ESRC

Fully funded PhD studentship at Swansea University within the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) / ESRC DTP pathway in Health, Well-being and Data Science. The project is titled A Linked Whole-Population Data Approach to Understanding Wellbeing and Inequalities (RS952) and is based at Swansea University’s Singleton Campus.

This is a data-intensive doctoral project for candidates interested in public health, psychology, statistics, social science, and data science. The research uses linked, anonymised population data from the SAIL Databank to study wellbeing, mental health, inequalities, service use, and the social, environmental, and behavioural determinants of health across the life course. The project also explores place-based and nature-informed approaches to wellbeing and climate adaptation.

Supervision is by Andrew Kemp, Simon Dymond, Kyle Jones, and Zoe Fisher. The project is embedded in statutory and regional partnerships in West Glamorgan and aims to generate policy-relevant evidence for population needs assessments, service transformation, and commissioning.

Funding includes full tuition fees, an annual tax-free stipend of around £20,780, and a Research Training Support Grant. International students are eligible, and the fee difference between UK and international rates is covered. Full-time and part-time study are available, with the PhD starting in October 2026.

Entry requirements include a UK first-class or upper second-class honours degree, or a master’s degree, or equivalent experience. Strong quantitative skills are preferred, especially experience with statistical modelling, programming in R or Python, and large or complex datasets.

Applications must be submitted online using the scholarship code RS952. Applicants should follow the specific instructions in the advert, including leaving the supervisor field blank and selecting scholarship funding only. The closing date is 8 May 2026.