DPhil: Lifestyle, Environment and Dementia Risk

Funded DPhil opportunity at Oxford Population Health. Work with Dr Thomas Littlejohns and team on how lifestyle and environmental factors shape dementia risk, using cohort data from six continents.

Assessing the role of lifestyle and environmental factors on future risk of dementia among diverse geographical settings

DPhil (PhD) in Population Health, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford. Project TEU001. Start: October 2027

The number of people living with dementia worldwide is expected to triple from 50 million to 150 million over the next three decades. Targeting modifiable lifestyle and environmental factors is central to prevention, and population-level action on risk factors could make a real difference. But two big evidence gaps remain.

First, most studies come from high-income countries, even though 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, a figure expected to reach 70% by 2050. Second, changes in the years before diagnosis can alter the risk factors themselves, so studies with short follow-up struggle to rule out reverse causation.

Focus of the DPhil

You will tackle both gaps using geographically diverse cohorts where risk factors were measured decades before any dementia diagnosis. Most data will come from the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC), around 60 population-based longitudinal cohorts spanning six continents. The EPIC-Norfolk study, with more than 30 years of follow-up and repeated exposure measurements, will support work on long-term associations, and there is scope for complementary analyses in cohorts with genetic, multi-omic and imaging data such as UK Biobank.

You will help shape the project from the application stage, working with the supervisors and the data available through COSMIC. It can focus on specific risk factors or take a broader, clearly defined approach.

Training and skills

The project involves secondary analysis of large, detailed observational studies using Stata, R or similar, and needs an understanding of longitudinal analytical methods. You will start by getting to grips with the existing literature, then plan and run analyses to address the gaps you identify. You will attend training courses in advanced statistical and methodological approaches and present at national and international conferences. Fieldwork is not expected, but relevant placements will be explored.

Supervisors

• Dr Thomas Littlejohns, Senior Epidemiologist (unit representative)
• Dr Wenyu Liu, Medical Statistician
• Dr Sarah Floud, Associate Professor
• Dr Jessica Gong, Karolinska Institutet (external supervisor)

About you

The project suits someone with postgraduate training in epidemiology, statistics or public health and an interest in dementia, who wants to build their skills in epidemiological design and statistical analysis and to work with complex studies drawn from a wide range of geographical settings.

Funding

All DPhil in Population Health applications completed by the deadline are automatically considered for competitive University funding, including department scholarships, MRC, Clarendon, college and charitable awards. Full scholarships cover course fees and a stipend for three years of full-time study (or six years part-time), and are open to candidates of any nationality.

How to apply

Applications for October 2027 entry opened on 16 September and close at 12 noon on Tuesday 1 December 2026. Late applications are not considered. Before applying you must speak to the supervisors about the project, so get in touch early. Our blogs on approaching a new lab and making your PhD application stand out are worth a read first.

Full details are on the project page and the Oxford Population Health how to apply page.