PhD Studentship: Trust Transformative Research on Alcohol industry, Policy and Science (TRAPS)

The successful candidate will be part of the University of York Wellcome Trust Transformative Research on Alcohol industry, Policy and Science (TRAPS) research programme. This means joining the TRAPS team of five staff members and four existing PhD students, working with external collaborators and alongside a similarly sized alcohol research programme also led by Prof. Jim McCambridge. The aim of the this PhD project is to further understanding of how alcohol industry actors influence science, policy or the use of science in policy within the Transformative Research on Alcohol industry, Policy and Science (TRAPS) research programme. The overarching aims of the TRAPS programme are to make advances in understanding how alcohol industry actors influence science, policy and the use of science in policy making. On the basis of our research findings, this work will contribute to strengthening the ability of public health scientists and policy actors to manage alcohol industry influence, and so help preserve the integrity of science and policy.

Project Details
The TRAPS programme is organised in three main inter-related research topic areas; industry engagement with science (evidence production); the science/policy interface including the use of evidence within policy making; and industry involvement in alcohol policy making. There is also an underpinning set of objectives concerned with better understanding the nature of the alcohol industry, including economic interests underlying scientific and political activities, cross-cutting themes and a commitment to research translation. Applications will also be considered for how alcohol industry actors work with actors in other corporate sectors which contribute to rising public health problems such as tobacco and gambling. We would particularly welcome applications from those interested in science and the science/policy interface. Research proposal ideas concerning other topic areas that are relevant to developing understanding of how alcohol industry actors influence science and/or policy in line with the aims of the research programme will also be considered.