PhD Studentship in Parent-infant Relationships
University of York
Lead supervisor: Professor Sarah Blower Co-supervisors: Dr. Kate Mooney, Professor Paul Tiffin The University of York’s Department of Health Sciences is inviting applications for a PhD studentship. The student would be based on campus in the Family Wellbeing Team at the University of York (the PhD studentship is not suitable for distance learning). The Family Wellbeing Team is an interdisciplinary group nested within the Public Health and Society Research Group. Our focus is on developing and evaluating interven...
Lead supervisor: Professor Sarah Blower Co-supervisors: Dr. Kate Mooney, Professor Paul Tiffin The University of York’s Department of Health Sciences is inviting applications for a PhD studentship. The student would be based on campus in the Family Wellbeing Team at the University of York (the PhD studentship is not suitable for distance learning). The Family Wellbeing Team is an interdisciplinary group nested within the Public Health and Society Research Group. Our focus is on developing and evaluating interven...
Opportunity details
Lead supervisor: Professor Sarah Blower Co-supervisors: Dr. Kate Mooney, Professor Paul Tiffin The University of York’s Department of Health Sciences is inviting applications for a PhD studentship. The student would be based on campus in the Family Wellbeing Team at the University of York (the PhD studentship is not suitable for distance learning). The Family Wellbeing Team is an interdisciplinary group nested within the Public Health and Society Research Group. Our focus is on developing and evaluating interventions to improve child and family outcomes, particularly in the early years. This includes the development and testing of measures and tools that can be used in practice to identify needs and evaluate services. The studentship is nested within the STRIVE programme (STRategies for the Identification, enrolment, attendance and retention of families into parenting interVentions in Early life) led by Prof Sarah Blower in the Department of Health Sciences in partnership with colleagues from Hull York Medical School, the Centre for Health Economics and Bradford Institute for Health Research. Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), STRIVE aims to tackle child health inequalities by improving access to evidence-based parenting support for disadvantaged families. This studentship will have a specific focus on understanding the parent-infant relationship and/or related constructs in the early years. Strong parent-infant relationships support a child’s long-term socio-emotional, behavioural, and biological development. A lack of support for early parent-infant relationship difficulties can impact long-term infant health, however, it can be challenging for parents to disclose difficulties, and challenging for practitioners working with parent...
Eligibility
The candidate should develop their own research questions and apply either a quantitative or a mixed-methods approach to their project. How existing tools could be made more effective in practice, for example, understanding how practitioners currently experience and use them. Candidates are welcome to develop alternative/additional questions related to parent-infant relationships using quantitative and/or mixed methods approaches. Candidates with a relevant degree (see below), and an interest in building their quantitative and/or mixed methods research skills, are encouraged to apply.
Requirements
The candidate should develop their own research questions and apply either a quantitative or a mixed-methods approach to their project. How existing tools could be made more effective in practice, for example, understanding how practitioners currently experience and use them. Candidates are welcome to develop alternative/additional questions related to parent-infant relationships using quantitative and/or mixed methods approaches. Candidates with a relevant degree (see below), and an interest in building their quantitative and/or mixed methods research skills, are encouraged to apply.
Funding and benefits
Funding eligibility: UK Students, EU Students, International Students. Funding amount: £21,805 - please see advert. The scholarship is open to UK citizens on a full-time basis. The 3-year studentship provides a tax free stipend per annum for UK citizens in line with UKRI standard rates (currently £21,805 p.a. for 2026/27), plus annual tuition fees at the UK rate, and £3,000 total research costs. Prospective students from elsewhere may also apply, though would be expected to provide evidence of the ability to fund the difference in tuition fees applicable to international students. See www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/fees for further information. Please note that this PhD is not available on a part-time basis due to funding restrictions.
Required documents
research proposal
How to apply
Kate Mooney, Professor Paul Tiffin The University of York’s Department of Health Sciences is inviting applications for a PhD studentship. The candidate should develop their own research questions and apply either a quantitative or a mixed-methods approach to their project. Candidates with a relevant degree (see below), and an interest in building their quantitative and/or mixed methods research skills, are encouraged to apply. Prospective students from elsewhere may also apply, though would be expected to provide evidence of the ability to fund the difference in tuition fees applicable to international students.
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Recorded source check: October 26, 2026. A stored check date does not guarantee that every field is complete or still current. Compare the provider, eligibility, funding and deadline with the live official call before applying.
Benefits
Funding eligibility: UK Students, EU Students, International Students. Funding amount: £21,805 - please see advert. The scholarship is open to UK citizens on a full-time basis. The 3-year studentship provides a tax free stipend per annum for UK citizens in line with UKRI standard rates (currently £21,805 p.a. for 2026/27), plus annual tuition fees at the UK rate, and £3,000 total research costs. Prospective students from elsewhere may also apply, though would be expected to provide evidence of the ability to fund the difference in tuition fees applicable to international students. See www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/fees for further information. Please note that this PhD is not available on a part-time basis due to funding restrictions.
Eligibility summary
The candidate should develop their own research questions and apply either a quantitative or a mixed-methods approach to their project. How existing tools could be made more effective in practice, for example, understanding how practitioners currently experience and use them. Candidates are welcome to develop alternative/additional questions related to parent-infant relationships using quantitative and/or mixed methods approaches. Candidates with a relevant degree (see below), and an interest in building their quantitative and/or mixed methods research skills, are encouraged to apply.
Requirements
The candidate should develop their own research questions and apply either a quantitative or a mixed-methods approach to their project. How existing tools could be made more effective in practice, for example, understanding how practitioners currently experience and use them. Candidates are welcome to develop alternative/additional questions related to parent-infant relationships using quantitative and/or mixed methods approaches. Candidates with a relevant degree (see below), and an interest in building their quantitative and/or mixed methods research skills, are encouraged to apply.
Documents required
research proposal
Language/test requirements
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