PhD Study : Mapping food insecurity and its relationship to health indicators within Northern Ireland

Apply and key information  

Summary

Food poverty, a global health challenge, is a real concern for people in Northern Ireland. Research has identified that food poverty may change both spatially and temporally due to factors such as accessibility to retailers, availability of items and socio-economic factors. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been successfully used to model food poverty along a range of spatial scales. A food poverty risk index was developed for Northern Ireland at Small Area (SA) scale using a range of census data (2011) and spatial data. Initial work highlights that the model can accurately identify homes in food poverty. Building on this research, this project aims to update the original index using 2021 census data and additional area-based data.

Specific objectives are to:

*Use food poverty risk indices to identify temporal changes in at-risk communities;

*Investigate fine level variations in health and nutrition status in at-risk areas;

*Propose interventions to reduce vulnerability to food poverty alongside geographically targeted recommendations for health and nutrition.

Training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will be provided through online modules and guidance from the supervisory team. The project would suit a candidate with confidence in computing and statistics although these are not mandatory for the project. Candidates with an interest in health, food policy or geography would be suited to this project.

Please note: Applications for more than one PhD studentship are welcome, however if you apply for more than one PhD project within Biomedical Sciences, your first application on the system will be deemed your first-choice preference and further applications will be ordered based on the sequential time of submission. If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be interviewed only on your first-choice application and ranked accordingly. Those ranked highest will be offered a PhD studentship. In the situation where you are ranked highly and your first-choice project is already allocated to someone who was ranked higher than you, you may be offered your 2nd or 3rd choice project depending on the availability of this project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
  • Clearly defined research proposal detailing background, research questions, aims and methodology

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

  • Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
  • Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
  • Work experience relevant to the proposed project
  • Publications record appropriate to career stage
  • Experience of presentation of research findings
  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
  • Relevant professional qualification and/or a Degree in a Health or Health related area

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

Recommended reading

*Rural poverty: The impact of rurality on consumers’ access to food services, using a food poverty risk index McClelland, N., Furey, S., McKenzie, P. & Hollywood, L., 21 Mar 2018, King's College London, p. 39-39 1 p.

*Food poverty contributors: Individual, structural or political? Examining stakeholder perspectives using Interviews and Nominal Group Technique. Beacom, E., Furey, S., Hollywood, L. E. & Humphreys, P., 28 Jun 2021, In: British Food Journal. 123, 6, p. 2199-2215 17 p.

*Food Insecurity Measurement: Stakeholder Comparisons of the EU-SILC and HFSSM Indicators and Considerations Towards the Usefulness of a Headline Indicator. Beacom, E., Furey, S., Hollywood, L. E. & Humphreys, P., 11 Jan 2022, (Published online) In: Social Indicators Research. 162, p. 1021-1041 21 p.

*Spatial decision support for social hybrid organizations: siting new social supermarkets in Austria. Lienbacher, E., Koschinsky, J., Holweg, C. and Vallaster, C. 2021 International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 49 (7), 999-1024, doi: 10.1108/IJRDM-10-2020-0422.

*FIMS: Identifying, Predicting and Visualising Food Insecurity. Nica-Avram, G., Harvey, J., Goulding, J., Lucas, B., Smith, A., Smith, G., Perrat, B. 2020, Proceedings of World Wide Web.

*Caraher, M. and Furey, S. (2018) The Economics of Emergency Food Aid Provision: A Financial, Social and Cultural Perspective London: Palgrave Macmillan. [eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-78506-6; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-78506-6].

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Monday 27 February 2023
04:00PM

Interview Date
27 March to 6 April 2023

Preferred student start date
18 September 2023

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Professor Emeir McSorley

Other supervisors