Our PhD Fellowships are at the University of Manchester and cover a wide range of research topics with access to excellent training opportunities.
Our ARC-GM PhD Fellowships are at the University of Manchester and cover a wide range of research topics with access to excellent training opportunities.
We are committed to supporting the development of outstanding researchers wishing to conduct applied research that has the potential to deliver an impact on patients, public and policy regionally and nationally.
We work with world-leading academics to support our PhD Fellows.
Norina Gasteiger
PhD title:
Effective implementation of digital technologies: A realist evaluation of how virtual and augmented reality can help to up-skill home care workers in hand hygiene practices
October 2020 - July 2023.
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Norina is an eHealth enthusiast, with a particular interest in the evaluation and implementation of innovative digital health technologies. She has previously worked with robots, patient portals, social media and mobile apps.
Research summary:
Norina conducted a study using realist evaluation methods to explore how virtual and augmented reality can help to up-skill home care workers in hand hygiene practices. As part of her development Norina attended meetings of the Digital Health Research Interest Group in the Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, and participated in journal clubs and postgraduate student activities (including presenting at the PGR student conference) in the eHealth Research Centre.
Publications
Poster(s)/Presentation(s):
Christine CamachoPhD title:
Developing a Community Resilience Index for England
October 2020 - Sep 2026 (part-time PhD fellow)
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Public health, mental health, implementation science, healthy ageing
Research summary:
This research is focused on how community resilience could be measured at place-level in England using quantitative methods.
More information about Christine's research is available on her research page.
Publications:
Blogs:
News stories:
Melissa Surgey
PhD title:
Commissioning form and function in place-based health and care
October 2020 - July 2024
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Research summary:
Melissa’s PhD research focuses on how health and care commissioning is changing with the introduction of place-based partnerships and Integrated Care Systems. In particular she is looking at how place is defined in health and social care policy; how commissioning functions are distributed at system, place and neighbourhood level; and what governance and accountability mechanisms underpin this.
More information about Melissa's research is available from her PhD project page here
Presentations:
Commissioning and place-based partnership: where are we now, and what next? (Health Service Research UK 2022)
Defining place in health and care policy (Health Service Research UK 2021)
Posters:
Blogs:
Mia Bennion
PhD title:
Enhancing engagement with between-session work in Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based interventions
October 2020 - March 2025
Supervisors:
Research interests:
With a background as a Psychological Well-being Practitioner, Mia’s main research interest areas are low intensity interventions and guided self-help.
Research summary:
Mia is undertaking a study is to enhance patient engagement with between-session work in Low Intensity (LI) CBT-based interventions, by seeking to further understand what, how and why factors affect patient engagement with between-session work, the findings of this study can inform future patient information resources, workforce training guidelines and service planning.
More information about Mia's research is available from her PhD project page here
Posters/Presentations:
Publications
Yao Wei
PhD title:
Evaluating the impacts of Greater Manchester devolution on population health
October 2021 - September 2024
Supervisor(s):
Research Summary
This PhD study is looking to answer three research questions:
More information about Yao's research is available from his PhD project page here
Publication(s):
Charlie Moss
PhD title:
An investigation of the relationship between socioeconomic status, health and health care use: short and long term effects
October 2021 - Septmeber 2027 (part-time PhD Fellow)
Supervisor(s):
Research summary:
More information about Charlie's research is available from her PhD project page here...
Publications:
Barshana Goswami
PhD title:
Who Makes It In and Who Waits? Temporal Dynamics in Adult Formal Care amid Funding Cutbacks
October 2021 - November 2025
Supervisors:
Research Summary:
Barshana's PhD research focuses on the utilisation of formal social care services among ageing populations in England. In particular, she is studying the determinants affecting the receipt of social care from trained formal providers, whether there has been a change in such factors since previous years and the trends in state-contribution to an individual's social care plan.
Demographic shifts are creating increasing demand for formal social care services in England but austerity measures like spending cuts in the adult social care sector are likely to change who receives it.
