About this role
The GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme is offering up to 18 MRC funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2027.
These four-year studentships provide funding for fees and stipend at the rate set by the UKRI, as well as other research training and support costs, and are available to UK and International students.
This project is in competition for place with the projects across the MRC GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Award studentships. There are a total of 18 studentships available across the partnership.
How do the environments we live in influence how our brains age? This PhD will use the PROTECT study, a large UK online cohort with repeated cognitive assessments, to investigate whether long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution, heat and other environmental exposure are associated with cognitive decline in later life. The student will link environmental exposure data to longitudinal cognitive and health outcomes, identify vulnerable groups, and explore how different exposure windows shape results. The project offers training in exposure science, environmental epidemiology, cognitive ageing, and longitudinal data analysis.
These studentships are funded through GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme and consist of UK tuition fees, as well as a Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27, updated each year).
Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per annum is also available.