Supervisors

Lead Supervisor:

Dr Abby Russell, University of Exeter, Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences

Co-Supervisors:

Dr Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, University of Exeter, Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences

Dr Lindsey Hines, University of Bath, Department of Psychology

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP is offering up to 21 funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2025.

These four-year studentships provide funding for fees and stipend at the rate set by the UK Research Councils, as well as other research training and support costs, and are available to UK and International students.

About the GW4 BioMed2 Doctoral Training Partnership

The partnership brings together the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff (lead) and Exeter to develop the next generation of biomedical researchers. Students will have access to the combined research strengths, training expertise and resources of the four research-intensive universities, with opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary and 'team science'. The DTP already has over 90 studentships over 6 cohorts in its first phase, along with 58 students over 3 cohorts in its second phase.

The 120 projects available for application, are aligned to the following themes;

• Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair

• Neuroscience and Mental Health

• Population Health Sciences

 

Applications open on 10th September 2024 and close at 5.00pm on 4th November 2024.

Studentships will be 4 years full time.  Part time study is also available.

Project Information

Research Theme:

Neuroscience & Mental Health

Summary:

Many research papers about ADHD include the sentence “ADHD is associated with increased risk of substance use”. However, new analysis in UK datasets has shown no association between ADHD and adolescent drug or alcohol use. What is going on? Have we been getting it wrong for years, or are there societal changes impacting on young people with ADHD? In this PhD you will unpick whether or not young people with ADHD have an increased risk of using drugs and alcohol, and why (not).

Main Description: 

Society is increasingly recognising the importance of understanding how and why the human brain diverges from neurotypical development. Up to 7% of adolescents experience impairing symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, which can be diagnosed as ADHD.

Individuals with ADHD are at increased risk of poor health and lifecourse outcomes: better understanding of their positive and negative experiences is vital to improve health and wellbeing.

An established body of research has found that ADHD is linked to increased risk of using drugs in adolescence. Scientists have theorised this could be due to increased risk-taking, or ‘self-medication’.
Given that adolescent substance use is known to raise risks for adult mental and physical health, and may explain some relationships between ADHD and adverse outcomes, understanding the current relationship between ADHD and substance use may lead to improving lifetime health for those with ADHD.

However, when we recently explored this in a representative UK dataset, we were surprised to find no evidence of an association between ADHD and substance use. Now we want to know why. Was this just a spurious (chance) finding from one dataset, or has the relationship between ADHD and substance use changed over time?

Recent advances also show that symptoms of ADHD may dip and then peak again repeatedly over time: perhaps these trajectories are related to substance use. This PhD project will explore this in depth.
 

Research questions:

1. Is ADHD currently associated with an increased risk of substance (drug, nicotine and alcohol use) in teens and young adults in the UK and worldwide?

2. What cultural, political or sociodemographic factors might explain cross-cultural differences in this association?

The student will be able to take these questions and adapt the suggested methods to take ownership of their PhD. There is choice in which substances to focus on and how best to conceptualise ADHD. They will be able to design their own Patient and Public Involvement.

The key skills gained include:

• Development of advanced epidemiological skills

• Expertise in longitudinal analysis and relevant statistical software • Fundamental qualitative research skills

• Introduction to interdisciplinary thinking, through integrating cultural and political perspectives (e.g. changes in drug policy) in the interpretation of findings

•   An understanding of pathways to translation and impact The student will conduct analyses of multiple international datasets, leveraging the Landscaping International Longitudinal Datasets index (e.g. the Millennium Cohort Study, E-Risk, the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, and the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England (MHCYP) Surveys, Pelotas). Analysis will focus on the association between young people’s reported use of substances and their ADHD. Data available will allow consideration of key covariates e.g. receipt of medication for ADHD, co-occurring health challenges, protective factors and other risky behaviours. Methods such as latent class analysis will be used to explore changing symptoms over time and patterns of substance use.

The supervisory team all have expertise in longitudinal data analysis, specifically around ADHD (Russell), substance use (Hines), time trends and service need (Newlove-Delgado). Alongside this, qualitative methods can be integrated. The student has the opportunity to explore mixed methods analysis, integrating qualitative explanations with data-driven quantitative findings. Use of linked administrative data could allow the student to explore health and education consequences of these trajectories.

The findings from this PhD will provide new, up-to-date evidence on an important public mental health problem, with implications for policy makers and those who support adolescents with ADHD, as well as those who support young people who use substances

Funding

This studentship is funded through GW4BioMed2 MRC Doctoral Training Partnership. It consists of UK tuition fees, as well as a Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25, updated each year).

Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per annum is also available.

Eligibility

Residency:

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP studentships are available to UK and International applicants. Following Brexit, the UKRI now classifies EU students as international unless they have rights under the EU Settlement Scheme. The GW4 partners have agreed to cover the difference in costs between home and international tuition fees. This means that international candidates will not be expected to cover this cost and will be fully funded but need to be aware that they will be required to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.  All studentships will be competitively awarded and there is a limit to the number of International students that we can accept into our programme (up to 30% cap across our partners per annum).

Academic criteria:

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences.  Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English requirements:

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements of the university that will host your PhD by the start of the programme. Please refer to the details in the following web page for further information https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/englishlanguagerequirements/

Data Protection

If you are applying for a place on a collaborative programme of doctoral training provided by Cardiff University and other universities, research organisations and/or partners please be aware that your personal data will be used and disclosed for the purposes set out below.

Your personal data will always be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations of 2018. Cardiff University (“University”) will remain a data controller for the personal data it holds, and other universities, research organisations and/or partners (“HEIs”) may also become data controllers for the relevant personal data they receive as a result of their participation in the collaborative programme of doctoral training (“Programme”).

Further Information

For an overview of the MRC GW4 BioMed programme please see the website www.gw4biomed.ac.uk

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences. Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements of the university that will host your PhD by the start of the programme. Please refer to the relevant university website for further information.  This will be at least 6.5 in IELTS or an acceptable equivalent.  Please refer to the English Language requirements web page for further information.

How to apply

A list of all the projects and how to apply is available on the DTP’s website at gw4biomed.ac.uk.  You may apply for up to 2 projects and submit one application per candidate only.

Please complete an application to the GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP for an ‘offer of funding’.  If successful, you will also need to make an application for an 'offer to study' to your chosen institution.

Please complete the online application form linked from our website by 5.00pm on Monday, 4th November 2024.  If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be notified from Friday, 20th December 2024.  Interviews will be held virtually on 23rd and 24th January 2025.

Further Information

For informal enquiries, please contact GW4BioMed@cardiff.ac.uk

For project related queries, please contact the respective supervisors listed on the project descriptions on our website.

Summary