The University of Surrey and the ESRC South East Doctoral Training Centre

The University of Surrey is pleased to announce funding for two multidisciplinary postgraduate research studentships for four years with enhancement to the standard stipend of £2,000 per year giving total funding including fees of £20,826 per annum (or in exceptional cases for five years to cover a one year MSc followed by a four year PhD). The two studentships will start in October 2013. The ESRC students will focus on the patient role and experience in clinical trials of new technologies and developments in radiotherapy. The Health Psychology studentship will address the patient experience of participating in health interventions. The medical sociology studentship will address the ethics of clinical trial interventions and the impact of new radiotherapy treatment strategies.

As these are multidisciplinary studentships, students will be registered and fully engaged in their core discipline of sociology or psychology as well as any relevant engineering/science disciplines. In the first year of the programme, the successful candidate will take discipline specific postgraduate modules as well as relevant modules in other disciplines. The exact modules to be taken will depend upon the qualifications and experience of the successful candidates and will be decided following discussion with supervisors as will the exact scope of the two research projects.

Students will have access to the earliest stages in the design of a highly innovative, cutting edge therapy. They will also have access to the new European centres for particle therapy and the UK centres in London and Manchester which are currently under construction. In addition, they will have access to the Consultant oncologists and to neurosurgeons from Addenbrookes Hospital who hold visiting appointments at Surrey.

Applicants for four years funding should normally hold a first or upper-second class Bachelors degree and an MSc at distinction level in an appropriate discipline. [Applicants for five years funding should normally hold a first class Bachelors degree in an appropriate discipline.] For a full award students must have a relevant connection with UK (usually established by residence). If a student fulfils the academic requirement but has a relevant connection with an EU country other than the UK they may be eligible for an award of fees only (i.e. no maintenance grant to the student). Please see ESRC  http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/ESRC-Postgraduate-Funding-Guide-DTCs_tcm8-14766.pdf

for further details and contact the university postgraduate admissions office for advice.

For further information concerning the scope of the scholarships and to apply please send a CV and Cover Letter including a paragraph on what you would bring to this job to:

For the Psychology Award: Jane Ogden, j.ogden@surrey.ac.uk

For the Sociology Award: Rob Meadows, r.meadows@surrey.ac.uk

Deadline for applications is 5pm, Friday 12 July
Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 July

Applicants will be informed by Friday 2 August of the outcome of their applications.

For further details about the scholarship funding, please contact the South East DTC Manager via email at studentships@southeastdtc.ac.uk or by telephone on 01483 682794/3518.