Studentship - The role of the built environment in children’s cognition and mental health

The built environment can be strongly linked to human health. However, there has been little research on the role of the built environmentfor children. This project will attempt to fill this gap, by exploring its role in children’s cognition and mental health from the preschool period to the endof the primary school years. It will use longitudinal data from a UK birthcohort, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a survey of more than 19,000children born around 2000.

Specifically, the project will model the role of the neighbourhood’s built environment (greenspace and air pollution) in children’strajectories of cognitive skills and emotional/behavioural problems from 3 to11 years, controlling for family and area socio-economic disadvantage. It will track children over time and over any change of neighbourhood.

This project will be making full use of the expertise and complementary strengths of the research team. It draws on the track record of Dr Murage, an environmental epidemiologist, and Drs Flouri and Midouhas, developmental psychologists with a long-standing interest in the role of the built environment in child outcomes.

Graduates with a good first degree and/or master’s degree in psychology, statistics, epidemiology, geography, education, neuroscience, or other relevant sciences are encouraged to apply. Interest and aptitude for child development and quantitative methods would be particularly welcome. Candidates should submit an online application via the Survey Monkey Apply portal. The application consists of a form, covering letter, CV, transcripts and references.

Candidates will be selected for interview after the closing date.

Apply here: https://ucl.smapply.io/prog/2023_entry_BCS_childrenscognition Further details can be obtained from Professor Eirini Flouri (e.flouri@ucl.ac.uk)

The project will start in the academic year 2023/24 (October 2023). The studentships cover Home PhD tuition fees and a stipend for up to three years. Applicants from outside the UK may apply for this project. However, they will need to find means to cover the difference between the home tuition fees and the overseas through other sources.

Closing date for all applications is March 8th, 2023

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