PhD Studentship - Integrating Neuroimaging and Life-Course Analysis in Justice-Involved Women

The School of Social Policy and Society is offering a fully funded PhD studentship to investigate whether life-course patterns of trauma and social adversity in criminal-justice-involved women with ICD11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) are associated with alterations in neural and behavioural indicators of inhibitory control and emotion regulation, compared with matched controls.

The successful applicant will be based in the School of Social Policy and Society, with joint supervision from the Centre for Human Brain Health. The supervisory team (Professor Simon Pemberton, Professor Stephane DeBrito, and Dr Denise Ruprai) provides expertise in trauma-informed research, criminal justice, cognitive psychology, and neuroimaging, creating a genuinely interdisciplinary environment.

This project sits at the intersection of social policy, psychology, and neuroscience and forms part of a wider programme aimed at strengthening trauma-informed understanding and responses for justice-involved women, particularly within third-sector Women’s Centres. These organisations support women with significant cumulative adversity, who are often underserved by statutory systems and underrepresented in mechanistic and neurobiological research. 

The studentship will involve close collaboration with Women’s Centres, community partners, and academic teams across social policy and brain health. The project is expected to include:

• Developing and applying life-course chronology methods to understand trauma, adversity, and social instability across the lifespan.
• Collecting and analysing data on cPTSD symptom dimensions, inhibitory control, and emotion regulation.
• Conducting behavioural and neuroimaging (MRI/fMRI) studies to identify neural mechanisms linked to inhibitory control and emotion regulation.
• Integrating social, clinical, behavioural, and neuroimaging data using advanced quantitative approaches. 

The studentship offers training in mixed methods research, quantitative modelling, and neurocognitive techniques, plus opportunities for wider professional development through interdisciplinary collaboration across the University and partner organisations.

How to apply

Applications must be made through the University of Birmingham Postgraduate Application Portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered unless you have applied for admission. Please select PhD in School of Social Policy and Society. After submitting, email Marcela Avila (m.d.p.avilasoler@bham.ac.uk) with your details and application number.

Your application should include:

• A personal statement/cover letter (maximum 2 pages)
• A short research proposal addressing the project theme (maximum 2 pages)
• CV
• Two academic references
• Academic transcript 

Please state clearly that you are applying for the “Reframing Trauma: Integrating Neuroimaging and Life-Course Analysis in Justice-Involved Women” studentship. 

Eligibility 

Applicants should hold a strong undergraduate degree (1st or upper 2nd class, or equivalent) in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, applied neuroscience, or a closely related social or health science, with demonstrated quantitative research skills. A Master’s degree with substantial research methods training, or relevant professional experience, is normally expected. Experience with behavioural tasks, psychosocial or clinical measures, neuroimaging techniques, or working with vulnerable populations is desirable.

Due to the nature of the research, this post is open to women only, under the Occupational Requirement in Schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010.

Funding

This is a three-year fulltime UKRI studentship beginning in September 2026. It covers UK tuition fees (approx. £5,200 per year) and provides a stipend of £21,805 per year.

International applicants may apply, but the award covers only ‘Home’ fee costs. International fees for Social Policy are expected to be £22,110 per year. Applicants must therefore self-fund the remaining fee difference, living expenses, and visa costs.

Self-funded or partially funded applicants, including those with external scholarships are welcome.

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