Postgraduate Research Scholarships in the School of Social Policy and Society

Our academics are internationally recognised as authorities in their fields, and our research contributes to academic debates and has worldwide impact. Our research outputs in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), were placed in the top 10 in the UK for social policy and social work.

Developing effective NHS care pathways for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism who encounter criminal justice: effective identification and risk assessment

The Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS) at the University 麻豆精选, in collaboration with Reach-Out – the West Midlands provider collaborative for adult secure care, are pleased to offer funding for a motivated and talented psychology graduate who is interested in undertaking a PhD about the timely identification of adults with learning disabilities and/or autism who encounter criminal justice and require transfer to inpatient secure care.

Within all areas of England, NHS provider collaboratives are responsible for commissioning secure inpatient beds for offenders with mental illness and for those with learning disabilities and/or autism. These individuals are often admitted to secure inpatient beds as an alternative to prison at the point of sentencing or are transferred from prison following incarceration. However, over the last decade, there has been a strong focus upon closing inpatient psychiatric beds for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism which continues today. This is likely to have had a detrimental impact upon diversion away from criminal justice as secure inpatient beds become increasingly sparse. To ensure that this resource is used appropriately, we need to be able to easily identify prisoners with either learning disabilities, autism, or both while also undertaking a timely assessment of their risk to help identify need. Further, and more broadly, we also need to have an excellent understanding of the barriers to effective prisoner transfer into secure inpatient beds to mitigate these barriers effectively and promote timely and appropriate access to healthcare.

This studentship is fully funded jointly by the University 麻豆精选 and Reach-Out – the West Midlands provider collaborative who are responsible for commissioning inpatient secure beds across the West Midlands region. The successful applicant will be supervised by academics within IDRIS, and namely, Professor Peter Langdon and Professor Richard Hastings.

The proposed project involves three studies: (1) Identification: building upon previously completed work, we will test several screening instruments for learning disabilities and/or autism that can be used within criminal justice settings to enable the accurate identification of adults with developmental disabilities. This study will involve the use of factor analysis, classical test theory, and ROC curve analysis to determine whether our chosen screening tools work well at identification, (2) Risk Assessment: we will test several risk assessment tools to enable an accurate assessment of need. Again, we will make use of methods including factor analysis, classical test theory, and ROC curve analysis to determine whether these assessments are accurately identifying those who need to transfer to a hospital bed, and finally, and (3) Barriers and Facilitators: a series of consultation exercises, incorporating qualitative research methods inclusive of focus groups will be completed with stakeholders (e.g., adults with developmental disabilities, carers, police, probation, prison service, judiciary, solicitors and barristers, NHS staff, and social care staff) to develop a thorough understanding of the barriers and facilitators to successful hospital admission and transfer for adults with developmental disabilities.

The Studentship will provide an annual stipend of £20,780 (current rate for 2025-26), home PhD fees and access to research costs (e.g. to undertake fieldwork and attend conferences) for three and a half years from 29^th September 2025.

For informal enquiries, please contact Peter Langdon p.langdon@bham.ac.uk.

How to Apply for the PhD studentship

Applications must be made through the University 麻豆精选 Postgraduate Application portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission please click , selecting PhD Health Services Management (full-time or part-time) 2025/26. Once you have applied, please also email s.bowkley@bham.ac.uk with your details and application number.

Your application should include relevant documentation, including:

Personal statement / cover letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate and what you would bring to the PhD (2 pages maximum)
A research proposal
A CV
Two academic references
Transcripts (previous qualifications)

Please mention that you are applying for the, “developing effective NHS care and criminal justice pathways project” within your application. Full information about applying for a PhD at the University 麻豆精选 can be found at: Apply for an advertised PhD - University 麻豆精选

The deadline for applications is 30 May 2025. We may close applications earlier than this date due to demand.

Eligibility

The studentship is offered as a 3.5-year award (commencing 29^th September 2025) on a full-time basis. Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in psychology, or a related discipline, including demonstrable experience using quantitative and qualitative methods, and a Master’s degree in psychology, research methods, or a related discipline (or equivalent professional training).

The studentship covers:

Full tuition fees at the Home rate (currently £5,006 per annum)
An annual maintenance grant for 3.5 years of £20,780 (current ESRC rate) per year

International students are encouraged to apply and would receive the same studentship award as home students. However, the studentship would be used to cover the tuition fees and a small stipend.

CHASM PhD Studentships

CHASM is pleased to offer funding for a motivated and talented quantitative researcher interested in undertaking doctoral research on financial resilience and wellbeing.

CHASM is an interdisciplinary research centre investigating the causes and consequences of financial risk and insecurity, and promotes policies to foster financial wellbeing. We have a diverse and inclusive research agenda, covering topics such as, savings, debt, inequality, assets, and financial inclusion.

