PhD Studentship: Leading Evidence-informed Change in Adult Social Care

The School of Social Policy and Society at the University of Birmingham is awarding a PhD studentship on leading evidence-informed change in adult social care.

This builds on the work of IMPACT (the UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care), which is developing a new framework or model for thinking about/organising/leading evidence-informed change projects in the reality of adult social care services. The PhD would involve using the new framework to carry out a change project or improvement in frontline services, as well as reflecting on/evaluating/helping to test and refine the model itself. It would therefore be particularly relevant for someone in a senior practitioner, team manager or service manager role in a Council, service provider, third sector/community organisation or similar, who wants to develop their research skills and to span the boundary between research and practice.

The PhD is funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research and will begin in late September 2025.

The PhD comes with a full scholarship covering Home fees (£4,786) plus a living allowance (stipend) of £19,237 per annum for three years, subject to satisfactory progress. Additional support (for travel, conference attendance, general research expenses) will also be available. The PhD can be completed full or part-time. International students can apply but the studentship only covers fees up to the home fee level.

The scholarship will be awarded to a candidate of high academic calibre and/or an experienced practitioner who wishes to conduct doctoral level study on leading evidence-informed change in adult social care. We encourage applications from women and those of diverse backgrounds, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, as these groups are underrepresented across the University of Birmingham. Applicants working in practice are also encouraged to apply.

Applications will be assessed on (a) the quality of their academic/practice achievements and preparedness for doctoral level study; (b) the quality of the research proposal; (c) the potential to contribute to cutting edge research; and (d) the match of the proposal to areas of research strength within the School. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.

Potential candidates should first make contact with Professor Catherine Needham who will be able to link you to potential supervisors. You will need to develop a research proposal with supervisors prior to applying through the University portal for a PhD in Social Work and Social Care.

Funding notes:

The studentship will be funded by the National Institute for Health Research's School for Social Care Research (NIHR SSCR). The successful applicant will be expected to participate in activities organised by NIHR SSCR, particularly activities that involve other PhD students funded under this programme at other universities, and as appropriate, other National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and NIHR Academy activities.

Advert information