Research Excellence PhD Studentship

Location: Stratford Campus

Salary: An annual stipend of £21, , along with a tuition fee waiver and a training bursary of £2,000

Post Type: Full Time

Closing Date: Thursday 30 May 2024

Reference: PHD004-24

University of East London - Research Excellence PhD Studentships

The University of East London (UEL) invites applications from highly qualified and motivated students, for six Research Excellence PhD Studentships in the School of Psychology starting in September 2024. The Research Excellence PhD Studentships are the premier postgraduate merit studentship at UEL and provide full tuition fees and a generous stipend.

Founded in 1898, we at the University of East London (UEL) are proud to change lives through education, research, and knowledge exchange. Our 10-year strategy, Vision 2028 is to advance industry 5.0 careers-first education and provide a clear path to the jobs and opportunities of the future. We're committed to driving diversity in the 5.0 talent pipeline, working in partnership to promote talent wherever it is found and creating a balanced, inclusive, and green future.

UEL is an innovative academic community, delivering high-quality applied research that is impact-led, intellectually stimulating, socially relevant and for public good. UEL's research efforts are shaped by its location, East London, one of the most diverse regions in the UK undergoing rapid urban transformation that presents both challenges and opportunities for thinking and acting on the city's future. In addition, London is at the heart of a rich global landscape and UEL is entwined into this landscape through its research engagement with areas of central and local government, science, technology, education, health, and arts.

The Research Excellence PhD Studentships are central to the University's strategy to enhance the research volume, quality and impact and part of our investment in research people, culture, and environment. At UEL, PhD researchers will be supported by a community of supervisors committed to their timely progress and development as professional researchers with publishable outputs. All postgraduate research students at the University of East London benefit from a comprehensive Researcher Development Programme designed specifically for PGRs to support them to develop academic and professional skills and an understanding of key doctoral milestones. The programme consists of three key strands:

• Researcher-Ready: This strand of training focuses on helping PGRs navigate the doctoral journey while developing key skills in research design, research theory, ethics, and academic writing.
  
• Empowering Researchers: This strand of the RDP focuses on peer-to-peer mentoring, ideas sharing, wellbeing, and community.
  
• Pioneering Researchers: This strand of training focuses on employability skills, entrepreneurship, and knowledge exchange for academic, industry, alternative career paths.
  
  

  School of Psychology
  
  

  Psychology has been taught at the University of East London and its predecessor institutions for over sixty years, since 1962. In the last national audit of research carried out in the UK in 2021, over 92% of the psychology research submitted from the school was judged to be of international quality.
  
  

  Successful candidates will become part of an active research environment in the School of Psychology and a member of one of our research groups. These groups include the Cognition and Neuroscience research group, where we employ state of the art neuroimaging techniques, including electroencephalography (EEG), eye-tracking, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and non-invasive brain stimulation (TCS); Developmental Psychology, including BabyLab; and the Mental Health and Social Change research group. We also invite applications that align with other research strands in the school such as Social Psychology, Drugs and Addictive Behaviour, Treatment-Resistant Depression, Mental Health Policy and Practice, Individual Differences, Health Psychology, Educational Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Positive Psychology and Coaching. Further information about research in the school is available here.
  
  

  Information about individual staff research interests can be obtained by going to our Departmental staff listings. There you will find School of Psychology academic staff listed in two Departments with links to individual profiles: the Department of Psychological Sciences; and the Department of Professional Psychology. Most staff in both Departments are eligible as MPhil/PhD supervisors. There are over 90 academic staff in the school.
  
  

  Research proposals should be aligned with one or two staff member's area of expertise. It is strongly recommended that you contact a prospective supervisor to discuss your proposal before finalising your application.
  
  

  Funding
  
  

  The studentship is for a period of three years including fees and an annual stipend of £21, /2025), plus a training bursary of £2,000. If invited for interview and subsequently offered a studentship, successful candidate then will be expected to complete the full University application and admissions process to start in September 2024.
  
  

  Additional Information
  
  

  The funding is for home and international students who have a first- or upper-second-class honours degree from a higher education institution in the UK or an acceptable equivalent qualification. Applications from those who additionally have an MSc in Research Methods for Psychology or equivalent are also encouraged to apply. Where English is not the applicant's first language, a minimum IELTS Academic score of 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all components is required. Such assessment of English language competence must normally have been undertaken no more than two years prior to application. It is assumed successful students will be based in the U.K. and become part of a vibrant post-graduate research community.
  
  

  Informal Enquiries
  
  

  Informal enquiries about the studentships should be addressed in the first instance to Professor Mark McDermott ), School Interim Director of Impact and Innovation (Research), or Dr Irina Anderson ), School MPhil/PhD Programme Leader.
  
  

  How to apply
  
  

  Please send a single WORD file attached to an email containing the following:
  
  

  1. A brief personal statement (250 words max) saying why you wish to undertake a doctoral research degree;
     
  2. A brief Curriculum Vitae which should contain details of your qualifications to date and other information you think relevant to your application;
     
  3. A 500-word research proposal outlining the research you wish to undertake; and
     
  4. Who in the UEL School of Psychology you have identified as having suitably relevant expertise to supervise your research.
     
     In the subject line of your email please put your first and surname, and 'Psychology PGR Studentship'.
     
     The closing date for emailed applications is 30th May 2024 at 23:59 pm.
     
     

     Please submit your application to the following email address:
     
     

     Please note: Interviews will take place during the week commencing 17th June 2024, date to be announced and will be online. If you are successful at interview and offered a studentship, thereafter you will be directed to complete the UEL enrolment process.