Research degrees School of Medicine and Biosciences

Location: UWL & UCL School of Pharmacy (UK) 

Collaborator: UCL School of Pharmacy 

Funding for: UK and International students  

Hours: Full time 

Duration: 3 years

Supervisors:

• Dr Hanieh Khalili (contact detail: hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk)
• Professor James Philips (contact detail: jb.phillips@ucl.ac.uk)

Funding

A fully funded PhD studentship (all tuition fees paid) is available for UK and International students to apply. The studentships provide a highly competitive stipend of £22,000 per year, along with a conference fee of £900 per year.  Successful PhD scholars will be expected to contribute to departmental teaching or research activities for a maximum of six hours per week.

Project summary

This cross-disciplinary PhD project is a collaboration between the School of Biomedical Science at the University of West London and the School of Pharmacy at University College London (UCL), specifically the UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering. The project aims to investigate the fabrication of 3D printed collagen-based scaffolds for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury (PNI). Current treatments for PNI often involve harvesting nerve tissue from another part of the patient's body and grafting it to the injured site. However, there is a critical need for less invasive and more effective solutions. Tissue engineering offers a promising approach, with the ultimate goal of replacing damaged neural cells. Pioneering work at the UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering, led by Prof. Phillips, has resulted in the development of Engineered Neural Tissue (EngNT), incorporating living neural cells within a collagen hydrogel matrix. This approach holds significant promise for nerve regeneration. However, a key challenge remains: fabricating EngNT with precise cell patterning within a three-dimensional structure is crucial for effective regeneration. This is precisely the aim of this PhD project.

The PhD candidate will benefit from working in both institutions:

• University of West London: Develop 3D printing of collagen-based biomaterials under the supervision of Dr Hanieh Khalili (hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk) within the Biotherapeutic Drug Development lab.  
• University College London: Incorporate nerve cells within the printed scaffolds under the guidance of Professor James B Phillips (jb.phillips@ucl.ac.uk) at the UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering. This PhD project aims to develop 3D-printed collagen-based biomaterial implants for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury (PNI).  

We hypothesise that these implants will act as targeted tissue nodes, effectively integrating therapeutic cells and/or drugs into damaged tissues and enhancing treatment efficacy for nerve impairments. To achieve this, the project will leverage: Combined pharmaceutical and chemical expertise including chemical synthesis, 3D printing, and biomaterial development. Biological testing may involve in vitro assays including live cell imaging and confocal microscopy, with the opportunity for using preclinical models to test translationally relevant designs. 

Requirements

• You must have an MPharm or MSc degree (or equivalent experience and/or qualifications) in an area pertinent to the subject area, i.e. Pharmaceutical Science, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biomedical Science or Biological Science.   
• You must have a high standard undergraduate degree at UK 1st class or 2:1 level (or international equivalent) 
• You must be fluent in spoken and written English 
• Where English is not the applicant’s first language, a minimum IELTS Academic English score of 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all components is required. 
• You must have excellent communication skills and be able to organise your own work and prioritise work to meet deadlines 
• Strong academic track record and practical skills are desired 

How to apply

For further information about the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarships please visit our website.

When completing your online application please state the project title in your personal statement. Applications will only be accepted via the online application form.  

Applications must include the following: 

• Full CV, with a list of any significant course projects and/or industrial experience. 
• A two-page research statement indicating what you see as interesting research issues relating to the above PhD topic description and why your expertise is relevant. 
• Academic transcripts/grades 
• A copy of publications of the applicant (if any)

Principal and co-supervisors

• Dr Hanieh Khalili (contact detail: hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk)  
• Dr Karolina Dziemidowicz (contact detail: k.dziemidowicz@ucl.ac.uk) 

Project summary

This PhD proposal is a collaborative work between the School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Computing and Engineering at University of West London and School of Pharmacy at University College London (UCL) to investigate the feasibility of using AI to predict/optimise the physicochemical and mechanical properties of 3D printed immunostimulatory scaffolds for cancer T-cells therapy.

