School of Psychology Doctoral Research Scholarship – Self-regulation and decision-making in carers of persons with dementia and older persons

START DATE: January 2021 (or May 2021)

The Project:

This studentship is part of the DETERMIND (DETERMinants of quality of life, care and costs, and consequences of INequalities in people with Dementia and their carers) project. The DETERMIND project aims to improve care for people with dementia and their carers by investigating the following:

- What are the differences in dementia care and who gets worse or better care?
- What aspects of dementia care lead to good and bad quality of life outcomes?
- How are outcomes for people with dementia affected by the cost of their care, when they are diagnosed, the amount of health or social care they get, and their life circumstances?

Workstream 5 of the DETERMIND project aims to answer questions about the capacity of core aspects of self-regulation (i.e., self-reflection, cognition, emotion regulation) to influence decision-making and consequent wellbeing over time in persons with dementia and their carers. As a part of Workstream 5, we anticipate this studentship will involve analysis of DETERMIND data, experimental studies with older populations, and development of a theoretical model on the relationship between self-regulation, decision-making and wellbeing.

Doctoral Tutor role:

You will also be offered a 2-3 year fixed term contract, as a Doctoral Tutor, to teach up to 165 hours per year (0.1FTE Grade 5.1 (currently £25,482 p.a. pro rata), covering contact time, preparation, and marking). Doctoral Tutors will begin teaching in the second term of their studies. You will be encouraged to study for a formal teaching accreditation (Associate of the Higher Education Academy), including enrolling on a ‘starting to teach’ module in the first term before you begin teaching. Candidates who demonstrate suitability for, and express interest in, the additional Doctoral Tutor role will be preferred.

Eligibility:

- This award will only pay fees at the Home/EU rate.
- Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master’s degree, in Psychology or a related discipline.
- Only full-time students can be accepted (because of DETERMIND funding considerations).
- Experience in structural equation modelling would be advantageous.
- Demonstrated interest in aging/dementia/self-regulation research would be advantageous.
- The University of Sussex believes that the diversity of its staff and student community is fundamental to creative thinking, pedagogic innovation, intellectual challenge, and the interdisciplinary approach to research and learning. We celebrate and promote diversity, equality and inclusion amongst our staff and students. As such, we welcome applications from all, regardless of personal characteristics or background.

How to apply:

- Please read our Psychology PhD FAQS at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/pgstudy/psychologyphdstudentships before you start your application.
- Please submit your application online at https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply for ’PhD in Psychology’ for entry in January 2021.
- In the ’Supervisor suggested by applicant’ section of your application, please put ’Eleanor Miles’
- In the ’Proposed source of funding’ section of your application, please put ’Joint funded Psychology / DETERMIND Scholarship’.

Candidates should provide:

- A research proposal that outlines your knowledge of the research area, hypotheses that could be addressed in your PhD, and an outline of potential methods. The research proposal should be approximately 1,000 to 1,500 words in length and not exceed 3 pages, including references. It should be set at a minimum of 10 font type with margins a minimum of 1cm.
- Current degree transcript(s) with full details of performance on all completed courses.
- Two academic references.
- An up-to-date CV.
- A document summarising any teaching experience you have and illustrating your suitability for a Doctoral Tutor role.

Contact:

To discuss the details of your research interests further, please contact Dr Rotem Perach at [Email Address Removed]

Timetable:

Deadline: Friday 27 November (23:59)

Start date of PhD: You will ideally be available to start in January 2021 but a start in May 2021 will be considered