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The Alzheimer’s Society Doctoral Training Centre for Integrated Dementia Care (I-Care-DTC), co-directed by Professors Nathan Davies and Claudia Cooper, is a collaboration of five renowned institutions in dementia care research: Queen Mary University of London, University College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Leeds Beckett University, and the University of Plymouth.
Over the next eight years, the I-Care-DTC will fund up to 29 PhD students to address critical challenges in dementia care, with a new cohort recruited annually for five years. Together, our passionate and highly experienced team is dedicated to reimagining dementia care that is compassionate, continuous, and inclusive—from diagnosis through to end of life. Our commitment is to ensure care that promotes independence, autonomy, and choice, and reaches all people, especially those from under-served communities.
The core mission of the I-Care-DTC is to develop integrated dementia care that seamlessly connects health, social care, and community sectors. In this cohort, we will support and mentor a minimum of five outstanding PhD students to complete a transformative 4-year doctoral program and a 3-year Clinical Training Fellowship—the future leaders in dementia research.
Our Second Cohort Begins in October 2026.
For this cohort, the DTC will also offer a Clinical Training Fellowship opportunity sponsored by the Academic Centre for Healthy Ageing (ACHA). The aim of ACHA is to generate research evidence focused on optimal ageing and facilitate the rapid translation of research findings into clinical practice, directly informing service redesign for the management of long-term physical, mental and cognitive disorders including dementia. The student will benefit from links with local primary care, public health and social care across North East London through the Waltham Forest adult community health service.
If you’re passionate about advancing dementia care, join us to make a lasting impact on individuals and families affected by dementia.
I-Care-DTC research focus
The Centre’s research will focus on four vital themes, including:
- Independence, autonomy and choice; which will ensure that every person with dementia will have a voice in their care;
- Complexity and risk; to find ways to provide joined-up and coordinated care for people with multiple health and care needs;
- Under-served populations; to ensure that everyone has equal access to high quality care;
- End of life care; to ensure that the quality of care is improved at this critical time, and that people’s needs are respected and met with compassion.
Our interdisciplinary team spans primary care, allied health, psychiatry, psychology, geriatrics, neurology, nursing, and social care. Students will be supported by cross-institutional supervisory teams, and their research projects will be co-produced with key stakeholders, including people living with dementia and carers. Students will use robust qualitative, epidemiological, big data, and intervention development/evaluation methods.
Supervision and training
Students will learn from experts in diverse research methods to develop impactful projects that improve care and support. We prioritise student wellbeing through cohort-building activities, peer support, annual residential retreats, and mentorship from experts in public involvement, policy, and international research.
Through the I-Care DTC, students will also benefit from unique opportunities such as policy workshops, public engagement training, tailored development programmes, and potential placements with partners including the Nuffield Trust, Marie Curie, and others.
The opportunities
We have up to five exciting 4-year PhD studentships available. The studentship benefits from:
- A competitive tax-free student stipend (£20,800 in year 1, £21,800 in year 2, £22,800 in year 3 and £23,800 in year 4, totaling £89,200 over the 4 years (Plus, London weighting where relevant).
- University PhD fees at UK rates
- Annual budget of £3,000 to cover research costs
- £1,000 per annum for career development (including conference attendance and training)
We are also offering an opportunity for a 3-year Clinical Training Fellowship based at QMUL
- Reasonable salary for 3-years (including London weighting)
- £3,000 per annum to cover research costs
- £1,000 per annum for career development (including conference attendance, training, lab visits, travel)
Applicants are expected to maintain and develop their professional practice-based skills during the course of the Fellowship, and up to 20% of their Alzheimer’s Society funded time can be spent in NHS sessions or equivalent. (See projects 1, 2, 3 at Queen Mary University of London, for Clinical Training Fellowship projects).
About you
For the PhD opportunities, we invite applications from individuals who have a 2:1 or above for their degree (or equivalent) and/or relevant master’s degree or equivalent post-graduate research experience and training.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with no less than 6.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.
Please note the studentships will cover the cost of home fees only. International students are welcome to apply, although they will be responsible for covering the difference in fees.
Skills, knowledge, attributes and experience:
- An interest in research and improving services and support for people living with dementia.
- Experience of writing up research, for example for publication, dissertation or a thesis
- Ability to work under pressure, to meet tight deadlines, and proven problem-solving skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Prior experience of research in ageing, dementia or older people, or long-term conditions
For Clinical Training Fellowship: The award is open to all professionals working in clinical and health services looking to begin a career in dementia research. The following additional eligibility criteria apply:
- Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.
- Clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals should have completed their professional training and hold registered membership of an appropriate body (e.g. GMC, NMC, HCPC).
- Applicants, including allied health professionals (AHPs), must have a clinical role and be registered to practice in the UK.
- Clinician applicants are required to have completed appropriate College Membership exams before taking up the award. If applicants have not completed membership examinations owing to their specialty training pathway, they should explain on the application form why this is and when they plan to complete the membership.
- Allied health professionals (AHPs) and nurses should have completed their professional training and be registered with an appropriate membership body. AHPs and nurse applicants are expected to hold a master’s degree or equivalent post-grad research orientated qualification or experience.
- Professions with doctoral-level training should have completed the relevant qualifications. For example, clinical psychologists should have completed a DClinPsy.
Research Projects
There are several research projects available. Each research project is aligned to a theme and has a cross-University supervisory team.
Prior to applying, we recommend prospective applicants contact the lead for their first-choice project, who will be happy to discuss the opportunity and answer any questions.
Please indicate your first, second, and third choice of projects in your application.
Project 1:
Title: Developing a measure of carer burden for people from South Asian backgrounds (option for either PhD or Clinical Training Fellowship)
Theme: Underserved Populations
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Harriet Demnitz-King, email: h.demnitz-king@qmul.ac.uk and Claudia Cooper claudia.cooper@qmul.ac.uk
Background: Approximately 55 million people live with dementia, with families providing most of the care. A critical barrier to developing effective dementia care interventions is the lack of valid, cross-cultural measures of carer burden. Existing measures, designed for Western, white-majority populations, have been translated for low- and middle-income countries but were not developed with cross-cultural competence in mind.
Aim: To develop a valid, reliable, and culturally competent measure of carer burden in English, Hindi and Bengali.
Methods: This PhD comprises three studies to be further co-developed with a PPI group: (1) a systematic/scoping review to identify evidence gaps in how carer burden is conceptualised and experienced among South Asian populations; (2) co-designed national and international workshops with carers and professionals from South Asian backgrounds; and (3) a quantitative study assessing the validity and reliability of the new measure across a large, diverse sample of family carers within the GRACE trial.
Project 2:
Title: Identifying opportunities for palliative and end-of-life care in older people with dementia presenting acutely unwell to hospital (option for either PhD or Clinical Training Fellowship:)
Theme: End of life care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Adam Gordon and Professor Liz Sampson email: adam.gordon@qmul.ac.uk or E.sampson@qmul.ac.uk
Background: People with dementia commonly attend hospital in the last months of life and have prolonged admissions, providing opportunities to initiate palliative care.Clinical teams often do not identify this opportunity and there is lack of clarity around onwards care pathways.
Aim: To develop a better understanding of how clinical teams in hospitals respond to end-of-life care needs in people with dementia, sources of inequality, and how barriers to access for palliative care can be overcome.
Methods: A three-phase approach: 1) Realist review of published literature on recognising and responding to end-of-life care needs for people with dementia presenting to acute medical services; 2) Realist evaluation of three acute medicine services which enable end-of-life care for people living with dementia using interviews, non-participant observation, documentary analysis and routine service data; 3)Nominal group consensus exercise to establish evidence-based pragmatic practice recommendations for people with dementia presenting acutely unwell to hospital.
Project 3:
Title: Pre-hospital care for older people living with dementia (option for either PhD or Clinical Training Fellowship)
Theme: End of life care
Supervisor and lead contact: Prof Nathan Davies, email: n.davies@qmul.ac.uk
Background: Around 70% of care home residents have cognitive impairment and/or dementia and their urgent care needs are often met with an ambulance call out, with hospital transfer occurring in around three-quarters of cases. Transfers can result in distressing experiences for residents and carers, and poorer health outcomes.
Aim: Explore how decisions are made before hospital transfer — by family carers, care home staff, and practitioners — and how these processes might be improved to deliver more person-centred, coordinated, and appropriate responses to acute care needs.
Methods: The project will use qualitative methods, including interviews with older people with recent experience of pre-hospital schemes and their family members or advocates where appropriate. Focus groups with care home staff involved in hospital transfer scenarios will explore the impact of pre-hospital care on the care home setting.
Outcomes will inform clinical pathway development and generate outputs to support decision-making for urgent and emergency care in dementia.
Project 4:
Title: Bridging diagnostic inequalities in dementia through new technologies
Theme: Underserved populations
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Charles Marshall, email: charles.marshall@qmul.ac.uk
Background: Existing diagnostic processes for dementia are inaccurate and inequitable. Emerging technologies including automated brain image analysis, blood and digital biomarkers may be both more precise and more culturally/linguistically fair.
