The following fully-funded PhD studentship is available in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences with an expected start date of Sept 2023.
Please note that due to the funder's terms, only UK residents are eligible to apply and you must submit a research proposal as part of your application.
The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
The Department of Psychology, SBBS, and Queen Mary, provides a high-quality training environment. Knowledge exchange and collaboration is supported via initiatives for all students and staff. Students have organised a bi-monthly Journal Club to discuss recent publications. Psychology organises weekly Departmental seminars where external speakers, staff, and students present their work to undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff. Supervisors hold regular lab meeting with PhD students and postdocs to provide formal mentoring (e.g., students learn to design, execute, and troubleshoot projects) and to encourage informal mentoring between students.
PhD students also have opportunities to co-supervise undergraduate projects aligned with their own research to develop management skills. PhD students give a talk in their first year, develop and present a poster in their second year, and take part in a research symposium in their third year, supporting the development of research communication skills and confidence.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career. Queen Mary also offers training opportunities for students via its Researcher Development program (academicdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk/researcher-development/postgraduate-research-students/).
All PhD students are required to complete courses to develop skills in four areas: Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities, Personal Effectiveness, Research Governance and Organisation, and Engagement, Influence and Impact. Students also have support from the Centre for Public Engagement: through advice surgeries, they to learn to engage different stakeholders (general public, charities, industry, government) and can apply for small public engagement grants. If any skills deficits are identified, students can participate in the University of London’s inter-collegiate agreement to take MSc courses to gain basic skills in quantitative analysis and research methods at Kings, UCL, and LSE.
The identification and belonging offered by groups, including social categories (e.g., gender, race), relationships (e.g., friendships, romantic partners), and/or roles (e.g., student, parent), contributes to well-being (Jetten et al., 2014). As such, these groups can provide important insights into gambling participation and harms.
In this PhD, the student will be responsible for designing and conducting surveys and experiments to investigate a ‘gambler identity’ (i.e., what it means to engage in gambling, affiliate with other ‘gamblers’) and/or the group dynamics of 'gamblers' to examine when, how, and why this identity and/or group membership may inhibit help-seeking, disengagement from problematic behaviours, and well-being.
The studentship is funded by GambleAware, where the funding terms means that only UK residents are eligible to apply for this position. It will only cover Home Tuition Fees and provide an annual tax-free maintenance allowance for 3 years at the following rates:
Applications are invited from outstanding candidates with or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an area relevant to the project including Psychology, Statistics, Psychiatry or Epidemiology. A masters degree is desirable, but not essential.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Janelle Jones at j.jones@qmul.ac.uk Formal applications must include a research proposal and be submitted through our online form by the stated deadline.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English language ability. Please see our English language requirements page for details.
The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences is committed to promoting diversity in science; we have been awarded an Athena Swan Silver Award. We positively welcome applications from underrepresented groups.http://hr.qmul.ac.uk/equality/ https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/about-us/athenaswan/
Apply Online
Jetten, J., Haslam, S. A., Haslam, C., Dingle, G., & Jones, J. M. (2014). How groups affect our health and well-being: The path from theory to policy. Social Issues and Policy Review, 8, 103-130.
Jones, J. M. & Hynie, M. (2017). Similarly Torn, Differentially Shorn? The experience and management of conflict between multiple roles, relationships and social categories. Special Issue on the Management of Multiple Identities. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1732. Jones, J. M., Schönherr, D. M., Zaitsoff, S., & Pullmer, R. (2019b). Changing from the inside out? Examining relationships between overweight identification, dieting behaviours, and body measurements over time. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24, 460-476. doi: doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12363