Program Overview

---

Welfare, Health and Wellbeing PhD

Research Profile

Researchers in the Welfare, Health and Wellbeing area work in the UK and internationally to improve knowledge of the social processes that contribute to people's welfare, health and wellbeing. They address these challenges through robust, ethical research and by developing innovative methodologies to advance how research, knowledge production, and evaluation are conducted. The team has strong connections with policy-making and practice, and a commitment to social impact and public engagement. Established research areas include:

• Health behaviour, experiences and interventions
• Sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing
• Social change and wellbeing in the global south
• Youth welfare, health and wellbeing
• Media, communication and representation in health and wellbeing
• Wellbeing experiences and evidence

Supervision

The researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learned for the benefit of society. Applicants are welcome to approach their potential supervisor directly to discuss their research interests. The list of potential topics is not exhaustive but gives examples of current and recent opportunities:

• Community sport and wellbeing: a qualitative perspective
• The impact of community sports programmes on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Addressing health and wellbeing inequalities through sport and physical activity
• Developing sport development: online collaborative training for staff working in national/international sport development-based charities
• Sexual Health Promotion: a comparative study of methods for reaching young people
• Improving LGBT Health Through Good Practice in Health Promotion
• Anti-violence Interventions With Young People: Evaluating a sexual consent campaign
• Switched on and Connected? Loneliness And Young People – the wellbeing of young people in the digital age

PhD Topics

While applications from students with a clear direction for their research are welcome, some ideas for research topics include:

• Applications for education and/or healthcare: Exploring the potential of 'human-like' computing
• Artificially intelligent conversational agents: exploring their value in education and/or healthcare
• Blinded by the load – electrophysiological and pupillometric indices of the interplay between non-spatial and spatial attention
• Children's gender-related development: The role of cultural visibility and acceptance of gender diversity
• Exploring the use of immersive technology for talent development, rehabilitation, and competition preparation in high-performance sport
• Item-Level Scoring of Memory Tests as an Approach to Detect and Study Abnormal Cognitive Ageing
• Mindfulness-based Environmental Sustainability (MiBEST)
• Naturalness of autonomous vehicles
• Partnerships and Power Dynamics in Sport for Development: Implications for Capacity Building
• Psychological Stress and Performance in Sport
• Respiratory responses and limitations to exercise
• Testing the efficacy of virtual reality and action simulation training for improving balance in children/young adults with movement coordination difficulties
• The Impact of Heat Stress on Human Health, Performance and Function
• The influence of cognitive dual-tasks on eye movements

Research Journey

This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in January, April, or October. The research degree progress structure outlines the progress expected at each stage of study.

Research Support

Excellent research support and training are provided through the Graduate School, which offers a range of personal, professional, and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching, and events to enable students to enhance their professional profile, refine their skills, and plan their next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme.

The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. Students are also offered online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review, and Principles of Research Methods.

Library services are available, with the library open 24 hours a day and offering access to over 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, as well as an annual budget of almost £2m for resources. Subject information specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs.

Careers and Your Future

Students will receive tailored careers support during their PhD and for up to three years after completing their research at Brunel. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year, including industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups, and skills workshops.

Following the completion of the course, students may follow several career paths, including:

• Career path within academia starting as a University Lecturer/Assistant Professor
• Career path as a researcher in clinical and public health commencing as a post-doc researcher and progressing to senior researcher
• Career path within government agencies

Entry Requirements

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree. An interview will be required as part of the admissions process. Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.

For international students, English language requirements include IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas), Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores), BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas), or TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20).

Fees and Funding

Fees for the 2025/6 academic year are £24,795 full-time and £12,395 part-time for international students, and £5,006 full-time and £2,503 part-time for UK students. Some courses incur additional course-related costs.

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students, including the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students, and funding available through the Research Councils. Many international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

PhD studentships and scholarships are available, including the ESRC Funded Studentships in Health & Wellbeing at Brunel University London via the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership, and the Brunel Graduate Discount.