Dr C Collins, Dr D Sim
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Lagging health outcomes pose perhaps the most profound challenge for Scotland in the years ahead. Excess mortality (after accounting for deprivation) in Scotland as compared to the rest of Britain almost doubled between 1981 and 2001. Life expectancy in West Central Scotland fares poorly in comparison with other deindustrialised areas of Northern Europe, despite its relative affluence. And the City of Glasgow has mortality 15% higher, and premature mortality 30% higher, than that of the comparably deprived and deindustrialised cities of Liverpool and Manchester.
The causes of these growing divergences remain unclear, notwithstanding the multiplicity of hypotheses which have been proposed.
The School of Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland has an established relationship with the Public Health Observatory at NHS Health Scotland in seeking to progress understanding of this phenomenon. This work has sought to develop a ‘synthesis’ model, focused on the links and interactions between factors which are believed to have a causal role in its generation. Interest is currently focused on a range of themes and aspects which are thought to have potential value in the further development of this ‘synthesis’ approach, including:
• Exploring the concept of ‘vulnerability’, and identifying indicators of ‘vulnerability’ to the impacts of neo-liberal policies in different regions/cities;
• The role of local authority policy and practice across the three cities in the later part of the 20th Century;
• The nature and scale of urban change across the three cities in the second half of the 20th Century;
• The character of the workplace experience and resulting implications for trade union and community organisation in the West of Scotland as compared to other parts of the UK.
This project is offered in collaboration with the Public Health Observatory at NHS Health Scotland, with the following enhanced benefits:-
• Dedicated training and development budget of £1,000 for each of the three years of the studentship;
• NHS Health Scotland participation in the supervisory team for the studentship;
• Access via NHS Health Scotland to broader networks investigating excess mortality in Scotland and broader issues of health and health inequalities – including the Glasgow Centre for Population Health.
We are seeking to recruit a PhD student to contribute to knowledge in this area. The project will be supervised jointly by Dr Chik Collins of UWS and Dr Gerry McCartney of NHS Health Scotland.
Candidates who have proposals which they would like to bring forward, or who would like to discuss potential ideas, should in the first instance contact Dr Chik Collins:
Email: [Email Address Removed]
Tel: +44 (0)141 848 3892
Funding Notes
UWS is an inspiring, vibrant place to study with a growing research community.
Successful candidates will receive a £13, 863 annual stipend payable for three years and payment of tuition fees (current value £3900).
This studentship is open to Home/EU candidates with a first degree in a relevant discipline. Non-EU students can apply, but will not receive the stipend and will be required to pay fees.
The deadline date for applications is 16th May 2014. All interviews will take place between 26th May and 6th June 2014. Candidates must be available to commence their studies in October 2014.
References
How to apply:
Postgraduate Degree by Research Applications should be completed online at http://www.uws.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-study/
Applications without all relevant documents will not be considered. Please quote the Project Reference Number.
Should you have any queries please contact the Innovation & Research Office on + 44 (0)141 848 3919 or email PGR@uws.ac.uk
Please note that this project is part of a competitive round and there is no guarantee that it will be awarded.