Health and Well-being and Data Science: WGSSS Studentship: A Linked Whole-Population Data Approach to Understanding Wellbeing and Inequalities (RS952)

Funding Providers: The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences at Swansea University are delighted to offer a fully funded Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) (ESRC DTP) studentship in the Health and Well-being and Data Science Pathway starting in October 2026.     

Subject Area: Health and Well-being and Data Science 

Project Start Dates: October 2026 

** (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.) 

**In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed. 

Supervisors: 

• Professor Andrew Hadon Kemp 

•  Dr Kyle Jones 

• Professor Simon Dymond 

•  Zoe Fisher (Swansea Bay Health Board) 

Aligned programme of study: Health and Well-Being and Data Science, PhD 

Mode of study: Durations of study varies from 3.5 (PhD) to 1+3.5 (MSc + PhD) years full-time (or part-time equivalent). The duration study is dependent on prior research experience and training needs of the student which will be assessed by completing a Development Needs Analysis. We welcome applications for both full and part-time study.    

Place of study: Swansea University (Singleton Campus) 

Project description: 

Context: Population Needs Assessments (PNAs) are a statutory requirement under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and provide the primary evidence base for regional planning, service transformation and commissioning across health, social care and wider wellbeing systems. In West Glamorgan (Swansea and Neath Port Talbot), the Regional PNA is developed through collaboration between Swansea Bay University Health Board, local authorities, the third sector and the Regional Partnership Board, and informs Public Service Board priorities. This collaborative PhD builds on a ten-year programme of interdisciplinary research by Professor Kemp and Dr Fisher that conceptualizes wellbeing through connections to self, others and nature, aligning closely with the preventative, place-based and long-term principles of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. In Wales, responsibilities for health, wellbeing and the natural environment are formally aligned through national policy and delivery structures led by Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, yet PNAs currently have limited analytical capacity to examine how social, relational and environmental determinants intersect with wellbeing, inequality and service use over time. This PhD is embedded within statutory partnerships and will strengthen the population-level evidence available to support PNA development. 

Rationale: PNAs are intended to support preventative, long-term and place-based approaches to wellbeing but are often constrained by fragmented data across sectors and life stages and by reliance on cross-sectional analyses. The Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank enables secure linkage of anonymised population data across health, education, social care and administrative systems, creating opportunities for life-course, family-level and spatial analyses that incorporate wider determinants of wellbeing, including local environments and access to nature. 

Probable aims: The aim of the PhD is to develop and apply a theoretically informed, life-course framework for understanding population wellbeing and its determinants using linked administrative and survey data, generating evidence to inform service transformation and commissioning within the West Glamorgan PNA. The project will pay particular attention to inequalities across communities and explore comparisons with regional, national or international data where comparable indicators and infrastructures exist. 

Likely research questions: Indicative questions include: how theory can inform interpretation of wellbeing, mental health and need across the life course using linked population data; what inequalities in wellbeing, mental health and service use exist across West Glamorgan and how these vary by place, deprivation and access to local environments; how adult wellbeing and service use intersect with physical health, socioeconomic disadvantage and family context; what intergenerational relationships can be observed between parental mental health and children’s wellbeing; and how evidence on place-based determinants, including access to nature, can support Regional Partnership Boards and Public Service Boards in meeting statutory duties for prevention and long-term wellbeing. 

Scope, methods and design: The core empirical focus is West Glamorgan and the Regional PNA and comparative work beyond the region. The project will use linked, anonymised data accessed via the SAIL Databank, drawing on health, education, social care, survey and administrative datasets, and other relevant sources of data that may be identified as the project unfolds. Methods will include descriptive mapping, regression and multilevel modelling, family-level and spatial analyses, and exploratory data-driven approaches, guided by explicit theoretical frameworks. Analyses will combine longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches as appropriate. Findings will inform the West Glamorgan PNA, and enable comparisons with regional, national or international wellbeing indicators. 

Entry Criteria:     

To receive WGSSS studentship funding, you must have qualifications or experience equivalent to an UK honours degree at a first or upper second-class level, or a masters degree. Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.     

Note for international and European applicants:  

Details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.  

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

UK and International applicants 

International Eligibility: 

WGSSS studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.      

The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees, an annual tax-free living stipend of in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £20,780 for 2025-26 full-time) and includes access to a Research Training Support Grant. Full and part-time applications are welcomed. If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.     

All WGSSS funded students are required to complete a funded Research in Practice placement of 3-months in total (or part-time equivalent). All students will have the opportunity to complete a placement in academia, policy, business or civil society organisations.     

To apply, please complete the entire application form here. 

To be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.  

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS952 

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)  

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input: 

• the RS Code, RS952  
• the scholarship title  

• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank  

• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank  

• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload? *’(Mandatory) Please select Yes  

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.  

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.  

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:  

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly.

Important: If you have previously applied for the same programme & intake, do not re‑apply using a different email address. Applications submitted with an email address that differs from the one used in your original application will not be accepted or considered. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.  

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents:  

• WGSSS Application Form 

• Academic CV (two pages maximum)  

• 2 academic or professional references (candidates must approach referees themselves and include references with their application. The reference must detail the applicant’s research strengths).  

• Degree certificates and Transcripts (including translations if applicable)    

• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.  

• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).  

• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)  

• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact:  

NAME: Prof Andrew Kemp 

EMAIL: a.h.kemp@swansea.ac.uk  

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.