Medical and Health Care Studies: Fully Funded Swansea University PhD Scholarship: Environmental risk factors for CVD and Dementia at Population Level (RS429)

Funding providers: Swansea University's Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science

Subject areas: Geography, Data Science, Statistics, Machine Learning

Project start date: 

• 1 January 2024 (Enrolment open from mid-December)

Project supervisors:

• Dr Rich Fry (r.j.fry@swansea.ac.uk)
• Dr Emma Richard 
• Dr Amy Mizen 
• Dr Rhiannon Owen 

Aligned programme of study: PhD in Medical and Health Care Studies

Mode of study: Full-time

Project description: 

The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science is pleased to offer a fully-funded scholarship for a full-time doctoral student.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual who is passionate about understanding how where people live impacts on people's health. This studentship will investigate how the built and natural environment detrimentally and positively impacts cardio-vascular health and dementias in Wales. The successful candidate will investigate how exposure to different environmental insults (e.g., air pollution) and health promoting environmental factors (e.g., green and blue space) are associated with acute and chronic Cardiovascular events and associated dementia pathways. The student will join the Population Data Science team working alongside a supervision team with expertise in environmental health, dementias and advanced analytics. You will used linked data and advanced analytics in the SAIL Databank and be part of a team working alongside UK wide Health and Administrative Data Science networks (HDR and ADR UK).  

Possible research questions:  

• What are the associations between the built and natural environment and acute CVD episodes? 
• What are the associations between cumulative exposure to aspects of the built and natural environment and long-term hearth health and dementias, such as vascular cognitive impairment? 
• How do these events vary geographically and are they modified by socio-economic status and rurality? 

Objectives: 

• Conduct and publish systematic review. 
• Create a longitudinal cohort in the SAIL Databank using environment, health and demographic data for CVD and Dementias. 
• Develop advanced analytical approaches to model associations between environmental exposures and health outcomes. 

Candidates must hold an Upper Second Class (2.1) honours degree. If you are eligible to apply for the scholarship (i.e. a student who is eligible to pay the UK rate of tuition fees) but do not hold a UK degree, you can check our comparison entry requirements (see country specific qualifications). Please note that you may need to provide evidence of your English Language proficiency. 

Due to funding restrictions, this scholarship is not open to applications from international students (unless eligible to pay UK tuition fee rates as defined by UKCISA regulations). 

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of UK tuition fees and an annual stipend of £18,622.

Additional research expenses will also be available. 

To apply, please complete your application online with the following information:

1. Course choice – please select Medical and Health Care Studies / PhD / Full-time / 3 Year / January

   In the event you have already applied for the above programme previously, the application system may issue a warning notice and prevent application, in this event, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk where staff will be happy to assist you in submitting your application.

2. Start year – please select 2024
3. Funding (page 8) –

• ‘Are you funding your studies yourself?’ – please select No
• ‘Name of Individual or organisation providing funds for study’ – please enter ‘RS429 - Environmental Risk Factors’

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.

We encourage you to complete the following to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University: 

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form (online form) 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):

• CV
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.
• Two references (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)
• Confirmation of EDI form submission (optional)

Informal enquiries are welcome, please contact Dr Rich Fry (r.j.fry@swansea.ac.uk).

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.