Does who you are shape how you are doing? The aim of this project is to address this question by investigating the impact(s) of people’s social groups and related identities on their health and well-being. Drawing on the social identity approach to health, research questions can be developed to examine direct relationships, as well as the psychological mechanisms (e.g., meaning, energisation) and/or physiological/biological mechanisms (e.g., arousal, neuropeptides) through which social groups influence health and well-being at times of challenge, success, or change. Secondary data analysis of longitudinal data sets and innovative experiments would be conducted to investigate this question. Cross-cultural investigation of these relationships would be welcomed.
Applicants must consult Dr. Jones (j.jones@qmul.ac.uk) before submitting an application to discuss their experience, background and proposed topic. Only quantitative projects will be considered. Alternative projects on specific types of groups and behaviour may also be considered.
As member of the WELL Lab, students will join a vibrant research environment which investigates how social connections and related identities shape mental and physical health and behaviour. Students will develop and exchange their ideas through bi-weekly lab meetings and engage with cutting edge research through regular departmental seminars. Students will have access to state of the art psychophysiological equipment (e.g., BioPac) to support their project. Students will also have opportunities to receive training in research design and analysis alongside professional skills through workshops and courses offered by Queen Mary’s Researcher Development programme.
Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Social, Health, or Biological Psychology.
Interest and/or experience in secondary data analysis, experimental design, psychophysics, and/or psychoneuroendocrinology would be a definite asset.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 1st March 2025. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.
Please find further details on our English Language requirements page.
Formal applications must be submitted through our form by 29th January 2025 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Janelle Jones AT j.jones@qmul.ac.uk Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.
Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
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