T cell therapy is a promising approach in combating certain blood cancers. However, the conventional intravenous delivery of T cells shows limited efficacy against solid tumours. This is primarily attributed to the considerable challenges these cells face in locating, infiltrating and proliferating within the typically immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment following systemic administration.

Implantable biomaterials can potentially enhance T cell therapy outcomes in solid tumours by enabling localised delivery of T cells and immunostimulatory molecules necessary for the maintenance of their function. This PhD project therefore focuses on developing 3D implantable collagen scaffold to facilitate localised delivery of T cell therapy in solid cancers.

Advanced techniques such as 3D bioprinting will be employed to create specific scaffold shapes and sizes. To optimise these scaffolds and ensure T cell viability, various mechanical and physicochemical aspects will be considered. This optimisation will be achieved through machine learning and AI-based framework, which will assess the scaffold properties, evaluate print quality and optimise T cell viability within the 3D printed scaffold.  Additionally, the scaffolds will be loaded with microparticles functionalised immunostimulatory biomolecules (cytokines or antibodies) to maintain T cell function and viability in situ.

The interdisciplinary nature of this research involves collaboration with Pharmaceutics, Biomedical Science and Computing and Engineering. The project includes  fabricating  biomolecule-functionalised microparticles and conducting cellular assays at UCL School of Pharmacy, under supervision of Dr Dziemidowicz. Techniques such as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cell culture, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy will be used. Additionally, the 3D bioprinting of collagen scaffold will take place in Dr’s Khalili research lab. Finally, machine learning will be designed in Prof Zolgharni’s research group, Intelligent Sensing and Vision (IntSaV).

• Principal and co-supervisors: Dr Hanieh Khalili and Prof Massoud Zolgharni
• Contact: hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

Retinal tissue engineering is representing a new approach to treat retinal diseases through the development of a biological substitute; the so-called scaffold. A tissue scaffold is a three-dimensional (3D) structure with interconnected pores which are used to deliver cells, drugs and genes into the local tissue. Scaffold should provide a suitable space in which retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can grow and generate their own extracellular matrix (ECM). Collagen is the most abundant structural protein that play critical role in maintaining the ECM which has been widely used to fabricate scaffolds for tissue engineering because of its biodegradability, superior biocompatibility and weak antigenicity. Some limitations exist with cross-linked collagens including the use of leachable toxic crosslinkers, a short duration of action, activation of T-cells and difficult injection of the polymerised networked materials. To address these limitations, an in-situ polymerizable collagen (IPC), which is fibrilised without uses of a chemical cross linker, is proposed to use as a scaffold for this PhD proposal.

To fabricate 3D IPC scaffolds with specific shapes and sizes, different methods will be applied such as freeze-drying and 3D bioprinting. Multi-objective optimisations are, however, required to identify suitable freeze-drying and printing conditions and material composition (percentage of cells to IPC) to achieve optimal mechanical and porous constructions properties. This requires extensive experimentation time that is resource demanding. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods have already been applied in tissue engineering and have been shown to be transformative resources to support researchers in the field of regenerative medicine. The ML-based framework takes the material composition and the printing parameters as input to (i) predict printing parameters to optimise the structure’s properties, (ii) assess the quality of the prints and (iii) optimise printability of the material.

This PhD proposal is a collaborative work between the School of Biomedical Science and School of Computing and Engineering to investigate the feasibility of using AI to predict/optimise the physicochemical and mechanical properties of 3D printed IPC cells scaffolds, thereby reducing the time and data needed for experimentations.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Dr Federica D'Andrea and Professor Juanita Hoe
• Contact: federica.dandrea@uwl.ac.uk 

Olfactory loss is common in the later stages of life. Half of the population aged 65 and above and more than 80 percent of people aged 80 and older have been reported to experience a decline in their sense of smell. Olfactory decline is increasingly receiving attention as an early sign of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. A growing body of evidence shows that a decrease in the sense of smell is a risk factor for cognitive decline, significantly impacting quality of life and increasing the likelihood of depressive symptoms. This is relevant as depressive disorders are one of the most widespread mental disorders in the later stage of life, which affect approximately seven percent of the world’s older population.

