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

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and annual living expenses at UKRI rate, currently £18,622 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 (e.g. conferences). 

Successful international candidates will be required to fund the difference between the home fees and international fees. 

Overview

This project will focus on investigating the environmental impact on disability and health in older people and addressing methodological challenges related to quantitative analysis. Based on the World Health Organization, healthy ageing is defined as ‘the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age’ and is made up of the interaction between intrinsic capacity (individual’s physical and mental conditions) and the environment (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, local services) and ageing cohorts and investigating the relationships between environmental factors and health conditions in older people. However, there are many methodological challenges, including multiple issues in statistical (longitudinal analysis, measurement errors), epidemiological (confounding effects, selection bias) and ageing research (loss to follow-up, mortality). The PhD student will utilise existing environmental data and cohort studies and choose to investigate some of these issues based on their interests.     

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

September 2024 

Award Duration

3 years full time 

Application Closing Date

2nd April 2024 

Sponsor

Newcastle University 

Supervisors

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

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should possess a minimum 2:1 degree in statistics, epidemiology, public health, data sciences, mathematics or a related field that includes a substantial quantitative analysis component. While a Master's degree in a relevant subject with Merit or higher is preferred, it is not mandatory.  

Candidates must be eager to develop advanced epidemiological and statistical analysis abilities. A keen interest in healthy aging research is crucial. Familiarity or experience with statistical software (e.g., Stata, R) is a plus.  

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.

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study this programme. 

How To Apply

You must register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal  

Once registered select ‘Create Application’ then ‘Postgraduate’  

Use ‘Search Course’ to identify your programme of study: 

• Select 2024 - Year of Entry  
• Type of Study: Select ‘Postgraduate Research’ 
• Mode of Study: ‘Full Time’  
• Year of Study - 2024 
• Course Title / Course Code: Select ‘8370F’ 
• Research Area: Leave Blank 
• Click Search and select ‘PhD Population Health Sciences (FT)’  

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (mandatory) - upload or write directly in the application form 
• The studentship code PH035 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field 
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert - you do not need to upload a research proposal. 

In the supporting documentation section you will also need to submit:  

• a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code PH035 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project (750 words max.) 

Contact Details

Yu-Tzu Wu ([email protected] )