Awards are offered at all nine Universities within the NIHR School for Primary Care Research: Bristol, Exeter, Keele, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Southampton and University College London (UCL).
The precise academic qualifications required depend on the university and training offered. This award will fund tuition fees to the value of home fees; students with overseas status are welcome to apply but will need to fund the remainder of their fees from alternative sources.
The awards offer traditional project-specific training in areas of particular importance to primary care and awarded to applicants from diverse backgrounds including e.g., medical statistics, social sciences, health economics, health psychology.
Studentship awards include fees and an annual tax-free stipend (plus a London weighting for QMUL and UCL and college fees in Oxford).
The Bristol opportunity
Project
Improving the system within which families access childhood and adolescent vaccination programmes: A co-design study incorporating systems thinking
Uptake of childhood and adolescent vaccination programmes are declining, especially among underserved population groups. Countering downward trends in vaccination is essential to prevent avoidable deaths and reduce hospitalisations, minimise transmission, and protect vulnerable individuals who cannot be vaccinated.
Interventional research to date has focused on improving uptake rather than addressing inequalities, targeted change at individual-level rather than systems. Systems thinking is a promising methodological approach to help conceptualise the complexity of public health issues and address persistent problems, such as health inequalities.
Supervisors
Dr Harri Fisher, Dr Hannah Christensen and Dr Christie Cabral.
Project aims
The overarching aim is to improve the system within which families from underserved populations (living in poverty, minority ethnic groups, and/or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) access childhood and adolescent vaccination programmes.
Methods
- A systematic review to identify the barriers and facilitators to uptake of vaccination programmes by families from underserved populations.
- A participatory, multi-staged, systems mapping exercise with key stakeholders and families from underserved populations groups to develop a causal loop diagram (or systems map) that identifies the facilitators and barriers of vaccine provision.
- Co-design study of an intervention strategy to improve the system within which underserved families access childhood and adolescent vaccination programmes.
Candidate requirements
Applications are sought from high performing individuals who have, or are expected to obtain, at least a 2.1 degree (or equivalent). Possession of a relevant Master's degree or research experience would be advantageous but is not required.
We welcome applications from those with non-standard qualifications who can demonstrate knowledge, experience and skills developed in the workplace, or elsewhere, relevant to the programme of study. We encourage applications from allied health professionals who play a role in community vaccination, including nurses and pharmacists.
The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.
How to apply
When applying, candidates must select the Population Health PhD programme and enter supervisor names as listed under the project title for which they are applying. Please state School for Primary Care Research and Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation and Behavioural Science in the funding box.
Full details on what to include in your application can be found in the Admissions Statement PHS statement Personal statement: Please also provide a personal statement that describes your training and experience so far, your motivation for doing a PhD, your motivations for applying to the University of Bristol, and why you think we should select you.
Application enquiries
For questions about the project, please contact Dr Harri Fisher (harriet.fisher@bristol.ac.uk)
Funding
The studentship is fully funded by the NIHR School of Primary Care Research and the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation and Behavioural Science (HPRU EBS) for three years. The funding covers tuition fees for home students, a stipend at the UKRI rate (£20,780 in 2025/2026) and a small fund for research costs.
Overseas students are welcome to apply but you must pay the difference between the home and overseas fees. You must state clearly on your application how you will be paying the difference.
Deadline: Applications for this project will close at 16:00 GMT on Monday 2 March .
Interviews will be in May 2026.
The anticipated start date is the September 2026.