Elsewhere on Ulster
This project is funded by:
This project is in collaboration with New England Center for Children (Southborough, Mass, USA).
Background: The New England Center for Children (NECC) a non-for-profit organisation in Boston, Massachusetts, is a worldwide leader in autism education and research.
Through their schools in Southborough and Abu Dhabi, their clinics, consulting services, and robust research and training initiatives, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all.
Ulster University students from our MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) program have been going to NECC for year-long placements since 2008.
While there, our students work in Day School and Residential Programs serving students aged 3 to 22 and utilize the science of ABA.
NECC has also developed the ACE® ABA Software System. ACE stands for the Autism Curriculum Encyclopaedia and is a non-profit product with all proceeds going to research and education of learners with autism.
ACE content is based on 45 years of education, curriculum development, and research at NECC.
NECC’s team of researchers are continually advancing the most effective, evidence-based methods for teaching children with autism and incorporate these findings in ACE system development.
Thus, ACE Software has the most comprehensive and customizable curriculum in the world for children with developmental disabilities.
The lessons teach a wide array of skills, from the most basic “learning to learn” to complex skills needed for successful independent living. Lessons target the areas of Communication, Social Skills, Academics, Discrimination, Self-Help, Health and Safety, Recreation and Physical Education, Community, Transition to Adulthood, and Vocational.
Comprehensive dashboards examine progress toward learner objectives, and set goals for learners.
These features allow teachers and clinicians to see if skills are being acquired and to quickly make changes to ensure students are making progress.
The ACE Software also provides several printable reports designed to help with clinical decision-making, program evaluation, and information-sharing with team members.
This current PhD proposal is an example of implementation science because it aims to build upon an almost 20-year relationship between UU and NECC to enhance the model of developing ABA programs outside the US, through international links.
This would be done through introducing the ACE Curriculum to the Northern Irish education system.
UU staff have good working relationships with various special educational needs schools.
The successful candidate would go to NECC for three to six months within Year 1 to learn the ACE system and then return to Northern Ireland to introduce it to a local special educational needs school.
In Year 2 there would be pilot implementation and the identification of barriers.
In Year 3, fuller implementation would be attempted and impact on progress of students would be measured.
This would allow our local education services to see the efficacy of an all-encompassing ABA approach to education, and also allow NECC to learn how the ACE curriculum “translates” to other cultures and systems.
Findings would be disseminated through presentations in Years 2 and 3 to local special educational needs schools and to international ABA conferences in the US (e.g., BABAT or ABAI).
Applicant Requirements:
MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis or equivalent
Please note, the successful candidate will be required to obtain AccessNI clearance prior to registration due to the nature of the project.
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.
If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.
The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.
Appointment will be made on merit.
This project is funded by:
This scholarship will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £21,000* (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance). A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of approximately £900 per annum is also available.
To be eligible for these scholarships, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Applicants should also meet the residency criteria which requires that they have lived in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for at least the three years preceding the start date of the research degree programme.
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.
*Part time PhD scholarships may be available, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period
Submission deadline
Friday 27 February 2026
04:00PM
Interview Date
Week Commencing 23rd March 2026
Preferred student start date
14th September 2026
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