Career History Louise Mansfield is Professor of Sport, Health and Social Sciences and Vice Dean for Research in the College of Health Medicine and Life Sciences. She is Director of the Centre for Health and Wellbeing across the Lifecourse. Her research focuses on the relationship between sport, physical activity and public health and wellbeing. Louise's expertise are in partnership and community approaches in sport and physical activity and issues of health, wellbeing, inequality and diversity. She has led research projects for the Department of Health, Youth Sport Trust, sportscotland, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, Macmillan Cancer Support, Public Health England and Sport England. She sits on the editorial boards for Leisure Studies, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport and is Managing Editor of Annals of Leisure Research. Louise is known for developing evidence to inform policy and practice.
Brunel University London is pleased to invite applications for ESRC-funded studentships in
Health and Wellbeing offered through the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership
(GUDTP). The GUDTP is an exciting collaboration between Brunel, the University of Oxford and the Open University, which offers its students access to innovative social science research training across all three institutions. Brunel DTP students in Health & Wellbeing will be members of the GUDTP Health & Wellbeing Pathway, led by Brunel and delivered collaboratively by the three universities. You can find further information about the GUDTP here.
Applicants conducting doctoral research in Health and Wellbeing at Brunel will be based within the appropriate subject area. The Pathway studentships are available across a wide agenda of the most significant national and global health and wellbeing challenges, offering applicants opportunities to work with expert research teams in a range of disciplines. Areas of expertise include - but are not restricted to -
- lifestyle behaviours and health and wellbeing inequalities
- sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing;
- health and wellbeing across the life course, including youth and in older age;
- psychology, health and wellbeing;
- health, social care and social work
- health economics
- digital health
Eligibility
Studentships are available as either three-year PhD (+3) or four-year studentships to both UK & international applicants, depending on the level of research training already achieved, and on a full-time or part-time basis. Successful applicants for a full-time award will receive an annual maintenance stipend of approximately £22780 per year (2025/6) UKRI rate paid monthly in advance) for the period of their award (three to four years) plus fees at the current UKRI rate for full-time or part-time courses. Successful applicants for a part-time award will be paid pro rata for the period of their award (six to eight years).
How to apply
For the Health & Wellbeing pathway, please see the following website for further details:
https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/DTPs/Grand-Union-DTP
Please submit your completed application to studentships@brunel.ac.uk
Closing date Friday, 9 January 2026