PhD Psychology

The School of Psychology fosters a culture of collaborative, multidisciplinary research and you will join a vibrant community that includes regular work-in-progress seminars to foster an active research environment. You will join one of our four research hubs described below, all of which are engaged in inter-institutional collaborations, including some with non-academic partners such as health-care providers.

We are happy to consider research proposals on a wide range of topics relevant to our hubs, but may also be looking to fill specific research roles in some areas. Study can be on either a full-time or a part-time basis. The minimum period of study for achieving your PhD is three years full-time or six years part-time.

PhD candidates would typically be expected to have an MSc degree (or equivalent), though exceptional candidates without postgraduate qualification will be considered. Students are registered initially for the degree of PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), although their status is probationary until the first Annual Review has taken place, normally between 12 and 18 months from first registration. For suitable students, there may be teaching opportunities after upgrade.

Our Research Hubs

Centre for Research into Expertise Acquisition, Training and Excellence (CREATE)

The main focus of CREATE is the exploration of the drivers of excellence in performance (whether cognitive, creative or practice-based). We welcome applications from potential MSc and PhD candidates across a wide range of related topic areas, including:

• Insight and creativity
• The drivers of performance excellence and expertise development (e.g. in music, theatre, puzzle-solving, board-games and medicine)
• Hobbies, motivations and characteristics of niche populations
• Psychology of music, choreography and dance
• Time perception and those with ‘natural’ time-keeping abilities

Centre for Health and Relationship Research (CHR)

The main aim of the hub is to study the impact of the interpersonal world and support structures on health and well-being in clinical and non-clinical settings.

• Prevalence, impact of and psychosocial challenges facing people following spinal cord injury
• Biopsychosocial understanding of pain and developing interventions for successful pain management
• Social norms as a predictor of health behaviours in young people
• Social factors affecting uptake of health behaviours
• The role of social support in living well with chronic conditions

Together, these projects represent a body of work which seeks to fight patient isolation and to understand health experiences in the context of a social world. The hub aims to identify methods for supporting patients as they live with long-term conditions, including through developing interventions, assessment techniques and knowledge dissemination. We aim to share our findings through the design of downloadable materials, such as patient information leaflets and newsletters, which will allow for research outcomes to be demonstrated to patients and their support networks. With connections and active research work taking part at four local NHS hospitals, we can offer excellent opportunities for research studies with tangible impact.

Cyber and Interpersonal Behaviour Research (CIBR)

The aim of the research in this area is to explore human behaviour, social experiences and group dynamics in both online and offline contexts. 

CIBR offers diverse research opportunities in the following areas:

• Cyberpsychology, including cyberbullying and other online risks
• Motivations and social effects of gaming
• Human robot interaction
• Cyber versus real world behaviour
• Bystander behaviour, prosocial behaviour and social identities
• Group dynamics and cohesion
• Social inference and emotion regulation
• Mental resilience and its relationship to social support

Find out more about our PhD Psychology Research projects on our website.