School of Human and Health Sciences Fully Funded Scholarships

ID Number: HHS-2026-07 

Supervisor: Dr Chia-Yuan Lin 

When Timing Breaks Down: Rhythmic Synchronisation in Reading and Mathematical Difficulties 

Reading and mathematics both rely on the ability to process sequential information over time, which may explain why developmental dyslexia and developmental dyscalculia so frequently co-occur. Yet while both conditions involve some form of timing difficulty, the nature of these impairments appears to differ — and this project sets out to investigate exactly how. 

This PhD project will investigate whether distinct temporal sequencing mechanisms differentiate dyslexia, dyscalculia, and neurotypical cognition, using sensorimotor synchronisation (SMS) — the ability to synchronise movements with external rhythms — as a core behavioural paradigm. Participants will complete a series of tapping tasks ranging from simple, regular beat sequences to more complex speech-like and hierarchical rhythms, alongside standardised assessments of reading and numerical cognition. 

The central hypotheses are that individuals with dyscalculia will struggle most with simple isochronous timing, reflecting difficulties in interval representation, while those with dyslexia will show greater deficits when synchronising to complex or speech-like rhythms, pointing to impairments in hierarchical temporal processing. By directly comparing these profiles within a shared behavioural framework, the project aims to identify both shared and domain-specific timing mechanisms underpinning literacy and numeracy. 

Beyond its scientific contribution, this research carries implications for allied health practice. Current diagnostic approaches for learning difficulties focus largely on academic performance, offering limited insight into underlying cognitive processes. If SMS measures can serve as objective indices of temporal processing, they could complement existing assessments and potentially inform rhythm-based interventions. 

The project will begin with adult populations to establish behavioural validity, with the intention of extending findings to younger developmental cohorts — supporting earlier identification of learning difficulties and more targeted intervention. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: c.lin@hud.ac.uk 

ID Number: HHS-2026-01 

Supervisor: Dr Camilo Tamayo Gomez 

‘Social Movements and Transitional Justice ‘from below’: Exploring Grassroots Activism in Armed Conflicts and Post-Conflict Contexts’ 

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship exploring the relationship between social movements, victims’ activism, and transitional justice in contexts of armed conflict and post-conflict transition. Over the past decade, transitional justice scholarship has increasingly moved beyond state-centred and technocratic models focused on trials, truth commissions, and reparations programmes. Instead, growing attention has been given to justice “from below”: the ways in which victims, grassroots organisations, and social movements articulate their own visions of justice, recognition, memory, and political transformation. 

This doctoral project will critically examine how bottom-up actors shape, challenge, and redefine dominant understandings of justice in divided and violence-affected societies. It seeks to understand how communities affected by conflict mobilise to demand accountability, social recognition, and structural change, and how these claims interact with formal institutions and state-led transitional justice processes. The research will also explore the tensions, possibilities, and limitations of participatory and transformative approaches to justice. 

The studentship is particularly suited to applicants interested in sociology, criminology, politics, human rights, peace and conflict studies, or related disciplines. Comparative and international perspectives are especially welcome, including research focused on Latin America, Africa, Europe, or other relevant regions. Methodologically, the project may adopt a qualitative or mixed-methods design, potentially including comparative case studies, interviews, discourse analysis, digital ethnography, or participatory approaches. Candidates will be encouraged to shape the empirical focus in dialogue with the supervisory team and according to their expertise and interests. 

The successful applicant will join a vibrant interdisciplinary research environment within the School of Human and Health Sciences, with links to the Social Justice Research Group and related centres. This PhD offers an opportunity to contribute original research to debates on justice, democracy, conflict transformation, and citizen-led social change, while developing advanced methodological and analytical skills relevant to academic and policy careers. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: c.a.tamayogomez@hud.ac.uk  

ID Number: HHS-2026-03

Supervisor: Dr Chris Retzler 

Understanding the cognitive effects of e-cigarette use

Recent statistics show that the use of e-cigarettes has overtaken the use of cigarettes for the first time, with approximately 5.4 million people using e-cigarettes daily in Great Britain (ONS, 2024). In the UK, e-cigarettes are often recommended as quitting tools by stop smoking services. However, a recent scoping review highlighted that little is known about the effects of e-cigarette use in both the short and long term (Novak & Wang, 2024).  

