3 Year, Full-time Funded PhD Studentship

Eligibility: Home UK/EU applicants

Bursary p.a.: Bursary equivalent to UKRI national minimum stipend plus fees (2025/26 bursary rate is £20,780)

Fees and Bench fees: will be met by the University for the 3 years of the funded Studentship.

Closing date: Thursday 27 March 2025

Start Date: September / October 2025

Project Title: Understanding the sweet-liking phenotypes: differences in eating behaviour and metabolic responses to food intake as a function of sweet liking – implications for personalised weight loss interventions     

Requirements:

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. EU Applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.5 to 7.0 and no score below 6.0 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.    

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.    

Project Description:

Is the 'sweet tooth' to blame for obesity? Sweetness with its dopamine‐/opioid‐dependent reinforcing properties and post-ingestive gut‐to‐brain sensing pathways may steer our food choices toward overconsumption, and ultimately weight gain. However, we have not uniformly developed obesity. To respond to the call for personalised weight management strategies, exploring taste hedonics' role in the interplay between physiology and psychology in overeating shows promise.  Aims: Explore how individual differences in sweet-liking influence appetite control and eating behaviours to inform the development of a novel personalised weight loss e-intervention. Methods: 1) Conduct appetite paradigms, sensory tests, and measure blood biomarkers, dietary intake, anthropometrics, and eating behaviours 2) Undertake a systematic review/meta-analysis on personalised behavioural interventions for sustained weight loss 3) Engage in PPI qualitative work with the public and stakeholders in weight management.

Join our friendly interdisciplinary team for this exciting fully funded project combining physiology and psychology to impact population health.

You will work in state-of-the-art labs under the guidance of expert supervisors. Dr Thondre specialises in glucose metabolism, satiety, and sensometrics; Dr Iatridi has developed the Sussex sweet-liking test and published work on sweetness and eating behaviours; Dr Daly brings expertise in public health and mixed methods research. Comprehensive support and training tailored to your needs will be offered throughout.

This studentship is supported by renowned academics in appetite research and weight loss trials from Sussex University’s School of Psychology and Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. The project builds on nearly a decade of research carried out by the supervisory/advisory team and offers strong potential for impactful journal publications, post-doctoral opportunities, and future collaborations.

To apply, contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk for details via the above ‘Apply’ button.

Applications should include a project proposal (max 1000 words) including background, aims and an outline methodology. Applicants can liaise with the named supervisor when developing their proposal.

Contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk with any queries.

Director of Studies: Dr Sangeetha Thondre

Supervisors: Dr Vasiliki Iatridi, Dr Aisling Daly

Project Contact: Dr Vasiliki Iatridi (viatridi@brookes.ac.uk)

Part time MPhil/PhD study will be exceptionally considered.

Advertised on a competitive basis.

Interviews anticipated online, early May 2025. 

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