Encouraging results have been found from studies involving olfactory (smell) training, indicating its potential to increase olfactory performance in older people. Olfactory training offers a set of non-invasive methods by which olfactory exposure may benefit olfaction and perhaps also health and cognition.

This PhD proposal seeks to explore the benefits of olfactory training for older people. The project is important as it will help us to understand the impact of smell on health and well-being of older people, explore the mechanisms underpinning olfactory memory training and its potential to lead changes at the performance and cortical levels. The findings from this research will inform the design and development of interventions that promote olfactory abilities and potentially reverse olfactory loss. 

• Principal  and co-supervisors: Dr Jin Luo and Professor Massoud Zolgharni
• Contact: Jin.Luo@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

This project will develop new technologies to identify people most at risk of developing serious spinal fractures. Over 65,000 elderly people in the UK experience spinal fractures annually. Up to 40% of them may face complications despite receiving conservative treatment such as bed rest and painkillers. These patients develop progressive spinal fractures leading to forward bending of the spine which results in a hump, known as a “dowager’s hump”. This serious condition can lead 
to long-term back pain and even neurological complications. Currently, we do not have diagnostic tools that allow early identification of people most at risk of developing such serious complications. Identifying people at risk will ensure timely treatment that stops their condition from getting worse. 

This project will investigate whether modern artificial intelligence (AI) 
techniques can automatically and reliably assess the risk of progressive spinal fractures on patients’ X-rays. The project will develop robust AI algorithms using a large X-ray image dataset, and then investigate whether the developed algorithms can assess the risk of progressive spinal fractures reliably. This project will ultimately benefit people with osteoporosis by delivering important findings as the base for comprehensive follow-up clinical studies.
 

• Principal supervisors: Dr Hanieh Khalili
• Contact: hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

New classes of protein-based medicines are being investigated with the focus on increasing the functionality and stability. We have so far developed mono-specific antibody-based mimetic which act as IgG mimetics with similar solution size and binding affinity. There is much interest to explore the benefit of using bispecific IgG mimetic in inflammation and fibrosis disease. The mimetic that we have been working on, does not have Fc fragment which its presence may cause immune-related effector functions to drive (rather than inhibit) inflammation.

This PhD proposal is a collaborative work with UCL School of Pharmacy and Institute of Ophthalmology to develop stable, and Fc-free bispecific antibody-based mimetic to be more efficacious than mono specific antibody and even better than simply mixing mono-specific antibodies because of synergistic effect. The PhD candidate will work alongside a team of chemists and pharmacists to develop novel bispecific antibody mimetic and will be trained to work with complex biopharmaceutical formulation techniques and biological assays (protein conjugation, characterisation, purification, protein-protein binding interaction techniques, cell-based in-vitro assays). As part of the project, the student will be given the opportunity to spend a period at UCL School of Pharmacy to undertake collaborative research using modern pharmaceutical facilities such as Biacore and ITC.

This is a joint project between UWL School of Biomedical Science and UCL School of Pharmacy.

(Only UK students are eligible for full funding)   

Supervisors:

• Dr Hanieh Khalili (contact detail: hanieh.khalili@uwl.ac.uk) 
• Dr Jenny Lam (contact detail: jenny.lam@ucl.ac.uk)  

Type 2 inflammation characterised by eosinophilic plays an important role in asthma and Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS, upper airway inflammation), two important chronic airway inflammation diseases. T2 asthma usually responds to classical bronchodilation therapy and corticosteroid treatment and/or can be controlled with newly developed T2-targeted biologic therapies such as anti-IgE (omalizumab), anti-IL5 (mepolizumab, benralizumab and reslizumab) and IL-13, IL-4R (dupilumab). However, in some patients with severe asthma (especially late-onset T2 asthma), airway eosinophilic inflammation persists despite corticosteroid treatment. This group is defined as having non-T2 or T2-low asthma. There is an urgent need to develop a new biotherapeutic molecule to address non-T2 asthma, which is the main aim of this PhD studies.

