PhD scholarships in Sport and Health Sciences

What does the scholarship cover?

Each of the five scholarships available provides the following support during the PhD study:

• £10,000 towards tuition fees (£2,356 per year for a part-time route, £4,712 for full-time in 2023–24)
• a dedicated supervisory team (with a minimum of two academic supervisors)
• specialist disciplinary environment of academic and student researchers
• our specially designed researcher development programme
• help with the administration process from an experienced team and supportive Doctoral College network
• access to excellent university support services including advice and counselling, disability and dyslexia support.

The scholarship applies to both full- and part-time study.

Eligibility criteria

This competitive scheme aims at attracting candidates that show excellent academic performance and promising research potential. 

We accept applications from talented candidates from Kent, Surrey and Sussex working in the area of health with a substantive NHS contract. Applications will also be accepted from candidates with substantive contracts in local authority and social care.

To be eligible for this award

• You should be intending to pursue a course of research related to health.
• You should have, or expect to achieve, a merit or above at masters level or equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK in an appropriate area of study.

Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis 

The post is only open to home applicants as defined by the Fees Regulations.

Additional criteria

The scheme is only open to new PhD applications. Current registered PhD students are not eligible to be considered for a PhD Scholarship.

How to apply

Before you apply

• You must have made contact with a supervisor in the School of Sport and Health Sciences who has agreed to supervise your research project.

You'll find research-active staff here:

Nursing PhD | Midwifery PhD

Occupational therapy PhD

Physiotherapy PhD

Podiatry PhD

Sport and exercise science PhD

Health and wellbeing PhD | Resilience PhD

• You must have made contact with the fund holder (Dr Nina Stewart N.Stewart1@brighton.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.

Expressions of Interest (EOI)

• Candidates must in the first instance, make and
• expression of interest by contacting Dr Nina Stewart on N.Stewart1@brighton.ac.uk
• The deadline for expressions of interest is 30 June 2023

Documents that should be submitted for the expression of interest are:

• a personal statement (motivations for applying for the scholarship, and any other supporting information that you feel will enhance your application)
• your research proposal (500 words) and how it fits with the research strategy of the Trust you work for
• a document showing an understanding that the scholarship may not cover the fees for the full period of registration and an indication of how the remaining fees will be paid following the end of the scholarship. 

Applications will be reviewed by a two-stage process

Stage 1:

1. Candidates meeting or predicted to meet the eligibility criteria will be reviewed by the School of Sport and Health Sciences. A shortlist of candidates will be selected and forwarded to the Selection Panel for consideration. 

Stage 2:

1. Interviews will take place on the 6 July 2023
2. Candidates will be interviewed by the Selection Panel. The final decision will be made by the Selection Panel. The members of the panel will be made up of faculty from the School of Sport and Health Sciences

Successful candidates will receive written confirmation of their scholarship conditional on a receipt of a formal PhD place offer. For this, candidates will be required to make a full, formal application for PhD study through the University of Brighton admissions portal.

If you are successful at interview, you may find our how to apply page useful when submitting your formal application. We will also send full details of what is required. 

Once candidates are made an offer to study on a PhD programme the funding will be awarded.  

Applicants not selected for the scholarship but who meet the University of Brighton PhD entry requirements will automatically be considered for a self-funded PhD.

Contact us to find out more