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PhD year by year

After receiving your application, we try to establish if we have the necessary expertise to supervise your project and we begin to form a supervisory team for you. This will normally consist of a Director of Studies (DoS), who will be your lead supervisor, and at least one other supervisor, who will offer you additional support and guidance throughout your studies. If, following a successful interview, you are offered a place as a full-time student, your programme of study will look something like this:

Part time students follow the same structure as full-time students but normally complete the PhD over a period of five to six years. Part-time students take two modules in each of their first two years, and will normally Transfer to PhD in their fourth year.

Benefit from a professional and challenging relationship with your supervisory team, drawn from experienced academics working at the forefront of their disciplines.

Supervisors

You will need to submit a research outline as part of the application process. At this stage we are looking for the potential of your project and your ability to successfully complete the degree, as well as our capacity to supervise your research. The guidance for writing your research outline is . We recommend discussing your research outline with a potential supervisor before submitting a formal application.

Informal inquiries are welcomed by any of our supervisors or the course leader, Professor Lisa Jones. Our supervisors are listed below - please do click on the links to their webpages so that you can find out more about their specific research expertise. Please only contact one potential supervisor. If another supervisor is better suited to your project, we will redirect your query.

Professor Rachel Ashworth
Rachel has expertise in cell signalling research.

Dr Leo Donnelly 
Leo has quantitative research expertise in light and electron microscopy in relation to microvascular permeability as well as nerve regeneration, and an interest in the establishment of ‘safe zones’ to minimise iatrogenic damage during surgical interventions.

Professor Lisa Jones
Lisa is an experienced researcher in field of adult severe mental illness, in particular the aetiology of major mood disorders. She has expertise using quantitative research methods.

Professor Kay Mohanna
Kay has expertise in conversation analysis of video recorded data and also some qualitative methods that share a thematic analytical approach. She is interested in identity formation, diversity and inclusion, leadership and the use of humanities in teaching and learning.

Professor Sandra Nicholson
Sandra strongly believes in the value of medical educational research and scholarship that enhances the experience of both students and tutors, and ultimately seeks to improve the care and satisfaction of patients. She enjoys collaborating and taking an interdisciplinary approach to research and has frequently engaged with policy holders. She has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative educational methodologies.

Dr Hannah Reed
Hannah has research expertise in physiology and pathophysiology.

Professor Rebecca Stack

Rebecca is an experienced researcher in the areas of health psychology and behavioural medicine, including public health, help seeking behaviour, adherence to medicines, stress and coping with illness and patient perceptions of new medical treatments and technologies. She has expertise in a range of methods including qualitative research and analysis, meta synthesis, survey-based research and statistical analysis of quantitative data.

Rebecca would be particularly interested in supervising the following projects:

• Service user and healthcare professional perceptions of help-seeking behaviour for new onset mental health conditions (barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviour).
• Service user and healthcare professional perceptions of help-seeking behaviour for perinatal mental health conditions.
• The impact of financial hardship on health and wellbeing.
• The impact of financial hardship on decisions about health and wellbeing.

Dr Erica Thomas
Erica is an experienced researcher in the areas of public health, health psychology and behavioural medicine. She has expertise in a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods including quasi-experiments, survey-based research and focus groups. She is interested in the socioecological determinants of health and health behaviours and how behavioural interventions can be used to encourage physical activity, healthy eating and good mental health.

is a biochemist. She has expertise in many cell-based lab methodologies and an interest in cell signalling, cellular metabolism, and the cellular basis of disease.

All students engage with our Researcher Development Programme (RDP). The RDP aims to develop and enhance the skills, both generic and specific, that you will need to complete your research degree but also to become an effective researcher. The RDP is organised around thematic clusters, consisting of modules, and workshops, delivered face-to-face by subject specialists from across the University and the dedicated Researcher Development Team, or online through our virtual learning environment.

As part of the RDP, you will complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods (PG Cert). All students must complete the PG Cert in order to progress on their MPhil/PhD Programme. The PG Cert is strongly focused on developing your programme of research, starting from establishing your development needs, and preparing you for the planning and subsequent delivery of your programme of research.

Full-time students will complete the PG Cert in 12 months and part-time students in 24 months.