CENTRE-UB PhD Studentships

To be eligible for a PhD studentship, you are required to have obtained or are expected to obtain at least a 2.1 degree classification from a UK university (or equivalent for a non-UK university) in an area related to the specific PhD project.  Please check the specific requirements for your chosen project.  If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the supervisor of the PhD project.  

Both home and international applicants are invited to apply. To be classed as a home applicant, candidates must meet the following criteria: a) be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or b) have settled status, or c) have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or d) have indefinite leave to remain or enter. If you do not meet these criteria above, you would be classed as an International applicant.

All studentships are co-designed and co-supervised by researchers at the University of Birmingham together with partner organisations from a range of sectors. This close link with partner organisations provides a unique learning opportunity for the PhD students to apply their learning across different contexts, sectors and environments beyond that of traditional academia.

We are currently inviting applications for the following projects:

• A data analytics approach to identifying doping risk indicatos – development of a doping suspect prioritisation tool
• An exploration of the support and safety nets in place for families with children experiencing food insecurity
• Developing digital tools to improve screening for autism: Identifying diagnostic markers based on facial and bodily movements
• Embedding behavioural science insights into Early Intervention and Prevention across service areas (adult social care, children and families and housing), to explore ways of supporting citizens before they present to the council during crisis
• Evaluating the impact of the Domestic Abuse Suicide Risk Assessment Tool
• How does ‘trust’ influence partnership synergy within Participatory Research in the voluntary and community sector?
• Increasing physical activity levels among frail older adults: studying optimal implementation and mechanisms through which benefits occur
• Multi-modal travel in shared spaces – improving cooperation, safety, and traveller confidence
• Pro-environmental behaviour change and the role of zoos
• Shaping protective behaviour optimising the communication of climate change health statistics
• STARTING SCHOOL Study: SmarTphones and Adolescent Risk and resilienT factors for wellbeing when transitionING SCHOOL
• Understanding risk and resilience factors for mental health and neurodiversity with BERRI in children and adolescents
• Using physical exercise to improve the welfare of content moderators
• Understanding the behaviour of analysts working with online violent extremist content

Deadline for PhD applications is Thursday 16 May 2024 17:00 

To apply for a CENTRE-UB PhD studentship you should complete the CENTRE-UB application form, which you can download here. This form, together with your CV, your academic transcript, and two references should be submitted via email to centre-ubehaviour@contacts.bham.ac.uk If you have not yet completed your undergraduate degree, please provide the transcript of the previous years and an academic reference which confirms your expected degree classification. At least one of the references should be an academic reference. In your email, you should include the project descriptor to indicate which PhD project you are applying to – the descriptor for each project is mentioned in the information above. 

Experience shows that students who are engaged in early discussions about the project with the supervisors are more likely to be successful in their application. We therefore encourage you to contact your potential supervisors and ask any questions you may have about the project. 

As part of our reporting to our funder, the ESRC, CENTRE-UB is required to provide diversity statistics for the overall funding applicant pool. All applicants are therefore requested to answer a brief online survey. Please note that all questions can be answered with ‘prefer not to say’. At the end of the survey, you will be provided with a number which you are requested to include in your studentship application. Please note that this information will not be available to the panel evaluating the studentship applications and will never be available to the supervisors of your project.  You can find the online survey here. 

Steps for applying for a studentship: 

1. Select the PhD project you would like to apply to
2. Download the Centre-UB PhD application form
3. Complete the EDI survey
4. Email the following documents to centre-ubehaviour@contacts.bham.ac.uk, including the project descriptor in the heading of your email: 

a) Centre-UB PhD application form

b) Your CV

c) Academic transcripts

d) References (at least one academic reference) 

For specific questions about the project, please contact the supervisor of the PhD project.

Deadline for applications 16 May, interviews are expected to be early in June 2024.

Each 4-year studentship will include a UKRI-rate stipend (for 24/25 this is £19,237 – paid in monthly instalments) and tuition fees. PhD students will also have access to ample training opportunities. 

PhD students will be provided with training tailored to their needs and expertise. Training is split into the following types:

• specialist training, that includes in-depth subject/disciplinary methodological and theoretical training, and training and support in generating, accessing, and analysing data that supports data driven research applicable to human behaviour;
• conceptual training, to ensure that PhD students understand the breadth of social science methods, and to support them to make: (i) informed choices about their research design; and (ii) engage critically with research outside of their immediate discipline;
• general training, to equip PhD students with research skills required for postgraduate study and for their future career, within academia and/or beyond, e.g. project/data management, ethics, referencing, impact;
• ‘research in practice’ training, to develop PhD students’ transferable skills and to provide practical opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge and methodological skills in different contexts and during placements;
• cohort-building opportunities, to empower PhD students to develop peer support networks and engage in on-going learning, during and beyond the studentship.