,500–3,000.
Personal statement
Addresses the missing-master's question directly. Frames TLTE as research, not advocacy.
Application checklist & timeline
Five-phase timeline from pre-application (Nov 2025) to arrival (Sept 2026).
Three brutal truths to hold
- You do not have a master's. SOAS's standard route requires one. You are applying under the exceptional-entry reading, with TLTE as master's-equivalent independent research output. Make this explicit in the personal statement. Do not hide it.
- An assessor may read TLTE as advocacy. Pre-empt that. Lead with Berkeley Protocol, UCP Manual 2nd ed., Murad Code, OHCHR OISL tiering, UK Terrorism Act 2000 §12 compliance, and the refusal rules. The archive's discipline is the argument.
- The supervisor conversation is the unlock. Email Dr Sutha Nadarajah first. Everything else only matters if he says yes. If he declines, Dr Vino Kanapathipillai is the next contact. Both are in the same department.
Suggested reading order — for the admissions tutor
About 90 minutes. Linked from the personal statement and the portfolio appendix.
Department
MPhil/PhD in Politics and International Studies · Department of Politics and International Studies · SOAS, University of London.
Adjacent taught environment: MSc Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice.
Proposed supervisors
- Dr Sutha Nadarajah — Tamil diaspora politics, post-LTTE governance, critique of liberal peace.
- Dr Vino Kanapathipillai — second supervisor / second reader (same department).
Key dates
- Now → January 2026: Supervisor email + concept note attached.
- February – April 2026: Polish proposal and personal statement. Brief two referees. Apply for SOAS doctoral scholarships in parallel.
- By early June 2026: Submit full application (deadline 15 June 2026 for September entry).
- June – August 2026: Interview prep.
- September 2026: Arrival. Trigger Continuity Protocol Level 1 on TLTE.
Tuition fees for 2026/27 will be published at soas.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/research-fees.
What TLTE C.I.C. provides for the application
- A registered UK institutional vehicle (Companies House No. 16426152) with statutory asset lock — the application is not a personal project.
- A frozen, citable corpus of 88+ Tier-A sources and 100+ public pages, all version-controlled, all reachable from /cite.
- A working AI grounding system with a public eval suite at /velicham/evals — methodologically inspectable, not a black box.
- A documented Continuity Protocol at /continuity-guard — proving the archive survives the founder's reduced availability during PhD years.
- A signed letter of intent (drafted in personal capacity) confirming TLTE will not be a beneficiary of any scholarship awarded.