PhD Studentship: The Impact of Surgical Trials on Clinical Practice in the UK

The School of Social Policy and Society is offering funding for doctoral research. The studentship will explore the impact of National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded surgical trials on clinical practice in the UK. The successful applicant will be supervised by academics from the Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (CEIS), University of Birmingham (Professor Amy Grove, Dr Arabella Scantlebury) and University of Liverpool (Professor Michael Jenkinson).

The CEIS are a multi-disciplinary team at the forefront of methodological innovation and policy and practice change. The Centre encompasses: 1) A Technology Appraisal Review team 2) an Evidence Synthesis Group 3) an Evidence Based Surgery Unit and 4) a policy and methods group. The successful applicant will benefit from opportunities for professional and personal development through established collaborations such as the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) and NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC).

The studentship is part of a wider programme of work led by Professor Michael Jenkinson and the Royal College of Surgeons for England (RCSEng) Collaborative. This collaborative includes Royal College of Surgeons Surgical Trials Units, Chairs of Surgical Trials and Surgical Specialty Leads, who the student will be required to work collaboratively to deliver this project.
We anticipate that the studentship will involve:

- Using routinely collected NHS secondary care datasets (e.g. Hospital Episodes Statistics) to evaluate how NIHR surgical trials have influenced surgical practice.
- Using health economics and real-world data to determine the economic impact of surgical trials on practice.
- Close collaboration with national leaders in surgical research and practice.
- Developing new research methods for measuring how trial evidence influences surgical practice.

For informal enquiries, please contact Arabella Scantlebury: a.l.scantlebury@bham.ac.uk

How to Apply for the PhD studentship

Applications must be made through the University of Birmingham Postgraduate Application portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission click here, selecting PhD in Health Services Management (Full Time only). Once you have applied, please email Pearl Pawson (p.pawson@bham.ac.uk) with your details and application number.
Your application should include:

• A personal statement / cover letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate and what you would bring to the PhD (2 pages maximum)
• A short (2 page maximum) research protocol to address the proposed research question.
• A CV
• Two academic references
• Transcripts (previous qualifications)

Please mention that you are applying for CEIS, Evidence Based Surgery PhD studentship within your application. Full information about applying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham can be found at Apply for an advertised PhD - University of Birmingham
The deadline for applications is 10th November 2025

Funding notes:

The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing January 2026) on a full-time basis. UK only applicants.

Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in a relevant applied health sciences/social science discipline, including demonstrable experience in applied health services research, health economics and quantitative research methods. Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with research methods training (or equivalent professional training) is usually expected.

The studentship covers:

• Full tuition fees at the Home rate (currently £5,006 per year)
• An annual maintenance grant for 3 years (currently £20,780 per year). 

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