PhD studentship: Family and environmental influences on children’s home learning, and inequalities in education and mental health outcomes

PhD studentship

Family and environmental influences on children’s home learning, and inequalities in education and mental health outcomes

Supervisory Team

Dr Rebecca Lacey (rlacey@citystgeorges.ac.uk)

Dr Matt Barnes (matt.barnes@citystgeorges.ac.uk)

Dr Sierra Clark (siclark@citystgeorges.ac.uk)

Prof Yvonne Kelly (UCL, y.kelly@ucl.ac.uk)         

Title

Family and environmental influences on children’s home learning, and inequalities in education and mental health outcomes

Project details

This project offers the opportunity to take a broad view of children’s home learning environments, to include how the social and physical environment interact to produce inequalities in children’s mental health and educational outcomes. The project will examine the role of environmental exposures and the family social, and how these interact to produce inequalities in children’s mental health and educational outcomes over time.

The project will draw on prior research and methods from environmental, social and lifecourse epidemiology.

Main Methods and Techniques

This project will take a complex systems approach to assessing how a child’s home learning environment is situated in and affected by their families’ social and physical environment, and the implications these have for inequalities in children’s mental health and educational outcomes. Most prior research has focused solely on family or environmental influences on children’s health. This project will take a broader view of children’s home and physical environments, bringing together knowledge and skills from across social, lifecourse and environmental epidemiology.

We are keen for this PhD project to be student-led and shaped and driven by the successful candidate’s research interests and skills.

Techniques to be used:

• Epidemiology
• Statistics and data analysis (particularly advanced longitudinal methods)
• Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and related technology to assess environmental and social exposures
• Methods for missing data (e.g. multiple imputation

Research environment:

The PhD student will be embedded in the Population Health Research Institute at City St George’s Tooting.

They will also be a member of a broader PhD cohort in the ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity (Equalise). Being a member of the Centre will bring fantastic capacity building opportunities.

Skills

We expect that a person will have

Strong quantitative skills.

Expertise in UK longitudinal studies.

Confidence in working closely across sectors with non-academic organisations, including government departments.

Entry requirements

Candidates should preferably hold a Masters qualification with a strong quantitative component, e.g. Epidemiology, Geography, Quantitative Social Science subject, Social or Medical Statistics, Data Science

Project key words

Health inequalities; Environment; Learning; Mental health

Funding

This studentship is open to home applicants only and provides funding for 3 years full-time and includes home tuition fees plus a tax-free stipend in line with UKRI rates. 

Application process

Prospective applicants are welcome to contact Dr Rebecca Lacey (rlacey@sgul.ac.uk) to discuss the project.

Please send the completed application form to stgeorgesphd@sgul.ac.uk by no later than 5pm on 12 April 2026 An equal opportunities form should also be submitted as a separate document.  References will be requested should you be successful in being offered the studentship.

Applications will undergo shortlisting and successful applicants will then be invited to interview week beginning 27 April 2026.

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