PhD Studentship: Learning and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty in Public Health
University of Bristol
Funding for: Competitive Worldwide Funding Funding amount 4 year University Scholarship starting 27/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered). Hours: Full time Contract: Contract/temporary Closing date: 31/01/2027 The project: Decision-making under uncertainty is a fundamental challenge in AI and data science, particularly in dynamic settings where observations are collected sequentially and decisions influ...
Funding for: Competitive Worldwide Funding Funding amount 4 year University Scholarship starting 27/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered). Hours: Full time Contract: Contract/temporary Closing date: 31/01/2027 The project: Decision-making under uncertainty is a fundamental challenge in AI and data science, particularly in dynamic settings where observations are collected sequentially and decisions influ...
Opportunity details
Funding for: Competitive Worldwide Funding Funding amount 4 year University Scholarship starting 27/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered). Hours: Full time Contract: Contract/temporary Closing date: 31/01/2027 The project: Decision-making under uncertainty is a fundamental challenge in AI and data science, particularly in dynamic settings where observations are collected sequentially and decisions influence future outcomes. This project will develop novel machine learning and statistical methods for adaptive learning, sequential decision-making, and control, motivated by applications in public health and epidemiology. The project will focus on methodological advances in reinforcement learning (RL), active learning, Bayesian decision theory, and stochastic optimisation for partially observed and evolving systems. Key research directions include: adaptive data acquisition strategies that maximise information gain under resource constraints; RL-based approaches for sequential intervention and control; and robust learning methods that adapt to incomplete observations, changing environments, and distributional shifts. The research will combine probabilistic modelling, network-based representations, and modern AI methods to enable scalable and interpretable decision-making in complex systems. Applications will include adaptive disease surveillance, outbreak monitoring, resource allocation, and intervention planning using dynamic mobility and contact networks as motivating examples. The methodological contributions have broader relevance to sequential optimisation and decision-making problems across AI and data science. The ideal candidate will have foundational kn...
Eligibility
Funding: 4 year University Scholarship starting 2027/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Requirements
Funding: 4 year University Scholarship starting 2027/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Funding and benefits
Funding eligibility: UK Students, EU Students, International Students. Funding amount: Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered). Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Required documents
CV, Personal Statement, research proposal
How to apply
Please make an online application for this project at http://www.bris.ac.uk/pg-howtoapply. Please select on the Programme Choice page. You will be prompted to enter details of the studentship in the Funding and Research Details sections of the form. To apply, please send email to mengyan.zhang@bristol.ac.ukwith [PhD Application + Your name] in the subject line. You will need (1) a CV, (2) a Personal Statement, which is a one- to two-page document introducing yourself and outlining your motivation for PhD research, (3) a transcript of any qualifying degrees (completed and/or underway), 4) research proposal (optional, but preferable) 5) any additional materials to support your application, e.g. research outputs, thesis, coding repository, etc. Due to the volume of enquiries, only shortlisted candidates may receive a response. Candidate requirements: Funding: 4 year University Scholarship starting 2027/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Open the official application information
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Check the current official call before applying
Recorded source check: August 15, 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: Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered). Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Eligibility summary
Funding: 4 year University Scholarship starting 2027/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Requirements
Funding: 4 year University Scholarship starting 2027/28 academic year. Minimum tax-free stipend at the current UKRI rate (for 2025/26 standard stipend is £20,780, RTSG £8,400, full Tuition Fee covered).
Documents required
CV, Personal Statement, research proposal
Language/test requirements
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