Beyond concerns about exposure to toxic substances while using e-cigarettes, there are mixed findings about their effects on cognition with some studies showing little or no effect, but others suggesting there is potential for disruption to memory, concentration and decision making (Novak & Wang, 2024). 

This PhD project aims to better understand the effects of e-cigarette use on cognition using a range of cognitive tasks (e.g. executive function, reinforcement learning) and appropriate neuroscience methods (e.g. electroencephalography). The findings will have important implications for public health policy. 

This study aims to better understand (1) the effects of e-cigarettes on short term cognitive abilities, and (2) whether neurocognitive markers generalise across, or are specific to, e-cigarette and cigarette smokers? 

This project will utilise a range of cognitive tasks which target executive function and decision making skills, administered to e-cigarette users, smokers and controls. EEG data will be collected during the tasks to understand the neurological correlates of any differences between groups and analyses will include modelling of reaction time data to identify the decision making components affected by e-cigarette use. 

The ideal candidate will have strong quantitative skills, experience and/or knowledge of neuroscience methods, and be eager to learn about advanced data analysis involving programming. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: Dr Chris Retzler c.retzler@hud.ac.uk 

ID Number: HHS-2026-04

Supervisor: Dr Joanna Blackburn 

The feasibility of the improving fit, comfort and functionality of mounted police personal protective equipment (PPE). 

This project will evaluate how standard riding equipment, on-duty equipment, and public order personal protective equipment (PPE) influence the comfort, mobility, posture, task performance, and safety of mounted police officers. Mounted officers are required to perform physically demanding tasks while maintaining control of the horse, communicating with colleagues, and responding to unpredictable operational environments. However, PPE designed primarily for ground-based policing may restrict movement, alter posture, increase discomfort, or reduce functional performance when used in mounted duties. Working with regional mounted police units, the aim of this project is to evaluate how standard riding equipment, on-duty equipment and PPE, influence the comfort, mobility, and performance of officers during mounted policing tasks. It will involve a mixed-methods design incorporating movement assessments exploring the effects of dynamic and functional movement restriction on task performance along with semi-structured interviews with male and female mounted officers will explore their lived experiences of wearing PPE, including perceived effects on riding position, communication, fatigue, confidence, safety, and operational effectiveness, as well as views on design and material improvements. The project will also examine implementation feasibility through interviews with stakeholders such as PPE procurement leads, occupational health and safety managers, trainers, and senior managers. These interviews will explore organisational barriers, procurement processes, cost considerations, safety requirements, and policy factors influencing the adoption of improved PPE across UK mounted policing.  

Findings will generate practical evidence to inform the design of safer, more comfortable, and more functional PPE, with potential to improve officer welfare, enhance operational performance, and contribute to future national standards for mounted police equipment. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: J.Blackburn3@hud.ac.uk 

ID Number: HHS-2026-02 

Supervisor: Dr Natalie-Louise Gorton 

Neurodiversity, Trauma Exposure and Occupational Wellbeing in Policing and Disaster Response Roles

Police officers and staff working in specialist roles such as Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), safeguarding, public protection and major investigations are routinely exposed to traumatic material, complex operational demands and emotionally challenging environments. While research increasingly recognises the psychological impact of trauma exposure in policing, little is known about how neurodivergent traits (including autism, ADHD and related cognitive or sensory differences) shape experiences of occupational stress, resilience and engagement with organisational support systems. 

This PhD project will investigate how neurodiversity intersects with trauma exposure and workplace culture in specialist policing and disaster response roles. The study will explore how sensory processing, communication styles, executive functioning differences and team dynamics influence both vulnerability and strengths within high-intensity operational environments. It will also examine how existing organisational wellbeing frameworks, including peer support and trauma risk management models, can better support neurodivergent practitioners. 

Using a mixed-methods design, the project is expected to include a national survey of specialist personnel alongside qualitative interviews exploring lived experiences of operational work, coping strategies, disclosure decisions and engagement with support provision. The findings will inform evidence-based recommendations to support neuro-inclusive, trauma-informed practice across policing and related public service systems. 

