PhD Studentship

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT STARTING A RESEARCH CAREER?

EXCITING NEW RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY TO USE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS OF PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS

Studentship: Fee-Waiver of EU fees and a Doctoral Stipend of £18,000. per annum

Fixed term: 3 years. Initially for 2 years for MPhil with a further year for completion of PhD

Closing date: 5pm 31^st May 2023

Interview date: 6^th June 2023

Start date: October 2023

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Introduction

The University of Bedfordshire (www.beds.ac.uk) are pleased to offer a studentship for a PhD in the subject area described below. This exciting new studentship has been made available through the collaboration of the Institute for Health Research and Luton Borough Council. The scholarship is offered in the Institute for Health Research (IHR), and will cover tuition fees, a bursary per annum, as well as research and conference attendance expenses.

The institution

The University of Bedfordshire’s vision is ‘to create a vibrant multi-cultural learning community enabling people to transform their lives by participating in excellent, innovative education, scholarship and research’.

The Institute for Health Research (IHR) is a centre of excellence in research. Currently, our staff and research students come from more than 15 countries to create a strong global research community with interests in public health, health inequalities, maternal and child health, health informatics, epidemiology, chronic and infectious diseases, primary care, biostatistics, mental health and health services research.

The IHR capitalises on local, national and international opportunities for collaborative interdisciplinary cross-boundary research and innovation in health. A major goal of the IHR research programme is to understand the factors which determine health and health behaviour and aspects of local contexts, health systems and political economies that influence the successful implementation of proven health interventions and technologies.

The emphasis in the IHR is on multidisciplinary working and integration to create synergy and use researcher strengths to maximum effect. The IHR has strong collaborative links in the UK and in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America.

The IHR offers extensive postgraduate research training to its approximately 50 doctoral students.

Our PhD School is a lively community comprising of a wealth of interests mainly in applied health research but also in global public health, epidemiology, nursing, midwifery, psychology and related disciplines.

Our aim is to provide a liberal and dynamic environment for PhD students from around the world to explore their interests and evolve into becoming the next leaders in health research.

The IHR is also part of the East of England NHS Research Design Service (RDS), which receives core funding from the NHS National Institute for Health Research. To find out more visit (https://www.beds.ac.uk/ihr/).

Luton Borough Council (LBC)

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. The 2040 vision and associated priorities, lay the foundations for ensuring a strong economic recovery and protecting the most deprived in our community.

The people of Luton depend heavily on Luton Council and want our workforce to be responsive and understand the issues pertinent to Luton. Luton Council is now a Marmot Town, this means that as place, we have committed to tackling health inequalities and building a town that focuses on fairness, social justice and improving health outcomes for all.  As a Marmot Town we will work across 8 key policy objectives ranging from giving every child the best start in life to preventing ill health by working with the equity system. 

In addition to statutory organisations such as the NHS Integrated Care System (ICS), ensuring that we are linked to regional and national priorities the Public Health team also work closely with a range of partners including the voluntary and community sector, Community Wellbeing Sports Trust and our communities and residents, to improve health and wellbeing.

The candidate

The successful candidate will have experience in the public health sector and a very good, proven academic record. The studentship holder will be key in developing and maintaining local networks with an emphasis on harnessing the collaboration between partner organisations. It is expected that the successful applicant will help develop new national collaborations and foster knowledge exchange between the University and the public health sector, thus ensuring the research has resonance and applicability beyond the immediate project.

You will be joining an international research centre of excellence with a strong postgraduate presence and culture.

Area of research

The rising levels of non-communicable diseases has led to increased interest in modifiable risk factors including physical inactivity. The importance of the built environment for physical activity is also documented in the literature. The research highlights the build environment (dual carriageways, access to health foods and urban greenspaces) act as a barrier to physical activity and improving opportunities for active lifestyles through the built environment can improve opportunities for active lifestyles. There is a lack of evidence on the views of diverse communities about the barriers and opportunities for improving active lifestyles through the build environment.  This research will carry out an in-depth exploration of the current state of accessing and utilising the built environment as a form of access to physical activity among diverse communities living in Luton and identify gaps in existing structures. With the supervisory team-Dr Nasreen Ali and Dr Erica Cook and in consultation with Sally Cartwright (Director of Public Health, LBC) and Chimeme Egbutah (Public Health Service Manager, Health Inequalities, LBC) the successful candidate will be responsible for developing the final project outline to ensure that it draws on the student’s interests, background and research expertise.

Term

The bursary will commence in 1 March 2023, initially for two years for the MPhil stage, with a further year for PhD completion, subject to satisfactory progress. The studentship is for three years and is available for UK and EU candidates meeting the Research Council criterion of having been resident in the UK for the previous three years. Students not from the UK or EU must fund the difference between the UK/EU fee level and the full international student fee. Please consult the University website to determine what these fees would be (www.beds.ac.uk/research-ref/rgs/fees) and note that the presently advertised fee is likely to rise on an annual basis. The studentship will include tuition fees, a stipend of £18,000 research support and travel.

Entry criteria

• An honours degree (2:1 or above) in health-related studies or cognate discipline
• Masters-level degree in a subject related to the project
• Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their ability in English, typically B2 level English qualification such as IELTS 7.0.

How to apply

For an application pack or any queries, please email research@beds.ac.uk quoting the appropriate reference number. In addition to a CV, all applicants will need to send a cover letter with supporting information on their experience and skills and how these relate to the advertised PhD.

For informal discussions or non-application related queries, please contact Dr Nasreen Ali (Reader in Public Health equality) via email nasreen.ali@beds.ac.uk. 

Closing date: 31^st May 2023