PhD Studentship: Addressing challenges in investigating causal relationships between environment and healthy ageing

Updated: over 1 year ago
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, ENGLAND
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 25 Aug 2022

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and annual living expenses at UKRI rate, currently £16,062 per year. A research training support grant of £5000 per year is available to cover research costs (e.g. data costs) and local/national/international travel (eg. conferences). This award is only open to those eligible for home (UK) tuition fees

Overview

This project will focus on investigating the environmental impact on disability and health conditions in older people and addressing methodological challenges related to quantitative analysis. Based on the World Health Organization, the concept of ‘healthy ageing’ is defined as ‘the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age’. This is made up of the interaction between intrinsic capacity, which combines all the individual’s physical and mental conditions, and the environment, which form the context of an individual’s life. To investigate how the environment can support healthy ageing, recent epidemiological research has highlighted the potential for integrating geospatial data (e.g., green spaces, land use mix, local services) and ageing cohorts and investigating the relationships between a wide range of environmental factors and health conditions in older people. However, there are many methodological challenges in quantifying the complex impact of environmental factors on disability and health in older age. To enhance quantitative evidence and inform policies and practices related to age-friendly environments, it is essential to address multiple issues in statistical (longitudinal analysis, measurement errors), epidemiological (confounding effects, selection bias, unit interference) and ageing research (loss to follow-up, relocation, mortality). The PhD student will utilise existing environmental data and cohort studies and choose to investigate some of these issues based on their interests. The student will be involved in the impact of the Environment and Pollution on Cognitive Health (EPOCH): Building the knowledge base through international collaboration project, a UK-Australia collaborative project focusing on the complex relationships between the built environment, air pollution and cognitive health in later life.    

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

19 September 2022.

Award Duration

3 years.

Application Closing Date

25 August 2022

Sponsor

Newcastle University

Supervisors

Dr Yu-Tzu Wu, Dr Andrew Kingston (Population Health Sciences institute)

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants are expected to have at least a 2:1 degree in statistics, epidemiology, public health, data sciences or related field with a strong component of quantitative analysis. A Masters degree (Merit or above) in a relevant subject is desirable but not essential. If your first language is not English you need an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (at least 5.5 in all sub-skills) or equivalent language qualification.

How To Apply

For application instructions, please see https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=ph032

Contact Details

Yu-Tzu Wu ([email protected] )



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