Reframing Trauma: Neuroimaging & Life-Course Analysis in CJI Women

Note: This opportunity is listed as "Reframing Trauma: Integrating Neuroimaging and Life-Course Analysis in Justice-Involved Women" when searching on Find a PhD

The School of Social Policy and Society is offering funding for doctoral research. The studentship will explore whether life-course patterns of trauma and social adversity in criminal justice involved women meeting ICD-11 criteria for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) are associated with alterations in neural and behavioural indices of inhibitory control and emotion regulation, compared with matched control participants.

The successful applicant will be primarily supervised within 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, Dr. Denise Ruprai) brings together expertise in social policy trauma-informed research, criminal justice, and cognitive and neuroimaging methods, providing a genuinely interdisciplinary training environment.

The project sits at the intersection of social policy psychology, and neuroscience, and forms part of a wider programme of work focused on improving trauma-informed understanding and responses for criminal justice involved women, particularly within third-sector Women’s Centres. These settings support women with high levels of cumulative adversity who are often underserved by statutory services and underrepresented in mechanistic research.

The studentship will involve close collaboration with Women’s Centres and community partners, alongside academic teams across social policy and brain health.

We anticipate that the studentship will involve:

• Developing and applying a structured life-course chronology approach to characterise patterns of trauma, adversity, and social instability across the lifespan.

• Collecting and analysing data to quantify cPTSD symptom dimensions, inhibitory control, and emotion regulation.

• Conducting behavioural and neuroimaging (MRI/fMRI) studies to examine the neural mechanisms associated with inhibitory control and emotion regulation

• Integrating social, clinical, behavioural, and neuroimaging data using advanced quantitative methods.

The studentship provides training in mixed-methods research, quantitative modelling, and neurocognitive methods, alongside opportunities for professional development through interdisciplinary collaboration across the University of Birmingham and partner organisations.

Funding notes:

The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing September 2026) on a full-time basis.

The URKI PhD studentship covers tuition fees at the UK home-student rate (approx. £5,200 pa) and provides a living stipend of £21,805 pa for students starting in September 2026.

International applicants

Please note that the award only covers fees at the home rate. International PhD fees for Social Policy are expected to be £22,110 pa. After fees are paid, only around £5,000 per year remains for living costs. International applicants will therefore need to self-fund additional living expenses and visa costs through other financial sources.

Fully/Partially self funded students, including those with external scholarships, are warmly encouraged to apply.

Who can apply?

Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (1st or 2:1, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as psychology, cognitive neuroscience, applied neuroscience, or a closely related social or health science, with demonstrable quantitative research skills. A strong interest in the social determinants of mental health, trauma, and criminal justice involvement is essential. 

A Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with substantive research methods training (or equivalent professional research experience) is normally expected. Experience with behavioural research, clinical or psychosocial measures, and/or neuroimaging methods is desirable, as is familiarity with working with vulnerable or underserved populations in applied or community settings.

This post is open to women only due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Eligible Countries

Students from all countries are eligible to apply.

Note for International Students: Please note that the award only covers fees at the home rate. International PhD fees for Social Policy are expected to be £22,110 pa. After fees are paid, only around £5,000 per year remains for living costs. International applicants will therefore need to self-fund additional living expenses and visa costs through other financial sources.

How to Apply

Applications must be made through the University of Birmingham Postgraduate Application portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission, select PhD in Social Policy and Society (Full Time only). Once you have applied, please 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 explaining why you are a suitable candidate and what you would bring to the PhD (2 pages maximum)
• A short (2 page maximum) research protocol to address the proposed research question.
• A CV
• Two academic references
• Transcripts (previous qualifications)

Please mention that you are applying for Reframing Trauma: Integrating Neuroimaging and Life-Course Analysis in Justice-Involved Women PhD studentship within your application.