The route of administration for most of the biologics approved for treatment of T2-asthma is, however, through parenteral injection. Pulmonary delivery is an attractive non-invasive alterative route of administration which allow a local delivery of biologics to the target inflammation site. Despite the benefits of pulmonary delivery, development of inhalable biological drug is a challenging task. Recently nebulised interferon beta-1a is examined for COVID-19 patients with positive response. The other aim of this PhD project is to develop inhaled form of biotherapeutics either in the form of nebulised or dry powder for inhalation.

This PhD project is a collaborative project between the School of Biomedical Science at UWL and School of Pharmacy at UCL to investigate the feasibility of developing inhalation form of biotherapeutics for sever chronic inflammatory diseases. PhD candidate will spend an equal time in both institutions to first prepare the biotherapeutic conjugates and then formulate it for pulmonary application.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Dr Shadreck Mwale and Professor Katie Featherstone
• Contact: Shadreck.Mwale@uwl.ac.uk

African and African Caribbean older people living with mental health conditions are a key population at high risk of inequitable access to and experiences of health and social care services (MacRaild, 2000 Adelman et al, 2011; Tuerk and Sauer, 2015; Cooper et al, 2010), experience failings in care (NAO 2007;2010) and have poor health and wellbeing outcomes (Kapadia et al, 2022; Nazroo, 1998;2001; MacRaild, 2000; Shafiq et al, 2020). However, little research has specifically examined their experiences of health and social care services.

NICE guidelines identify older people from minority ethnic groups experience unequal access to services (NICE, 2018 b) and require services provide reasonable adjustments to meet the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010 (NICE, 2015 a) however do not provide recommendations to health and social care services on how to achieve this in practice. Research thus far provides only generalised understandings of the experiences of ethnic minority older people (Truswell, 2016;2019) and we know very little about African and African Caribbean older people’s experiences of services.

While Black people are more likely to be overrepresented in mental health services, there is little research that has sought to examine the intersections between mental health and ageing among African and African Caribbean older people and their impact on experiences of and access to health and social care services.

In response, this studentship will explore the experiences of African and African Caribbean older people living with mental illness, their care partners and families, support seeking, trajectories of care and their encounters with services.

• Principal supervisor: Professor Juanita Hoe
• Contact: Juanita.Hoe@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

As the world population ages, the number of people living with dementia is increasing. Of these, around two-thirds of people with dementia live at home and are supported by a family member or a close friend. National policy is to support people with dementia to maintain independence and live at home for as long as possible. Traditionally people living with dementia are cared for by a spouse or a close family member, usually a daughter, or daughter-in-law. However, due to the decline of conventional nuclear families through changes in domestic relationships and separate living situations, people living with dementia are now frequently cared for by an extended member of their family, for example, a niece, nephew or cousin, or a close family friend. 

Carers are a diverse group, and a better understanding is needed of more contemporary caring situations and the impact this has on individuals within these roles.  As the unpaid care currently provided by families and friends in the UK is valued at £13.9 billion a year, any significant withdrawal of this support would have considerable societal and economic impact. It is crucial therefore that we understand how best to help and support these carers within their caring roles.

This PhD proposal seeks to explore the experiences of extended family members caring for people living with dementia at home. The project is important as it will help us to understand the reasons why people take on the caring role, identify the personal impact being a carer has on individuals and their relationships with the person cared for, examine their ability to access the information, support and services needed, and to distinguish any specific needs they may have as carers. The findings will be used to design strategies and develop interventions that better support extended family members and friends in their caring role.

• Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Dr Bernadine Idowu
• Contact: Bernadine.Idowu@uwl.ac.uk

There is a high percentage of Black students in higher education (HE), but when narrowed down to the numbers of Black students studying STEM subjects, it is noticeably low.

Similarly, the lack of Black academics teaching and researching in STEM is obvious, which then reflects on the lack of Black principal investigators leading on research for diseases effecting ethnic minorities.

There must be a channel to ensure Black students know the importance of why they should consider studying STEM, specifically Biomedical Science in HE. Students should be taught why they are needed in research and the impact their presence will make. They in turn will act as ambassadors/role models for students in primary and secondary schools, showcasing the contributions they can make in the STEM field. Visibility matters in ensuring STEM becomes a diverse and inclusive environment.

This PhD proposal seeks to investigate a case study in higher education, where Biomedical Science is a subject that Black students are studying in higher numbers. Visible is a diverse staff body teaching and conducting research, from postgraduates to professors, on issues affecting ethnic minorities, at a university that is committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that supports equality, diversity and inclusion in all areas.

This case study will be an example of transformative practice in HE, that hopefully can be used as best practice in higher education.

• Principal supervisor: Professor Juanita Hoe
• Contact: Juanita.Hoe@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

As the population ages the prevalence of dementia within Black and minority ethnic older populations is increasing. As more people from ethnic communities in the UK are expected to present with dementia, they will need access to appropriate services. Previous research has shown that many people from ethnic minority backgrounds perceive dementia to be a natural part of ageing and do not engage with services. Despite interventions to increase awareness of dementia and encourage older black and minority ethnic populations to seek diagnosis and support where needed, the take up of services remains fragmented and inconsistent.

Developing culturally appropriate services may improve service utilisation and social inclusivity. To achieve this a better understanding is required of the needs of these populations to identify how service uptake can be improved.

This PhD proposal seeks to investigate the needs of Black and minority ethnic older populations and identify barriers and enablers to seeking help and obtaining support. Candidates may choose to focus on one specific population or community. Needs will be identified using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). This tool offers a multidimensional approach to assessment and measures met and unmet needs in several areas including physical, psychological, social and environmental domains. This project is important as detecting unmet needs enables gaps in service provision to be identified and allows health policy to introduce changes that can reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes.

• Principle supervisor: Professor Hermine Mkrtchyan
• Contact: hermine.mkrtchyan@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis which threatens the lifesaving role of antibiotics modern medicine is built upon. The primary source for AMR is the environment, whereby AMR bacteria are borne from genetic changes directed by external factors, such as presence of antibiotics either naturally occurring (from other bacteria and fungi) or from industrialised antibiotics.

Our previous work has shown that AMR genes on mobile elements, increase transmission of AMR between species and worryingly AMR bacteria are now found in different ecological niches. Therefore it is necessary to implement systematic strategies to identify resistant bacteria from potential hotspots in various environments. This goal would significantly benefit from the implementation of innovative and highly portable approaches to detect resistant bacteria from diverse environmental sources. Inaccessibility to cost effective and rapid methods for monitoring antibiotic resistance has had a major impact on what can be implemented for a sustainable intervention.

Environmental hotspots of antibiotic pollution are complex and include various vectors, including water sources, surfaces (fomite transmission) and newly described vectors of transmission such as the air. Rapid, high resolution, cost effective approaches to identify the antibiotic resistance burden in the various environments are desperately needed, which this project will address.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Professor Shanyu Tang
• Contact: shanyu.tang@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are finding their way into many smart healthcare systems but security concerns still remain. Cyber attacks on IoT medical devices can cause significant disruption to the delivery of healthcare services.

Cybersecurity experts have found vulnerabilities in IoT medical devices used in many countries. Some information security measures have been suggested (in the current literature), most of which involve heavyweight cryptographic algorithms costing computing resources, while these are still vulnerable to evolving cyber attacks such as eavesdropping, interfering, tampering and man-in-the-middle attacks.

