PhD topics for research students

Find below a list of currently available self-funded PhD topics.

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We encourage all students to contact the supervisor or the alternative contact person for more information and an informal chat to discuss the process of applying and preparing your research statement. For more information on how to apply click here.

Description
Supervisor
Funding
Healthcare Workforce Well-Being, AI, and Sustainable Career Ecosystems
Across global healthcare systems, professionals and managers are facing intense pressures. Rapid technological change, rising administrative demands and the spread of AI‑driven tools are reshaping cl...
Julie Davies
Self-Funded
Data-Driven Inventory Routing under Demand Uncertainty
This research looks at a common type of company that manages both production and distribution while dealing with fluctuating customer demand. It runs its own production facilities and distribution ce...
Zhen Chen
Self-Funded
Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance
I’m looking to supervise a Doctoral Researcher exploring an empirical accounting or finance topic that applies textual analysis techniques. Over the past decade, research in this area has grown rapid...
Sheehan Rahman
Self-Funded
Digital Therapeutics: Exploring the Role of Technology in Mental Health and Wellbeing Practice
The mental health landscape in the UK is changing rapidly, shaped by rising demand for services, shifting societal attitudes and fast‑moving technological innovation. Digital tools - from mobile apps...
Hemamali Tennakoon Mudiyanselage
Self-Funded
Digital Self-Care: Exploring the Use of Social Media and Digital Platforms for Mental Health and Wellbeing in the UK
In recent years, people across the UK have increasingly turned to digital platforms - particularly social media, online forums and mental health apps - to help manage their mental health and wellbein...
Hemamali Tennakoon Mudiyanselage
Self-Funded
Waves of Connection: Enhancing Inclusion and Accessibility for d/Deaf and Hearing Impaired Swimmers in Open Water Environments
This proposed PhD explores how open water swimming (OWS) environments can be made more inclusive and accessible for d/Deaf and Hearing Impaired participants to support mental health and wellbeing. O...
Caroline Scarles
Self-Funded
Inclusive Encounters: Neurodiversity and Visitor Experience in Arts and Heritage Spaces
This proposed PhD investigates how arts and heritage institutions can create inclusive visitor experiences that meaningfully engage neurodivergent audiences. While museums, galleries and heritage sit...
Caroline Scarles
Self-Funded
Virtual Engagement: Co-Creating Digital Leisure and Social Connection for Older Adults in Care Homes
This proposed PhD explores how virtual leisure and recreation technologies can support social connection, wellbeing and a sense of agency among older adults in care home settings. Many residents have...
Caroline Scarles
Self-Funded
Making Waves: Open Water Swimming, Healthy Ageing, and the Alleviation of Loneliness in Older Adults
This proposed PhD explores how open water swimming (OWS) supports healthy ageing and helps reduce loneliness among older adults. As the UK faces a rapidly ageing population and growing concerns about...
Caroline Scarles
Self-Funded
Bodies in the Blue: Gender, Body Image, and Wellbeing in Open Water Swimming Communities
This proposed PhD explores how open water swimming (OWS) operates as a gendered space that shapes experiences of body image, self‑perception and mental wellbeing. OWS is often promoted as a practice ...
Caroline Scarles
Self-Funded