The UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD Programme in Mental Health Science

The UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD Programme in Mental Health Science will deliver student-centred, cohort-based training, with an explicit emphasis on interdisciplinary research. It will empower students to take a fresh, integrated look at the causes of mental health problems, together with the most effective ways to treat and prevent them.

The Programme combines scientific excellence with a commitment to improving the culture of research and transition support for trainees, with a focus on improving diversity and supporting student mental health and wellbeing. In this regard all programme staff and supervisors are trained in diversity and inclusion awareness, and prevention of harassment. We commit to being part of an evolving community of researchers who will develop and share practice to bring science and culture together, placing both firmly at the heart of what we do.

The Programme brings together researchers across a diverse set of fields relevant to mental health, across three core Programme themes:

•           Mechanism: Identification of the molecular, cellular, neural systems and cognitive processes that drive and maintain the symptoms of mental health conditions from childhood to old age, particularly drawing on UCL’s world-leading neuroscience.

•           Population Mental Health: Understanding risk factors for mental health problems using epidemiological methods, leveraging UCL’s unique strength in population cohorts to identify social and environmental determinants of mental health problems, as well as genetic epidemiology.

•           Intervention: Development, targeting and evaluation of new treatments and preventative interventions for mental health problems, including experimental medicine and clinical trial methodology.

Applications are encouraged from candidates with backgrounds in mental health sciences related to any of the above areas, and in the humanities and social sciences. We welcome neurodivergent applicants, and will make adjustments to the recruitment process to help overcome specific challenges.

Programme highlights

•           4-year full-time Wellcome studentship covering tuition fees, a generous stipend, research costs and training

•           “1+3” PhD model – one year of rotational projects and training, followed by a three-year PhD project co-supervised by researchers from different disciplines

•           A world-class interdisciplinary research environment

•           A choice of over 70 research groups for rotation projects and the main thesis

•           Opportunity to join the UCL-NIMH Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience – extending the program to 5 years

•           Support for career development following thesis submission

Key dates

Application deadline: 9th January 2023

Interviews: 7th and 8th March 2023

Start date: 25th September 2023

 *Please note we are only able to accept applications submitted via this link. Further information about the Programme, the application process and eligibility criteria can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mental-health/study/ucl-wellcome-4-year-phd-mental-health-science.