Barshana is analysing data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) between 2012-2019 to identify key predictors and patterns of formal care receipt over time, to explore who is unable to access publicly funded social support when funding is short.
More information about Barshana's research is available on her PhD project page.
Presentations:
Helena BilsboroughPhD title:
Exploring factors influencing volunteer uptake in peer-volunteering active ageing interventions within Bangladeshi and Chinese communities
October 2021 - December 2024
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Helena’s research interests and PhD fall around the topic of healthy ageing. She is particularly interested in utilising the older adult population as peer-volunteers to increase their physical activity levels, and also to increase the activity levels of other older adults who are less active.
Liwei Mou
PhD title:
What is the solution to emergency department pressures?
October 2021 - September 2024
Supervisor(s):
Research interests:
Liwei has a strong enthusiasm for health economics, with an interest in exploring health systems, evaluating effects of health policies and improving equality of accessing to health services.
Research summary:
Liwei’s PhD project aims to find the drivers of winter pressures in emergency department and evaluate existing schemes for reducing these pressures in Greater Manchester or nationally.
For more information about Liwei's research, you can access her PhD study page here
Yang Yang
PhD title:
October 2022 - September 2025
Funding:
This PhD studentship, is one of 6 that has been made available through a partnership between The Dunhill Medical Trust, ourselves at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), The University of Manchester, and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty / Healthy Ageing.
Supervisor(s):
Research interests:
Research summary:
The development of culturally appropriate physical activity promotion strategies is undertaken following the steps that combined recommendations of the MRC framework, Person-Based Approach and Behaviour Change Wheel theory. Yang plans to use a mixed-method approach in this PhD project, including four studies.
More infroamtion about Yang's research from her PhD project page here
Posters and Presentations:
Developing culturally appropriate promotion strategies to increase physical activity participants among Chinese seniors in the UK: a person-based approach.
Barriers and facilitators to engaging physical activity among older adults from the Chinese diaspora: a mixed method synthesis.
Danielle Harris
PhD title:
October 2022 - September 2025
Funding:
This PhD studentship, is one of 6 that has been made available through a partnership between The Dunhill Medical Trust, ourselves at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), The University of Manchester, and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty / Healthy Ageing.
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Research summary:
Danielle's PhD Fellowship is looking to:
For more information about Danielle's research, you can access her PhD study page here
Publications:
Schenelle DlimaPhD title:
Frailty progression and maintaining independence to age in place: can routine data help?
October 2022 - September 2025
Funding:
This PhD studentship, is one of 6 that has been made available through a partnership between The Dunhill Medical Trust, ourselves at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), The University of Manchester, and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty / Healthy Ageing.
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Research summary:
Schenelle’s PhD Fellowship is looking to:
Bibhusha Karki
PhD title:
Co-development of a digital activity programme, Keep On Keep UP (KOKU), for older South Asians
October 2022 - September 2025
Funding:
This PhD studentship, is one of 6 that has been made available through a partnership between The Dunhill Medical Trust, ourselves at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), The University of Manchester, and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty / Healthy Ageing.
Research interests:
Bibhusha has a Master's in Development Practice in International Development with a minor in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, USA, complemented by an undergraduate degree in International Development and Economics from Minnesota State University Moorhead, USA.
Her research interests include:
Research summary:
This study aims to assess the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of KOKU within the South Asian community, focusing on informing future randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and enhancing engagement and uptake of KOKU in this community which comprises people and their descendants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Involving a range of community engagement activities to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity and healthy ageing across all South Asian communities are also taking place.
Full details about the study deisgn can found in the protocol regstered on PROSPERO
Sally Hoodless
PhD Title:
October 2022 - August 2025
Funding:
This PhD studentship, is one of 6 that has been made available through a partnership between The Dunhill Medical Trust, ourselves at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), The University of Manchester, and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty / Healthy Ageing.
Supervisors:
Research interests:
Research Summary:
If you would like further information about any aspect of our PhD Fellowships please contact:
Programme Manager
Dr Ross Atkinson
ross.atkinson@manchester.ac.uk
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