PhD Studentship in the Epidemiology of Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders

The Department of Health Sciences, University of York, and the University of Bristol/Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) invite applications for a fully-funded full-time 3-year PhD studentship to start in September/October 2024. The project is about mapping the epidemiology of disordered eating and eating disorders in a large, diverse sample of young people.

The successful candidate will be part of the department’s Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG). The candidate will have the opportunity to develop links with the University of Bristol and the Bristol BRC supported by supervisor Dr Helen Bould. They will also spend time in the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), directed by Professor John Wright.

Project details

Are you interested in disordered eating and eating disorders in young people and adolescents?
Do you want to work at the leading-edge of mental health and population science?
Do you want to undertake a Doctoral training programme working on the world’s largest multi-ethnic birth cohort in the amazing city of Braford?
Do you want to train in population and epidemiological science in one the UK’s leading centers for applied & population mental health research?
Do you want to contribute to eating disorders research with supervision from clinicians and researchers in the field?

Supervisors: Dr Ruth Wadman (University of York), Dr Helen Bould (University of Bristol) and Dr Francesca Solmi (University College London).

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with significant associated morbidity and mortality, and increasing numbers of people are being referred to eating disorder services. It is important to develop our knowledge of their underlying aetiology to improve both prevention and treatment. To date, population cohort studies have included few questions exploring disordered eating, meaning
we have limited knowledge of their prevalence and aetiology in the general population, and particularly in ethnically and socioeconomically diverse groups.

The Born in Bradford (BiB) study is the world’s largest multi-ethnic birth cohort. The BiB participants are now passing through adolescence and transitioning into adulthood. Following £6.8M investment by Wellcome, an ambitious programme will map the social, environmental, genetic and economic determinants of a health at this crucial period in the BiB Age of Wonder (AoW) research programme. AoW will be the largest UK cohort to date to include yearly data (from 2023 onwards) on disordered eating across adolescence. The cohort is collecting genetic, biological, psychological, behavioural, and environmental data on participants and will include multiple linkages with educational, health, local authority, and geographical data.

The aim of the project will be to describe the epidemiology of disordered eating in the AoW Cohort and to generate testable hypotheses around factors influencing whether disordered eating improves or worsens over time, which will inform prevention and treatment efforts.

Skills and Training

This PhD will suit candidates with quantitative skills and interest, and a background in disciplines including psychology, population health, epidemiology, health sciences and related fields. You will hold a strong first degree in one of these or a related subject. We welcome candidates with a master’s degree in involving quantitative science (e.g. psychology, population health, epidemiology, health sciences), but this is not essential. You will be encouraged to undertake training in cohort analytic and causal inference methods. Your quantitative training will be interwoven with the first year of the Doctoral programme, giving you the opportunity to enhance your knowledge and skills.

As part of this Doctoral programme you will access the masters-level learning opportunities in the University of York Department of Health Sciences. You will be able to undertake training in quantitative analysis, public health, epidemiology and statistics, health risk behaviours via access to courses offered on the Masters in Public Health and Masters in Health Research. You will also be able to access the excellent Bristol Medical School Short Courses on a range of research methodology, design and analysis in health sciences.

Funding

The scholarship is open to UK citizens on a full-time basis. The 3-year studentship provides a tax free stipend per annum for UK citizens in line with UKRI standard rates (currently £18,622 for 2023/24), plus annual tuition fees at the UK rate, and £3,000 total research costs. Prospective students from elsewhere may also apply, though would be expected to provide evidence of the ability to fund the difference in tuition fees applicable to EU and international (non-EU) students. Visit the fees webpage for further information.

Essential and desirable requirements

Applicants will need to hold at least an upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in a relevant subject with a demonstrable quantitative training. It will be desirable that the candidate will also have a masters degree with a significant quantitative methods element.

Applicants are required to submit a short research proposal (max 500 words) outlining how they would approach developing a research proposal in the area outlined above. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Ruth Wadman to discuss the project before applying (contact details under Informal Enquiries below).

For students whose first language is not English, there is a minimum requirement of an IELTS score of at least 6.5 in each component of the test and an overall score of at least 7.

Process for Application

Applications should be received no later than 20th May 2024 16:00h. Applications will not be considered for the studentships after this date.

Applications should be made using the Department of Health Sciences on-line application process which can be accessed using the link below.

http://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/courses/apply?course=DRPHSCSHSC3

When completing the electronic form, applicants will need to state that they are applying for the advertised studentship and include ref: MHARGBiB2024 under the ‘How studies will be funded’ section, in order to be considered for the scholarship.

Shortlisting: Shortlisting will take place as soon as possible after the closing date and shortlisted applicants will be notified promptly.

Start date: Early June 2024

Interviews

Individuals with the strongest academic record, experience, and research proposal ideas will be shortlisted and invited to interview in March/April 2024. Interviews will be conducted face-to-face or via Zoom or similar communication tools.

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Ruth Wadman (ruth.wadman@york.ac.uk) and Dr Helen Bould (helen.bould@bristol.ac.uk).

Department of Health Sciences

The Mental Health and Addiction Research Group (MHARG) is based in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York and our work is supported by the Hull York Medical School (HYMS). Our research informs mental health and addiction policy and services, particularly in the NHS. We integrate population, clinical, behavioural, economic, environmental and other scientific perspectives. We work in partnership with people with addictions or mental health ill health. Taking a population perspective, we are especially focussed on prevention, early intervention and in understanding mental ill health and addictions across the lifecourse.

The Department of Health Sciences includes over 300 academics, teachers, researchers and support staff engaged in delivering research, professional development, education and training. Our core aim is excellence in research and teaching, while contributing to improving health and healthcare through the application of our research to policy and practice. We are a multidisciplinary department, involving clinicians from a range of health professions including medicine, nursing and midwifery alongside disciplines such as statistics, health economics, health services research, psychology, sociology and epidemiology. Our research is ranked 6th in the UK for research power in the Times Higher Education ranking of the latest REF results with over 92% (REF 2021).

Our research activity is organized around six core themes: mental health and addiction; trials and statistics; public health and society; cancer epidemiology; cardiovascular health; and health services and policy. The successful candidate will join a vibrant community of postgraduate students in our Graduate Research School. Our PhD students are embedded in one of our research groups and have the flexibility to tailor their studies to pursue their own research interests, and a bespoke training programme is designed in conjunction with the supervisory team to support the development of essential subject-specific and transferable skills for their future careers.

The University

The University of York is one of the foremost Universities in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of leading UK Universities. It has an outstanding record of research, teaching, and training across a full range of disciplines. The latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 places us in the top 10 institutions in the UK for research. The University has a particular strength in health-related research.

The main campus is a 200-acre landscaped park, with colleges and academic buildings within walking distance of each other. Proximity to the historic city of York makes the University a popular choice and provides a pleasant working environment. Transport connections to York are fast and effective.