The successful applicant will be jointly supervised by Prof. Adele Atkinson and Dr Ellie Suh, and with advisory supervision from Dr Louise Overton. The researcher will be able to demonstrate a strong desire to better understand the pathways to improved financial resilience and wellbeing and explore the type of support needed for individuals and households to achieve their goals. They should be interested in contributing to the literature on financial resilience and wellbeing, digital finance, and financial advice.

This research will address various interrelated challenges facing people in the UK.

Income and expenditure shocks are common in our society and can create various negative outcomes.
Many people struggle to start or maintain a plan to build their financial resilience. There are many reasons for this, but the consequence is that they are often ill-protected in the event of a change of circumstance.
People face many challenges as they seek to overcome adverse events, and it may take a significant amount of time for them to be able to start to (re)build their financial safety net to ensure future resilience.
There are still advice gaps, meaning that large portions of the population do not access guidance or support to help them to manage their expenditure, credit use, savings, assets, or insurance, and may be unaware of their possible vulnerabilities.

This doctoral research programme will aim to contribute to national policy discussions on financial wellbeing by undertaking quantitative analyses of the ways in which financial resilience grows or diminishes over time and the antecedents of such changes. It is anticipated that the Wealth and Assets Survey will be the main data source used for this quantitative PhD.

Evidence shows that financial resilience and wellbeing are associated with various socio-economic factors, and research students may have a particular interest in exploring this in more detail or seeking to meet the needs of certain groups of the population. The research could, for example, employ a gender lens or look specifically at those impacted negatively by COVID-19, low-income employees or the self-employed. Other groups may also be of interest. Applicants are welcome to outline their preferred focus with evidence-based reasoning.

Taking into account recent developments in digital finance, including Open Banking and the availability of financial management apps and robo-advice, the research will seek to identify continued gaps in access to, and use of, tools that support decision making and resilience building. It will also test possible solutions that are tailored to those who are unable or unwilling to fully employ existing options.

It is anticipated that the outcomes of this research will have direct application in policy and practice. For instance, the research programme is consistent with the aims of the Money and Pensions Service’s UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing, and also aligns with the technological focus of the main funder. The applied, collaborative nature of these studentships provides candidates with a unique opportunity to develop transferable skills of interest to a wide range of employers within and outside of academia.

Interested candidates should, in the first instance, contact a.atkinson@bham.ac.uk and l.e.overton@bham.ac.uk and then complete the formal University 麻豆精选 application as below.

How to Apply

Applications must be made through the University 麻豆精选 Postgraduate Application portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission please click . The scholarship application is a section on the admissions system which can be completed at any point. We recommend that applicants submit their application to study with us as soon as possible to allow time to process it and resolve any queries in advance of the funding deadline.

Your application should include:

• 1,000 - 2,000-word research proposal

• Supporting statement / cover letter

• Transcripts (previous qualifications)

• Two academic references

• CV

• Example of your written work

The deadline for applications is Friday 25^th April 2025.

Eligibility

The studentship is offered as a 3 year award (commencing in October 2025) on a full-time basis. Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in a relevant social science discipline, including demonstrable experience using advanced quantitative methods, and a Masters degree in a social sciences discipline with full social sciences research methods training (or equivalent professional training). This studentship is available to home and international student applicants.

The studentship covers:

Home Students

Full tuition fees at the Home rate (£5006 per annum)
A stipend for 3 years, £20,780 per year (UKRI amount for 25/26) for your living costs, paid in regular instalments)
A Research and Training Support Grant worth £750 per year

International Students

Full tuition fees at the International rate (£22,110 per annum for 2025/26)
A small stipend for 3 years, towards your living costs, paid in regular instalments
A Research and Training Support Grant worth £750 per year

Types of Scholarships

We are offering a select number of Scholarships.

School Scholarships are to support students who will commence their PhD studies in September 2025. As such, only new applicants (and not existing PhD students) are eligible to apply. These scholarships cover Home fees and stipend for 3 years full time (or 6 years part time), subject to satisfactory progress. In some cases, Schools may also offer a stipend or cover fees for international students. However, please note that School Scholarships cannot be used to support distance learning PhD programmes.

Applicants will automatically be entered into the School Scholarship competition, when they apply for an -funded studentship from the (DTP). The deadline for applications for ESRC Scholarships is midday on Tuesday 21 January 2025 (12:00 GMT).

Applicants for the School of Social Policy and Society who wish to only apply to the School studentship but not the ESRC should email sosppgr@contacts.bham.ac.uk for more details and an application form.

Decisions on School Scholarships will usually be announced between late March and early May.

ESRC-funded studentships from the (DTP). The deadline for applying for an ESRC funded studentship is Tuesday 21 January 2025 (12:00 GMT). Details on the application process provided in the link above. Note that you need to have applied for a place onto one of PhD programmes linked to your chosen pathway in order to be considered.

Decisions from the ESRC Midlands Graduate School are usually made by the beginning of April. By applying to the ESRC you will automatically be entered into the School competition if you are applying to a School of Social Policy and Society PhD programme.