This project aligns with national priorities relating to workforce wellbeing, equality and inclusion, and the sustainability of specialist public service roles. It offers strong opportunities for collaboration with policing partners and practitioner communities and is suitable for applicants from criminology, policing, psychology, sociology, public health or related disciplines. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: N.Gorton2@hud.ac.uk  

ID Number: HHS-2026-06 

Supervisor: Dr Tom Simcock

Poor Quality Housing, Domestic Fire Risk and the Prevention Agenda: The Role of the Fire and Rescue Services in Cross-Sector Housing Safety

Poor quality housing is widely recognised as a key determinant of health and wellbeing, yet its relationship with domestic fire risk remains underexplored. While housing research has examined issues such as damp, overcrowding, disrepair, and inequality, less attention has been paid to how poor housing conditions and socio-economic deprivation may shape fire risk within the home. At the same time, UK Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) have increasingly adopted a prevention-focused role, working with households and partner agencies through initiatives such as Safe and Well visits. This creates an important opportunity to understand how fire services may identify and respond to wider housing-related risks.  

This PhD, situated within the Healthy Housing Initiative, will investigate the relationship between poor-quality housing, deprivation, and domestic fire risk, and will explore the role of Fire and Rescue Services in cross-sector approaches to housing safety. The project will examine how housing conditions, overcrowding, energy insecurity, and related vulnerabilities may contribute to domestic fire risk, and how these risks are currently understood and addressed through prevention activity. The study will also explore the feasibility of FRS staff identifying, flagging, and referring housing-related concerns to relevant agencies, including housing providers and local authorities. In doing so, it will consider the opportunities and challenges associated with partnership working across housing, public health, and emergency services.  

Using a mixed-methods design, the research is expected to combine analysis of fire incidents and housing-related data with qualitative interviews and case study research involving Fire and Rescue Services and relevant partners. The project will be developed in collaboration with Fire and Rescue Services, building on existing partnerships and offering the successful candidate the opportunity to engage closely with practice. The research will generate new evidence on an underexamined issue and contribute to debates on prevention, risk, and healthier homes.  

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: t.j.simcock@hud.ac.uk  

ID Number: HHS-2026-05

Supervisor: Dr Zoë Darwin

Reducing inequalities in perinatal mental health: What does good perinatal mental health support look like for LGBTQIA+ people?

Perinatal mental health (PMH) difficulties affect many parents during pregnancy and the postnatal period, yet access to appropriate, affirming support is uneven across and within communities. LGBTQIA+ parents frequently report exclusionary or distressing experiences within perinatal services, including assumptions about gender, parental roles, and family structure that can exacerbate distress, delay help‑seeking, and compound existing inequalities. Despite increasing recognition of these issues, there remains limited evidence about what good PMH support looks like for LGBTQIA+ people across diverse genders, sexual orientations, sex characteristics and parental roles, and how services can inclusively meet these needs.  

The overall aim of this PhD is to contribute to understanding what good PMH support looks like for LGBTQIA+ people and how NHS and community services can better meet their needs. The project responds directly to a national research priority identified through a recent James Lind Alliance consultation.  

Using a Realist Evaluation approach, the study will examine what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and why, explicitly attending to intersectional identities and structural inequalities. The project will begin with a realist review to develop initial programme theories about mechanisms of support. These theories will guide empirical work across NHS and voluntary and community sector sites, including interviews with practitioners and LGBTQIA+ parents. Data will be analysed iteratively using realist logic to refine programme theories and identify barriers, facilitators, and mechanisms of inclusive care.  

Lived experience consultation will be embedded throughout the project to ensure meaningful involvement and relevance. The study will produce practical, evidence‑based recommendations to support more inclusive, culturally competent, and equitable PMH services. By strengthening understanding of how PMH support operates for LGBTQIA+ people, the project aims to reduce inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes, and to inform policy, practice, and future research. 

Deadline: Friday 19th June 2026

For subject specific enquiries please contact: z.darwin@hud.ac.uk