This PhD research project aims to develop a secure architecture that implements a lightweight energy efficient cryptographic algorithm to defend data communications between IoT medical devices and data processing units in smart healthcare systems, protecting them from cyber attacks to improve outcomes and efficiency.

This project proposes the use of machine learning and cryptanalysis to depict the potential attacks arising from defects of mutual authentication standard in the Dedicated Short Range Communication protocol widely used in smart healthcare systems. A lightweight cryptographic algorithm requiring less computing resources will then be devised to protect data communications between IoT medical devices and data processing units from eavesdropping and interfering attacks.

Testing methods will include communication overhead measurements.

• Principal supervisor: Prof Richard Morgan
• Contact: richard.morgan@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

Our previous work has revealed that the HOX and PBX genes, a family of transcription factors with key roles in early development but which are usually silent in adult cells, are widely dysregulated in both cell lines derived from prostate cancer and patient tumours. Furthermore, a peptide (HXR9) that blocks the interaction between HOX proteins and their PBX cofactor selectively kills a broad range of prostate derived cell lines in vitro, and the intratumoural delivery of HXR9 blocks the growth of prostate tumours in vivo in a mouse flank model of this malignancy. However, we failed to find in this study any individual HOX or PBX gene, or group of these genes, that could accurately predict the sensitivity of tumours to HXR9.

This PhD proposal seeks to establish whether the expression of a single gene or group of genes (which may or may not be HOX/PBX) in primary prostate tumours predicts their sensitivity to killing by HXR9, and what the function of these genes are in tumours. This is of potentially high significance clinically, as a gene expression signature that predicts sensitivity would make it possible to determine if patients were likely to benefit from HXR9 treatment before therapy begins, and might also identify strategies for enhancing the therapeutic response, by for example identifying drugs that can act synergistically with HXR9.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Drs Snorri Rafnsson and John Hughes
• Contact: Snorri.Rafnsson@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

Multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) are thought to affect as many as 50% of older adults (aged 65 years and over) and are associated with significant disability, poor quality of life, and high health care utilisation and costs. In the absence of an effective cure, many common chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma and arthritis, require patients to regularly monitor physical indicators, manage medication regimes and components of their lifestyle such as diet and exercise. As a result, self-care, and in particular self-management, interventions for such chronic conditions have increasingly become an essential component of national health systems around the world. Although improving the way multimorbidity is managed is now a key priority for the NHS, there remains a lack of research exploring how older individuals living with multimorbidity self-care for their chronic illnesses and wider preventative and health protective activities.

This two-phased PhD project will conduct a rigorous, exploratory sequential mixed methods design to evaluate the characteristics and benefits of self-care approaches for older adults with multimorbidity attending The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), which is located within University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust. The successful PhD candidate is expected to further develop the project themselves under the guidance of the supervisory team which is based in the UWL’s School of Biomedical Sciences.

In addition to adding to the relevant evidence-base, it is anticipated that the findings from this PhD research will also be of value for informing personalised packages of self-care which would be delivered within UCLH. Specifically, the package of care would aim to address a range of symptoms associated with multimorbidity in older adults.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Drs Jin Luo and John Hughes
• Contact: jin.luo@uwl.ac.uk

Project summary

This project aims to examine the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of a wearable technology that promotes lifestyle physical activity for healthy ageing in middle-aged adults. Middle adulthood (40 to 65 years) is the stage that musculoskeletal health starts to show significant deterioration. It is important that physical activity is maintained or even increased during this period to minimise the likelihood of deterioration in later life. However, the current research has been focused on late adulthood (i.e. >65 years of age), which may not be appropriate for middle-aged adults who have distinct characteristics, e.g. lack of time and motivation for planned and structured exercises. To address this problem we have developed a wearable technology (Right Step) that targets specifically at middle-aged adults to promote physical activity performed as part of daily living.

