PhD Studentship: Understanding and reducing norovirus transmission in early years settings: economic and behavioural approaches

Primary supervisor: Mr. David Turner

Norovirus is the leading cause of gastrointestinal illness in the UK, yet the economic and behavioural drivers of its spread in early years childcare settings remain poorly understood. This fully funded PhD studentship offers an exceptional opportunity to work at the interface of health economics, behavioural science, and biological modelling to generate evidence that directly informs UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) policy and practice.

The successful student will join the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Gastrointestinal Infections, working primarily with David Turner (Primary Supervisor) and Professor Paul Hunter at the University of East Anglia (UEA), with close collaboration from Professor Wendy Hardeman (behavioural science, UEA) and colleagues at Newcastle University and UKHSA. The project sits within the Evidence Theme of the HPRU and will complement ongoing work on infection transmission in childcare environments, including a parallel Newcastle-based PhD.

This PhD will investigate the economic, behavioural and organisational factors associated with transmission of Norovirus in early years childcare settings (e.g., nurseries, preschools). Particular attention will be paid to the cost-effectiveness of potential strategies to restrict infections. The project will explore both sides of the transmission pathway. This could include:

Identifying key economic drivers of relevant behaviours for parents, guardians and families, e.g., sending a symptomatic child to nursery or preschool.

Identify and quantify relevant economic drivers of staff working in early years settings, including working while unwell due to staffing pressures, and adherence to relevant public health interventions designed to limit infections.

Use a range of appropriate economic tools and available data to analyse the cost-effectiveness of available interventions to reduce infections from a societal perspective.

The student will have the freedom to shape the methodological direction of the project based on their skills and interests in discussion with supervisors.

Potential approaches include:

Qualitative research to identify economic and behavioural drivers and barriers among parents and staff.

Stated preference or discrete choice experiments.

Economic evaluation of potential interventions.

Integration of economic and behavioural data into biological models (e.g., Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment microsimulation approaches).

Secondary analysis of existing datasets, including INTEGRATE study data on cost-of-illness.

Who should apply?

We welcome applicants from economics, public health, behavioural science, epidemiology, data science, psychology, sociology, or related fields. Curiosity, initiative, and willingness to work across disciplines are essential.

Training and environment

The student will be embedded in the NIHR HPRU and the NIHR Academy, gaining access to specialist training, seminars, and networking opportunities. They will work closely with UKHSA collaborators and may undertake a secondment within UKHSA. The supervisory team brings complementary expertise in health economics, behavioural science, biological modelling, and public health policy.

This PhD offers the chance to generate high-impact evidence that directly supports national decision-making on infection control in childcare settings—an area of major public health importance.

Entry Requirements

A 2:1 Bachelor's degree in Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Public Health, Medicine, Biology, Food Sciences, Statistics, or Mathematics.

Mode of Study: Full time

Start Date:1 November 2026

Funding Information

This PhD project is fully funded by the NIHR for 3 years. Funding includes tuition fees at Home-fee rate), an annual tax-free maintenance stipend starting at £20,409 in the first year, and £1,000 per annum to support research training.

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