Postgraduate research
The Leicester Lifestyle and Health Research Group
Qualification: PhD
Departments: College of Life Sciences Population Health Sciences School of Healthcare Cardiovascular Sciences School of Engineering
Application deadline: 21 February 2025
Start date: 22 September 2025
Overview
The Leicester Lifestyle and Health Research Group (LLHRG) has been awarded £14M from Research England through the Expanding Excellence in England (E3) funding stream, to expand the breadth and depth of its research over a 5-year period. This, along with matched funding provided by the University of Leicester, College of Life Sciences, will support a number of studentships over the duration of this award.
9 of the 11 projects below will be funded.
Select your preferred project and follow the How to Apply advice below. Use the application link at the bottom of the web page to submit your application.
Professor Pratik Choudhary: Evaluating the ethnic differences of physical activity on blood glucose (word doc 21kb)
Professor Charlotte Edwardson: Development of a lifestyle intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of construction plant operators (word doc 20kb)
Professor Charlotte Edwardson: Evaluation of two digital health interventions for people with long term conditions (word doc 21kb)
Dr Tim Lucas: The role of 24-hour behaviours and environmental exposures in optimising outcomes of diabetes in pregnancy.(word doc 21kb)
Dr Joe Henson: Physical activity, circadian rhythms and health outcomes: Optimising the response using a personalised approach (word doc 20 kb)
Dr Louisa Herring: Optimising the 24-hour movement behaviours and long term health outcomes in metabolic and bariatric surgery (word doc 23kb)
Associate Professor Ruth James: The role of 24-h health related behaviours in student health (word doc 21kb)
Dr Jamie O’Driscoll: The role of exercise in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (word doc 19kb)
Dr Seth O’Neill: Plantarflexors (calf muscles): how much do they impact sarcopenia and aging? (word doc 22 kb)
Dr. Tim C. Pearce: Human Activity Recognition using Self-supervised learning AI Architectures for Wearable Accelerometers in Free-Living Scenarios (word doc 19kb)
Dr Emma Watson: The effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on exercise adaptation (word doc 19kb)
Dr Thomas J Wilkinson: Optimising the measurement of muscle and physical function in clinical trials of people living with obesity (word doc 72kb)
Funding
Funding
Studentships will be open to home and international applicants.
The funding will provide:
- 3.5 years stipend at UKRI rates (full time) for 2024/5 this will be £19,237 pa. 2025/6 rates to be confirmed
- 3.5 years Tuition Fees at UK rates*
- Access to a Research Training Support Grant of up to £1,500 per annum during Years 1 to 3, to cover the cost of related training and development opportunities (e.g. specific training courses, conference attendance, fieldwork, language training, overseas research visits, internships or placements with a non-academic partner).
- Bench fees of up to £5,000 per annum during Years 1 to 3 for laboratory-based studies (applications for costs greater than this may be considered through case-by-case proposals).
*International candidates will be asked to confirm they can cover the fee difference at the point of application. For 2025/6 entry this will be £18,864 per year of study. Fee waivers may be sought for exceptional candidates, but are not guaranteed.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Applicants must have (or expect to obtain) at least the equivalent of a UK first or upper second-class degree in a relevant/related subject, or overseas equivalent.The University of Leicester English language requirements apply.
Informal enquiries
Informal enquiries
Project enquiries to the project supervisor.Further enquiries to CLS-PGR@leicester.ac.uk (Include Leicester Lifestyle and Health E3 studentship in the subject line)
How to apply
How to apply
To apply please use the Apply link at the bottom of this page and select September 2025
With your application, please include:
- CV
- Personal statement explaining your interest in the project, your experience and why we should consider you
- Degree certificates and transcripts of study already completed and if possible transcript to date of study currently being undertaken
- Evidence of English language proficiency if applicable
- In the reference section please enter the contact details of your two academic referees in the boxes provided or upload letters of reference if already available. Referees cannot be anyone on the project supervisory Team.
- In the funding section please specify Leicester Lifestyle and Health E3
- In the proposal section please provide the name of the supervisors and project title you want to be considered for (a proposal is not required)
Applications will be considered after the closing date. We will advise you of the outcome by email.
Incomplete applications may not be considered.
Eligibility
Eligibility
UK and International applicants may apply.
International applicants please refer to the funding section.