This PhD project will include a feasibility study to evaluate whether the use of the technology could be an acceptable, feasible and effective intervention for the middle-aged population. The study will also explore the outcome measures that are appropriate for the evaluation of the intervention. Based on these findings the project will make further improvements to the design and delivery of the wearable technology.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Dr Shadreck Mwale and Professor Katie Featherstone 
• Contact: Shadreck.Mwale@uwl.ac.uk 

Project summary 

African and African Caribbean older people living with mental health conditions are a key population at high risk of inequitable access to and experiences of health and social care services (MacRaild, 2000 Adelman et al, 2011; Tuerk and Sauer, 2015; Cooper et al, 2010), experience failings in care (NAO 2007;2010) and have poor health and wellbeing outcomes (Kapadia et al, 2022; Nazroo, 1998;2001; MacRaild, 2000; Shafiq et al, 2020). However, little research has specifically examined their experiences of health and social care services. 

NICE guidelines identify older people from minority ethnic groups experience unequal access to services (NICE, 2018 b) and require services provide reasonable adjustments to meet the requirements of the Equalities Act 2010 (NICE, 2015 a) however do not provide recommendations to health and social care services on how to achieve this in practice. Research thus far provides only generalised understandings of the experiences of ethnic minority older people (Truswell, 2016;2019) and we know very little about African and African Caribbean older people’s experiences of services. 

While Black people are more likely to be overrepresented in mental health services, there is little research that has sought to examine the intersections between mental health and ageing among African and African Caribbean older people and their impact on experiences of and access to health and social care services. 

In response, this studentship will explore the experiences of African and African Caribbean older people living with mental illness, their care partners and families, support seeking, trajectories of care and their encounters with services. 

• Principal supervisor: Professor Juanita Hoe 
• Contact: Juanita.Hoe@uwl.ac.uk 

Project summary 

As the world population ages, the number of people living with dementia is increasing. Of these, around two-thirds of people with dementia live at home and are supported by a family member or a close friend. National policy is to support people with dementia to maintain independence and live at home for as long as possible. Traditionally people living with dementia are cared for by a spouse or a close family member, usually a daughter, or daughter-in-law. However, due to the decline of conventional nuclear families through changes in domestic relationships and separate living situations, people living with dementia are now frequently cared for by an extended member of their family, for example, a niece, nephew or cousin, or a close family friend. 

Carers are a diverse group, and a better understanding is needed of more contemporary caring situations and the impact this has on individuals within these roles.  As the unpaid care currently provided by families and friends in the UK is valued at £13.9 billion a year, any significant withdrawal of this support would have considerable societal and economic impact. It is crucial therefore that we understand how best to help and support these carers within their caring roles. 

This PhD proposal seeks to explore the experiences of extended family members caring for people living with dementia at home. The project is important as it will help us to understand the reasons why people take on the caring role, identify the personal impact being a carer has on individuals and their relationships with the person cared for, examine their ability to access the information, support and services needed, and to distinguish any specific needs they may have as carers. The findings will be used to design strategies and develop interventions that better support extended family members and friends in their caring role. 

• Principal supervisor: Professor Juanita Hoe 
• Contact: Juanita.Hoe@uwl.ac.uk 

Project summary 

As the population ages the prevalence of dementia within Black and minority ethnic older populations is increasing. As more people from ethnic communities in the UK are expected to present with dementia, they will need access to appropriate services. Previous research has shown that many people from ethnic minority backgrounds perceive dementia to be a natural part of ageing and do not engage with services. Despite interventions to increase awareness of dementia and encourage older black and minority ethnic populations to seek diagnosis and support where needed, the take up of services remains fragmented and inconsistent. 

Developing culturally appropriate services may improve service utilisation and social inclusivity. To achieve this a better understanding is required of the needs of these populations to identify how service uptake can be improved. 

