Scholarships for postgraduate research students

We welcome expressions of interest and applications from promising PhD candidates for projects that:

• Align with ICB health outcome priorities, which include reducing harm from cancer, cutting cardiovascular disease, living with frailty, and enabling mental health and resilience.
• Relate to the ICB Research Engagement Network, for example, by substantially involving one or more of the VCSE partners.
• Embed public involvement and community engagement.
• Align with the interests and expertise of PhD supervisors available within York St John University.

The successful applicant will be affiliated to the Institute for Health and Care Improvement at York St John University, which is a cross-University research institute that brings together interdisciplinary academic expertise with partners to undertake impactful research in health and social care. You will also be affiliated to the academic school in which your primary supervisor is based.

The supervisory team will include, as a minimum, at least two PhD supervisors from York St John University and a representative from the ICB. Support with identifying appropriate supervisors is available during the expression of interest and pre-application phases via the Institute Director, Professor Garry Tew (g.tew@yorksj.ac.uk).

Successful applicants must have a postgraduate master's degree from a UK HEI, or an internationally recognised equivalent. The degree must be in a discipline that is relevant to the research.

We encourage candidates from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in postgraduate study. Whilst we encourage applications from all suitable candidates, additional consideration will be given to applicants with prior experience of working with the HNY ICB Research Engagement Network (REN), or one of the organisations that forms part of the REN.

Applicants are required to provide a research proposal in one of the areas outlined above. This is an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the topic and research design, as well as provide us with an opportunity to assess alignment between the proposed work and the overall aims for the scholarship.

The research proposal should include an overview of the area of research, rationale for the research, specific research question/s, research methods to be employed, and proposed timelines (1500 words).

Applicants should ideally have experience of the research methods included in the proposal.

The proposal will be evaluated in regard to its originality, impact, rigour, feasibility, and benefits to the sponsors.

This scholarship will cover UK tuition fees for the duration of the PhD (£5,006 per year for 2025-26 academic year) as well as a UKRI-linked stipend for 3 years (currently £20,780 for 2025-26 academic year).

This scholarship is only open to applicants who are interested in pursuing a PhD on a full-time basis and starting from October 2025. Any applicants assessed as International for fee purposes would be required to fund the difference between UK and International tuition fees.

For enquiries about the scholarship, and to submit an expression of interest, please email Professor Garry Tew on g.tew@yorksj.ac.uk.

Submit an application using the link below. Please ensure to include a research proposal as part of the application.

Apply for PhD Scholarship

For admissions queries, please contact pgr.admissions@yorksj.ac.uk.

Intermittent claudication, a symptom of peripheral artery disease, severely impacts mobility and quality of life. Supervised exercise therapy (SET) is a first-line, evidence-based treatment, yet uptake remains low and inequities in access persist—particularly across socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographic lines.

Despite national guidelines, implementation of SET is patchy, and patients from under-served groups are less likely to be referred, attend, or complete SET. Understanding and addressing these disparities is critical for improving vascular health outcomes and promoting health equity.

In partnership with York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we are looking to recruit a PhD student with experience of conducting health-related research and the ability to work collaboratively with academics and clinicians. There is scope to shape the line of research within the remit of better understanding and addressing equity of access to SET in this patient population.

Example research questions include:

• What are the patterns of inequity in access to SET for intermittent claudication?
• What are the perceived barriers and facilitators to accessing and participating in SET, especially among under-served populations?
• How can healthcare systems co-design interventions with patients and professionals to improve equitable access?
• What is the feasibility and potential impact of such interventions?

Professor Garry Tew (g.tew@yorksj.ac.uk) is a potential academic supervisor for this PhD fee scholarship. Further information about his research interests are available on his staff profile.

Garry Tew staff profile

You will be based at the University's York Campus.

Successful applicants must have a strong undergraduate degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant subject and a postgraduate master's degree from a UK HEI. Applicants must be interested in healthy equity, implementation science, co-design and participatory research methods. They may have experience of qualitative or quantitative research methods relevant to the topic to which they are making a proposal.

We encourage candidates from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in postgraduate study.

Applicants are required to provide a research proposal. This is an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the topic and research design, as well as provide us with an opportunity to assess alignment between the proposed work and the overall aims for the scholarship. 

The research proposal should include a brief overview/background of the area of research, rationale for the research, specific research question/s, research methods to be employed, and proposed timelines (1500 words). Note, as a doctorate, we would typically expect to plan and complete 3-4 studies that fulfil the broad aim of the work.

The proposal will be evaluated in regard to its originality, impact, rigour, feasibility, and benefits to the sponsor. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview.

This scholarship will cover UK tuition fees for the duration of the PhD (£5,006 per year for 2025-26 academic year) but does not include a stipend. Any applicants assessed as international for fee purposes would be required to fund the difference between UK and international tuition fees.

You may be eligible for a doctoral loan to cover living expenses through Student Finance England. More information can be found on the Government web pages: Doctoral Loan: Overview.

This fee scholarship is open to candidates interested in pursuing a PhD on a full-time basis and starting the PhD from October 2025.

Applications should be made by following the York St John University admission process. To submit an application, please use this link.

Apply for scholarship

For admissions queries, please contact pgr.admissions@yorksj.ac.uk.

Please submit a research proposal of up to 1,500 words, with reference to the enquiry questions included here, and how you would focus and approach researching these questions. Please note that CVs will not be accepted in place of the application form.