FAIRER-DTP Studentship

 

Background information

The Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing (ACHA) is a new research, education and training centre from Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London.

We work closely with local people and health and care staff in north east London to improve care and support for people as they grow older.

ACHA was awarded match funding from the Dunhill Medical Trust to establish its first PhD programme, to support ACHA’s academic ambitions to build research capacity in Healthy Ageing.

“New approaches to FrAilty: Inclusivity and REsilience in Ageing Research” (FAIRER-DTP) is due to begin in January 2025.

FAIRER will focus, like ACHA, on applied health research, responding to the needs of our local population and health and care system and seeking implementable solutions. ACHA academics will oversee the programme via a Steering Group. The ACHA group and wider collaborators have proposed PhD projects based on the three overarching areas of ACHA:

1) frailty prevention and living well with long term conditions and multimorbidity

2) rehabilitation

3) cognition

In line with the principles of ACHA, the three non-clinical, four year, PhD studentships, which will be registered at Queen Mary University of London, will be embedded within ACHA; a vibrant community of applied health researchers, clinicians and health professionals and local people. They will also benefit from the extensive support offered to QMUL PhD students.

These three doctoral programmes will be synergistic, exploring three aspects of our vision for fairer, more inclusive approaches to changing the trajectories of frailty in older age.

Join our webinar for more information:

A webinar about the scheme will be held on Monday 22^nd July, 12.30pm, register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/138c751c-1295-4a68-8438-1ac44cab9d97@37c354b2-85b0-47f5-b222-07b48d774ee3

All applicants must read and follow the FAQs and the application form guidance.

Eligibility

• You must meet University requirements including a first or upper second-class honours degree in a subject relevant to the work of the ACHA and the ACHA PhDs, or a postgraduate degree from a UK University. Overseas qualifications of an equivalent standard will be considered.
• You must be a UK citizen, or have confirmed right to work in the UK and be eligible for home student PhD fees for the duration of the award.
• You must be available to take up the award in January 2025 after you apply in the Summer. More information about eligibility is included in the FAQs.

Award 

• The PhD Studentship award is for 4 years and includes home student fees for the first three years and an annual stipend of £28,057 per year. NB PhD training fees are not available in the fourth year as students are expected to be in the writing up phase at this stage (when fees are suspended).
• In addition, up to £10,000 per year for research and individual training costs is available for the first three years.

Research Projects

Students must apply for one of the six PhD projects listed below. (Please also indicate within your uploaded Personal Statement if there are others within the six topics you are interested in pursuing):

• Behaviour change to improve cognitive wellbeing in older people from underserved groups with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Contact: Dr Megan Armstrong
• Understanding inequalities in delirium identification to improve care and patient outcomes. Contact: Liz Sampson: elizabeth.sampson@nhs.net 
• Designing an inequalities focussed digital health intervention for healthy ageing. Contact:Dr Jamie Ross
• Development of a rehabilitation intervention to reduce concerns about falls among carers of older adults with cognitive impairment and fracture. Contact: Professor Katie Sheehan
• The Influence of Multigenerational Housing on Healthcare Use for Persons Living with Dementia. Contact: Professor Claudia Cooper
• Monitoring of fracture repair in older people to optimise recovery. Contact: Professor Jerry Tsang: jtsang@ed.ac.uk (In post in July 2024)

Further details about the projects are available here.

How to Apply in 2024

Prospective applicants should get in touch with their prospective supervisor to discuss the research project they want to apply for. Contact details can be found above next to each project title. Please keep the bartshealth.acha@nhs.net copied into your correspondence.

The application itself should be made via the QMUL online system

For your online application please select "Semester 2 (January Start)"  In addition applicants must upload

• A curriculum vitae
• A brief (1000 Word) personal statement (see guidance document for required content)
• A recent example of academic writing

 Please see FAQs and Guidance on Application Form for further details.

Timeline

18th June 2024 Launch PhD

Mid June to Mid September 2024 Interested candidates approach QM supervisors and discuss their proposed PhD. Candidates inform bartshealth.acha@nhs.net of their intention to apply.

13^th September 2024 Deadline to submit your full application through the QMUL online system, ensure a download of application is saved.

Mid-October 2024 Candidates will be interviewed by a small panel. Candidates will only be invited to interviews if they score highly based on their applications.  After the interviews, three candidates will be selected and offered one of the ACHA PhD studentships.  Some candidates may be  offered a place on a waiting list in case successful candidates decide not to go ahead with their ACHA PhD.

January 2025 Commence PhD at Queen Mary University of London