Supervisors

Lead Supervisor:

Professor Chris Fox, University of Exeter, Department of Medical School

 

Co-Supervisor:

Professor Paul Farrand, University of Exeter, Department of Psychology

Professor Elizabeth Coulthard, University of Bristol, Department of Neurology

Professor David Llewellyn, University of Exeter,  Department of Health and Community Sciences

 

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:

Dementia affects around 55 million people globally, often leading to depression and unhealthy behaviours like physical inactivity and social isolation. These issues can worsen cognitive decline and reduce quality of life for both patients and their caregivers. Behavioural Activation therapy can help alleviate depression by encouraging engagement in enjoyable and meaningful activities. However, implementing behavioural activation faces several challenges and is not straightforward. Our study will test whether artificial intelligence-assisted mobile behavioural activation can overcome these barriers and improve accessibility and effectiveness for people living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.

Main Description:

In the UK, approximately 944,000 people live with dementia and struggle with everyday activities, depression and social isolation. Behavioural Activation (BA) interventions focus on purposeful activity scheduling tailored to individual needs, are associated with improvements in activities of daily living and quality of life for people living with dementia(PLWD) and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

A meta-analysis of BA approaches found significant benefits, including higher levels of daily functioning and improved caregiver-rated quality of life(doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009125.pub3). Emerging evidence suggests similar benefits for general older population, with better independence and quality of life.

Despite promising early evidence, research on dementia prevention has been limited by implementation failures, unrepresentative samples, small effect sizes, lack of tailored interventions and ineffective technology integration.

This PhD project addresses these gaps by exploring the use of an AI-assisted mobile platform (Iona Mind) adapted for PLWD and MCI, utilizing BA. The AI will categorize BA activities into themes: Routine, Enjoyable, and Necessary, targeting key risk factors for dementia and MCI progression. This innovative approach aims to improve accessibility, effectiveness, and overall quality of life for PLWD and MCI and their informal caregivers.

KEY RESEARCH QUESTION:
Can a mobile AI-assisted Behavioural Activation intervention improve mental and physical health outcomes for PLWD and MCI and their caregivers? SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

1. Synthesize the existing literature on the role of BA in PLWD and MCI.

2. Co-adapt and optimize an AI-assisted BA Intervention.

3. Conduct a Pilot Study of the usability of the BA intervention and conduct an initial investigation of health outcomes.

METHODS:
The proposed approach to intervention development follows the Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance.

Phase 1 (Months 1-6): Updated Evidence Synthesis Updated literature review on the role of Behavioural Activation (BA) in PLWD and MCI. A systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science will be performed to identify studies published since Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;4:CD009125; (doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009125.pub3). Randomized controlled trials and cohort studies examining the effects of BA on PLWD and MCI will be reviewed.

The review will include studies that assessed mental or physical health outcomes. If the data is sufficiently homogeneous, mixed linear regression models will be used to model the relative effectiveness of BA interventions. Data will be pooled first for all studies and then stratified by participant group (PLWDvs.MCI) and type of BA intervention. These results will inform Phase 2.

Phase 2 (Months 4-18: Co-adapting and Optimizing the AI-Assisted BA Intervention(DOI: 10.2196/52389) We will co-adapt and optimize the AI-assisted BA intervention using Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD). This process involves collaboration with PLWD and MCI, and their informal caregivers to tailor the existing Iona Mind AI intervention.

EBCD Stage 1: Setting Up

We will recruit 5 people living with dementia, 5 individuals with MCI, 5 informal carers, and 10 practitioners with lived experience (PWLE) through our partnerships with Join Dementia Research, TIDE, Dementia UK, and the Alzheimer’s Society. 90-minute filmed interviews of participants to share their experiences and reflect on their key needs and support.

EBCD Stage 2: Gathering PWLE Experiences

PWLE will view selected Iona resources in filmed sessions and discuss their resonances and potential modifications. They will also consider how to implement these resources within current care pathways.

EBCD Stage 3: Gathering Patient/Informal Carer Experiences

PWLD or MCI and informal carers will view Iona BA materials in filmed interviews, discuss their experiences, and suggest modifications. They will explore resource accessibility, IT options, and design features.

EBCD Stage 4: Co-designing Events

Co-design will begin with separate focus groups for PWLE, informal carers, PLWD, and individuals with MCI, followed by a joint focus group. At these events, an overview of findings from Stage 2 and Stage 3 interviews will be presented alongside the film. A facilitated discussion will follow, which will be audio recorded and documented with field notes.

Data will be analyzed using open coding techniques to develop robust thematic descriptions. Normalisation Process Theory will inform data interpretation, facilitating a comparative analysis of practice issues for participants that may inform adoption, implementation, and integration.

EBCD Stage 5: BA Content Adjustment

The Iona BA intervention content will be adjusted based on the findings from the previous stages. These adaptations will inform the development of training materials for PWLE. The student will work with Iona Mind to make the necessary content and technical adaptations. Phase 3 (Months 18-28): Pilot Study for Usability and Health Outcomes The adapted Iona app will be deployed for 6 months with a PWP, 5 PLWD, 5 with MCI, informal carers, and wider service staff (PWLE). Acceptability, usability, and utility will be measured using the MHealth App Usability Questionnaire (doi: 10.2196/11500). Additionally, the potential effects on mental and physical health outcomes and quality of life will be assessed.

The SIDECAR(https://www.bradford.ac.uk/dementia/research/current projects/sidecar/) measure will be administered to evaluate quality of life, and the CSRI will be used to explore basic costs.

 

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

Application deadline:	4th November 2024
Value:	Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£19,237 p.a. for 2024/25, updated each year) plus UK/Home tuition fees
Duration of award:	per year
Contact: PGR Admissions Office	pgrapplicants@exeter.ac.uk