Information about other specific scholarships will appear on this site as these opportunities arise.

Additional Opportunities

. This PhD is an open call – colleagues from practice and/or from research backgrounds can submit a proposal for a funded PhD on any adult social care topic covered under the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR)’s Please note that SSCR only covers fees upto the home fee level, not international. For more information contact Professor Catherine Needham, c.needham.1@bham.ac.uk

This PhD is for a specific project which the University wants to undertake around leading evidence-informed change in adult social care. This builds on the work of (the UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care), which is developing a new framework or model for thinking about/organising/leading evidence-informed change projects in the reality of adult social care services. The PhD would involve using the new framework to carry out a change project or improvement in frontline services, as well as reflecting on/evaluating/helping to test and refine the model itself. It would therefore be particularly relevant for someone in a senior practitioner, team manager or service manager role in a Council, service provider, third sector/community organisation or similar, who wants to develop their research skills and to span the boundary between research and practice. Please note that SSCR only covers fees up to the home fee level, not international. For more information contact Professor Catherine Needham, c.needham.1@bham.ac.uk

Scalable interventions in surgery PhD studentship

The School of Social Policy and Society is offering funding for doctoral research to develop scalable interventions in surgery. The studentship will involve methodological development to explore how we can evaluate multiple evidence-based interventions at scale to improve outcomes for surgical patients. The student will be supervised by academics from the Birmingham Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (BCEIS), the University 麻豆精选 (Professor Amy Grove) and the Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, University of Leeds (Professor Robbie Foy).

The BCEIS are a multi-disciplinary team at the forefront of methodological innovation and policy and practice change. The Centre encompasses: 1) A Technology Appraisal Review team 2) an Evidence Synthesis Group 3) an Evidence Based Surgery Unit and 4) a policy and methods group. The successful applicant will benefit from opportunities for professional and personal development through established collaborations such as the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) and the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC).

We anticipate that the studentship will address the research question: How should we evaluate the implementation of multiple evidence-based interventions to generate improvements in outcomes for surgical patients? However, there will be flexibility for students to develop their own research questions.

For informal enquiries, please contact Amy Grove: a.l.grove@bham.ac.uk

How to Apply for the PhD studentship

Applications must be made through the University 麻豆精选 Postgraduate Application portal. Your application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission please , selecting PhD in Health Services Management (full time or part time). Once you have applied, please email Pearl Pawson (p.pawson@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 the BCEIS, scalable interventions in surgery PhD studentship within your application. Full information about applying for a PhD at the University 麻豆精选 can be found at Apply for an advertised PhD - University 麻豆精选

The deadline for applications is 21st April 2025.

Eligibility

The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing 29th September 2025) on a full-time basis, or part-time equivalent. Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in a relevant health sciences/social science discipline, including demonstrable experience in applied health services research, and a Masters degree in a relevant discipline with research methods training (or equivalent professional training).

The studentship covers:

• Full tuition fees at the Home rate (£5,006 per annum)

• An annual maintenance grant for 3 years of £20,780 per year

International students are encouraged to apply. In such instances, the studentship will cover the tuition fees at the international rate and provide a small maintenance grant. Remaining living expenses and any visa requirements must be funded from other sources.

Evidence Based Surgery PhD studentship

The School of Social Policy and Society is offering funding for doctoral research to improve Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in surgery. The studentship will explore how we can measure and incorporate the role of surgical instinct in EBP. The student will be supervised by academics from the Birmingham Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (BCEIS), University 麻豆精选 (Professor Amy Grove, Dr Arabella Scantlebury) and Aston University (Professor Adrian Gardner).

There will be flexibility for the student to develop their own research questions. We anticipate that the studentship will involve:

- Developing and then piloting new research methods to capture the influence of surgical instinct on decision-making.

- Co-producing solutions that ensure future research evidence incorporates the role of experiential knowledge in surgical decision-making.

For informal enquiries, please contact Arabella Scantlebury: a.l.scantlebury@bham.ac.uk

How to Apply for the PhD studentship

Applications must be made through the University 麻豆精选 Postgraduate Application portal. Your scholarship application will not be considered if you do not apply for admission. To apply for admission , selecting PhD in Health Services Management (full time or part time). Once you have applied, please email Pearl Pawson (p.pawson@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 BCEIS, Evidence Based Surgery PhD studentship within your application. Full information about applying for a PhD at the University 麻豆精选 can be found at Apply for an advertised PhD - University 麻豆精选

The deadline for applications is 2 April 2025

Eligibility

The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing 29th September 2025) on a full-time basis, or part-time equivalent. Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in a relevant applied health sciences/social science discipline, including demonstrable experience in applied health services research, and a Masters degree in a relevant discipline with research methods training (or equivalent professional training). The studentship covers:

• Full tuition fees at the Home rate (£5,006 per annum)

• An annual maintenance grant for 3 years of £20,780 per year

Find out more about our Doctoral Programmes.

Find out more about the areas of research in the School of Social Policy and Society.