The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) is proud to announce its PhD Studentship competition. We are seeking the next generation of researchers to help us tackle persistent inequalities in maternity.
The MDC brings together a UK wide collaboration of universities, NHS trusts, councils, charities, and industry partners. You can find information about our consortium members here. Our goal is to improve outcomes for women and babies before, during, and after pregnancy through inclusive, evidence-based research.
Capacity Development
The MDC capacity development programme aims to build the next generation of maternity disparities research leaders, strengthen the workforce to deliver and sustain impact across the UK and deliver on the government priorities including the Women’s Health Strategy for England and 10 Year Health Plan for England.
The Consortium focuses on growing long-term research capacity and expertise, especially within underrepresented disciplines, professions and underserved communities; inspiring and supporting the next generation of researchers with the right skills mix to work across clinical, practice and research sectors.
The Opportunity
We are offering up to 13 funded PhD studentships across a range of potential projects at universities across our Consortium. We are specifically looking to grow research capacity in methodological areas, including but not limited to, health economics, statistics, trial design, digital research, data science, implementation science and co-production methods where expertise is currently limited.
Start: January 2027
Duration: Up to 3 years (Full-Time) or 4 years at 0.8WTE (Part-Time) may be discussed
Funding:
- Full home tuition fees covered (at 2026/27 UK rates).
- Tax-free annual stipend at UKRI rates (£21,805/£23,805 outside London/ inside London from 1st October 2026).
- £5,000 (per award) contribution towards research, travel, training and consumables.
- International students are welcome to apply but must secure alternative funding for the difference between UK and Overseas tuition fees.
The Project
This project will focus on utilising and advancing implementation science methods to improve equitable delivery of evidence-based interventions for women, babies and families experiencing the greatest disadvantage.
Effective interventions to improve maternity and newborn outcomes exist, yet significant inequalities persist in who benefits from them. To date, there remains limited methodological guidance on how to identify implementation barriers affecting underserved populations, measure whether interventions are reaching those most in need, and design implementation strategies that reduce rather than widen health inequalities. These challenges are particularly important in maternity and newborn care, where disparities in outcomes remain substantial.
This PhD will develop and apply innovative implementation science methods using the NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium as a real-world research setting. Working alongside families, community organisations, healthcare professionals and policymakers, the student will utilise and adapt existing implementation science approaches explore how implementation determinants differ across populations and settings, develop approaches for measuring implementation equity, and investigate how interventions can be adapted to meet local needs while maintaining effectiveness. The research will draw on a range of methods including evidence synthesis, qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, implementation mapping and mixed-methods evaluation.
A key output will be the development of theoretically informed practical tools and frameworks to support equitable implementation of maternity, newborn and early childhood interventions across NHS and community services. While embedded within Theme 3 (Neonatal, Child and Family Outcomes), by focussing on broader questions of equity, the methodological approach developed will be transferable across maternity and wider health services research settings.
The studentship will make an important contribution to capacity development in implementation science, an area where expertise remains limited, particularly within maternity research. The student will receive advanced training in implementation science frameworks, health equity research, stakeholder co-production, mixed methods approaches, implementation evaluation and methodological development, equipping them for future leadership roles in health services research.
Contact Supervisor -Sarah Moxon, Sarah.moxon@lshtm.ac.uk
Who is a MDC PhD studentship for?
We welcome applications from individuals passionate about maternal health equity with particular methodology knowledge and experience. We are committed to building a supportive, inclusive, and caring research community. We particularly encourage applications from:
- People from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.
- People with disabilities, neurodivergent conditions, and long-term health requirements
- Candidates of all genders, ages, and beliefs.
- We encourage applicants with experience of a wide range of methodologies to apply if they believe they can bring valuable skills to research on maternity inequalities. If it is not immediately obvious, please use your cover letter to explain how your disciplinary background will allow you to carry out your research.
Eligibility Criteria
Essential
- First/Upper Second-Class Honours degree (2:1 or above) in a relevant subject (public health, health services research, social sciences, psychology, medicine, nursing, midwifery or a related discipline).
- A Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
- Understanding of and commitment to tackling maternity inequalities.
- Relevant previous research experience – this experience may be relevant to either the research or methodological area (e.g. qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods research).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Highly motivated.
- Able to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Able to plan and manage own work.
- International applicants are welcome to apply for studentships, but applicants who are selected for interview must be able to provide proof of funding for international fees and immigration costs prior to their interview.
- English language requirement (LSHTM Band B) which can be found here.
- If shortlisted you will be required to complete the RD application process at LSHTM by 1st October.
Desirable
- Interest in implementation science, health inequalities, maternal and child health, stakeholder engagement, co-production, and working with diverse communities.
- Familiarity with evidence synthesis, qualitative research, or mixed-methods evaluation would be advantageous.
*All students will be expected to be based at their host university and meet the individual university PhD studentship regulations. Please check individual university postgraduate admissions.
Accessibility and Support
We want you to perform at your best. You may contact individual supervisors when asking for more details about the projects and your suitability for the project. General enquiries about the recruitment process and MDC, including if you require any reasonable adjustments for the application process or the interview (such as alternative formats, extra time, or specific technological needs), please contact: nihr.mdc.capacitydevelopment@newcastle.ac.uk.
NIHR and DHSC have a duty as a public body to promote equality of opportunity. We will contact all applicants throughout the application period with an Equality Monitoring Form. Monitoring ensures that all applications to NIHR MDC Programmes are treated equally in terms of gender, ethnicity and/or disability. Information will be anonymised and stored separately from your application, only be used for the purpose of monitoring equal opportunities and be kept securely and in confidence.
