Physiotherapy research and PhD programmes

We aim to develop a better understanding of the experience and needs of people living with long term conditions, to develop and test novel approaches to rehabilitation, to refine and improve existing clinical approaches and to enhance the standard of physiotherapy education. 

Research opportunities for students 

Research students are welcomed to Brunel as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. Browse PhD opportunities below and find out about the funding available for students.

Research in Physiotherapy

Find people, projects, groups and publications in Physiotherapy and read more about related research to this area. 

Browse research projects

Meet our experts

LIsten to the Clinical Insights Podcast Series

with Brunel physiotherapy experts

55% of our research is world leading or internationally excellent

Independent assessment of our research quality (REF 2021)

View REF 2021 details for Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy (UoA 03)

Helping policymakers stub out smoking

REF 2021

Research groups and centres

Brunel Partners Academic Centre for Health Sciences

Focusing on allied health, nursing, social care and medicine, the centre supports ambitious plans to educate the health and care workforce, supporting the delivery of radically transformed integrated physical and mental health and care provision.

Embodiment in Academic and Professional Practice

Development of an enhanced awareness of bodies as sensors of crucial information about ourselves and our reality; Enhancing our performance as human beings, practitioners, researchers and educators.

Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse

Inequalities in health and wellbeing in the UK and internationally; welfare, health and wellbeing; ageing studies; health economics.

Health Behaviour Change

Development and evaluation of theory- and evidence-based health behaviour change interventions, across communicable and non-communicable diseases; evidence synthesis of behaviour change interventions.

Institute of Health, Medicine and Environments

Our challenge-led work in health and wellbeing focuses on understanding the relationships between biological, social, natural, and built environments and health and wellbeing outcomes.

Smart Technology Advancements in Health and Rehabilitation

Data science/wearable technology and Rehabilitation; Haptic feedback, multi-sensory interfacing and Robotics in Health; Immersion and Engagement in Virtual Rehabilitation; TeleHealth/TeleRehab; Data: using AI and Machine learning to improve health.

Courses

Ageing Studies PhD

Health Sciences Integrated PhD

Human Performance, Exercise and Rehabilitation PhD

Physiotherapy PhD

Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences PhD

View all courses

 

Fully-funded studentships

Executive Dean’s PhD Studentship in Turning attention to turning: How does attention allocation impact older adults’ ability to safely turn when walking?

Our funded studentships become available at different times of the year. Please keep checking our page regularly to see the latest funded opportunities. We also advertise all our funded studentships as soon as they become available on the @BrunelResearch twitter account.

View all studentships