This PhD proposal seeks to investigate the needs of Black and minority ethnic older populations and identify barriers and enablers to seeking help and obtaining support. Candidates may choose to focus on one specific population or community. Needs will be identified using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). This tool offers a multidimensional approach to assessment and measures met and unmet needs in several areas including physical, psychological, social and environmental domains. This project is important as detecting unmet needs enables gaps in service provision to be identified and allows health policy to introduce changes that can reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes.

• Principal and co-supervisors: Dr Snorri Rafnsson and Dr John Hughes 
• Contact: Snorri.Rafnsson@uwl.ac.uk 

Project summary 

Multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) are thought to affect as many as 50% of older adults (aged 65 years and over) and are associated with significant disability, poor quality of life, and high health care utilisation and costs. In the absence of an effective cure, many common chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma and arthritis, require patients to regularly monitor physical indicators, manage medication regimes and components of their lifestyle such as diet and exercise. As a result, self-care, and in particular self-management, interventions for such chronic conditions have increasingly become an essential component of national health systems around the world. Although improving the way multimorbidity is managed is now a key priority for the NHS, there remains a lack of research exploring how older individuals living with multimorbidity self-care for their chronic illnesses and wider preventative and health protective activities. 

This two-phased PhD project will conduct a rigorous, exploratory sequential mixed methods design to evaluate the characteristics and benefits of self-care approaches for older adults with multimorbidity attending The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), which is located within University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust. The successful PhD candidate is expected to further develop the project themselves under the guidance of the supervisory team which is based in the UWL’s School of Biomedical Sciences. 

In addition to adding to the relevant evidence-base, it is anticipated that the findings from this PhD research will also be of value for informing personalised packages of self-care which would be delivered within UCLH. Specifically, the package of care would aim to address a range of symptoms associated with multimorbidity in older adults.

• Supervisors: Dr Snorri B. Rafnsson, Prof. Juanita Hoe, Dr Shadreck Mwale
• Contact: Snorri.Rafnsson@uwl.ac.uk 

Project summary

One of the most urgent modern-day issues regarding how to meet the needs of growing older populations is information and communication technology (ICT) adoption and use. Previous research has suggested ICT can support ‘Ageing in Place’ policy, which enables older adults to live independent lives and continue doing what they value on their own terms. For older adults, maintaining a sense of independence is essential, as it enables them to enjoy better quality of life. Maintaining strong connections with their communities, family and friends allows independent living in older age and contributes to better health and well-being.

Recent research has highlighted number of barriers to using ICT among older adults, including health issues, sensory loss, lack of technical skills, and reluctance to use new technologies. Studies have also found that a lack of digital skills and access can have a huge negative impact on a person's life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, and increased loneliness and social isolation. The term ‘digital divide’ has been used to denote the discrepancy between those who “have” and those who “do not” have access to ICT. In general, older adults are relatively more affected than other age groups. However, recent evidence suggests that, especially among older ethnic minority adults, the digital divide is even wider although its implications and underlying reasons in this population are still poorly understood.

Some important questions that remain unanswered include:

1. What are older minority group adults’ needs and preferences for using ICT for interacting with friends and family?
2. How do personal and cultural factors influence the use of ICT among the minority ethnic elderly group?
3. Is a simple videophone service feasible to use by older minority group adults for interacting socially?

This three-staged PhD will draw on relevant theoretical frameworks and apply mixed research methods to investigate needs and preferences for social interactions among community-residing older minority ethnic adults. Specifically, it will explore views, perceptions, and barriers towards adopting and using ICT for social purposes in this population. The final phase will determine the feasibility of using the Konnekt^TM videophone device for social interactions, including potential benefits and obstacles.

This PhD project will contribute new evidence on a population group hitherto largely excluded from research on ICT and social connections. It will critically assess the quality of the available evidence and identify important gaps. The project will generate evidence that will help inform culturally tailored strategies and recommendations for promoting independence and quality of life among older minority ethnic adults through technologically supported social interactions.