Public perceptions of the risks and benefits of marine ecosystems for human health and wellbeing: An environmental psychology approach, Medicine – PhD (funded)

The University of Exeter Medical School is seeking to attract PhD candidates of outstanding ability to join their exciting and rapidly expanding programme of internationally rated research.

The European Centre for Environment and Human Health (http://www.ecehh.org/) at the University of Exeter Medical School (UEMS) wish to recruit a doctoral student to work on a PhD linked to the Horizons 2020 funded ‘Seas, Oceans and Public Health in Europe’ (SOPHIE) project, a European wide project designed to develop an overview of research needs in this area (i.e. a ‘Strategic Research Agenda’). As part of this project we will conduct a large public and stakeholder consultation process to better understand people’s intuitive beliefs and perceptions about the relationships between various aspects of the marine environment, and the ecosystem services it provides, and a range of risks and benefits to human health and wellbeing.

Working alongside a Research Fellow for the first 18 months, and supervised by Dr Mathew White (Environmental Psychology) and Dr Ruth Garside (Evidence Synthesis), the PhD will include involvement in three aspects: a) synthesis of current evidence on public perceptions of the marine environment with respect to human health and well-being; b) the co-creation of, and analysis of data from, a Pan-European survey (n=10,000) that explores these issues in depth; and c) the design and testing of a communication to enhance public knowledge and understanding in this area.

Broadly speaking the three tasks involve some of the elements of the Mental Models Approach (MMA) to developing risk communications pioneered by Morgan et al (2002) but will also focus on benefits as well as risks. The MMA step involving detailed stakeholder interviews will be conducted by another partner but these results will feed into the design of the survey. Given the importance of the survey to the project the student must have strong quantitative skills and preferably some experience of survey design and analysis. Other desirable characteristics include a knowledge of a) evidence synthesis; b) designing health communications and/or c) marine ecosystem services, but these are not essential. The PhD would suit someone trained in psychology or a related discipline. The SOPHIE project involves 8 different partners across the EU, including the EU Marine Board in Belgium, so the student should be willing to include some travelling as part of their studies.

Start date: 8th January 2018

Entry requirements:
Applicants should be highly motivated and have a relevant undergraduate degree (e.g. psychology) at 2:1 level or above and ideally a relevant MSc qualification. The ideal candidate would have a background in quantitative methods and related statistics and preferably an interest in both health and well-being and the marine environment. As part of the application process candidates should submit a brief (maximum 1,000 word) research proposal, suitable for this PhD, identifying the question(s) the research will address, a discussion of the methods involved and a brief description of the kinds of analysis to be conducted.
International applicants must also have IELTS [International English Language Testing System] score of 7 and above (or equivalent qualification).

Academic Supervisors:
Dr Mathew White, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology, UEMS: http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?web_id=Mathew_White

Dr Ruth Garside, Senior Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis, UEMS: http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?web_id=Ruth_Garside


Please apply via the ‘Apply Online’ button and upload the following documents:

• CV

• Letter of application (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project.

• A brief (maximum 1,000 word) research proposal, suitable for this PhD, identifying the question(s) the research will address, a discussion of the methods involved and a brief description of the kinds of analysis to be conducted.

• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)

• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English (see entry requirements http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/)

If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email [Email Address Removed] Project specific queries should be directed to the lead supervisor.