Aim: To demonstrate how these novel technologies might support NHS infrastructure and staff to deliver equitable, accurate and timely diagnosis. The student will develop skills in data analysis including brain imaging and AI/machine learning approaches if desired. They will acquire specialist knowledge around dementia diagnostic pathways and health inequalities.
Methods: The project will leverage existing real-world data from over 1500 people in our established cohorts, which includes diagnoses, sociodemographic data, brain imaging, conventional cognitive test scores, blood biomarkers and digital biomarkers. The student will model diagnostic performance and bias associated with each modality and potential impact on health equity, and work to develop plans for implementation of novel diagnostic technologies within NHS memory clinics.
Project 5:
Title: Evaluating and implementing creative arts-based initiatives within dementia care.
Theme: Personalised Care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Alexandra Burton, email a.burton@qmul.ac.uk
Background: There has been an increased uptake of creative initiatives in dementia care , with arts-based approaches effectively supporting the health, wellbeing and cognition of people with dementia.
Aim: Evaluate and understand how to implement creative arts-based initiatives in rural dementia care. Specific objectives could include: (i) develop and validate an evaluation framework for creative arts-based initiatives within dementia care; (ii) explore the experiences of people with dementia participating in creative initiatives; (iii) identify barriers and facilitators to implementation; and (iv) develop an implementation model to adapt and roll out arts-based initiatives in rural UK communities.
Methods: The methods for this PhD will be shaped by the student and early engagement of Patient and Public Involvement contributors. The study will map evaluation frameworks for existing creative initiatives, conduct case studies, explore stakeholder experiences and implementation facilitators and barriers, and co-design an implementation model for rural communities.
Project 6
Title: End-of-life care planning for people experiencing socioeconomic deprivation with dementia
Theme: End of life care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Megan Armstrong, email: megan.armstrong@ucl.ac.uk
Background: People experiencing socioeconomic deprivation (PESD) with dementia often face later diagnosis, faster progression, and poorer end-of-life outcomes. They are less likely to access timely support or die in their preferred place, revealing systemic inequalities in care. However, little is known about how intersecting factors, such as education, income, class, health literacy, and access to health and social care, shape end-of-life experiences for this group.
Aim: To explore how socioeconomic deprivation influences the end-of-life care needs, access, and experiences of people with dementia, and to develop practical, co-produced resources to improve outcomes.
Methods: Applicants may employ a combination of evidence synthesis, qualitative inquiry (e.g., interviews or ethnography), and participatory co-design with people with dementia, carers, health and social care professionals, and frontline staff. There is flexibility to adapt methods to the applicant’s expertise and interests, with opportunities to examine intersections between health and social care systems in shaping end-of-life experiences and support provision.
Project 7
Title: Experiences and management of young-onset dementia in primary care
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Cini Bhanu, email: c.bhanu@ucl.ac.uk
Background: Young-onset dementia (YOD), the onset of dementia before the age of 65 years, is estimated to affect around 70,800 people in the UK (9% of dementia diagnoses). People with YOD contend with delays to diagnosis, delays in access to support and navigating complex health and social care needs. There is a need for research to explore the current experiences and management of people living with YOD in primary care post-diagnosis to understand how best to support patients and families in the future, through an integrated coordinated approach.
Aim: To explore the experiences & management of young-onset dementia post-diagnosis in primary care
Methods:
- Literature review to explore current practice and management of young-onset dementia in primary care
- Qualitative study interviewing people with lived experience of YOD and their carers on experiences post-diagnosis in primary care
- Co-designed stakeholder workshops to explore management of YOD in primary care and future integrated approaches
Project 8
Title: The care and needs and health economic impact of a palliative care intervention in advanced PD with cognitive impairment
Theme: End of life care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Anette Schrag, email: a.schrag@ucl.ac.uk
Background: Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) is a common complication of Parkinson’s disease, affecting approximately 80% of patients after a disease duration of 10 years. It is often complicated by psychiatric disease manifestations such as hallucinations and behavioural disturbances. Health-care needs increase significantly when dementia occurs, and this results in increased caregiver burden and healthcare costs to the NHS.
The PD-Pal study investigated the impact of a nurse-led palliative intervention focused on care coordination compared to usual care in 189 people with advanced PD of whom two thirds had significant cognitive impairment or dementia. Data were collected using several scales, including a healthcare utilisation questionnaire and EQ-5D-5L.
Aim: Determine the care and support needs as well as healthcare utilisation including health and social care costs, informal care and health status in people with advanced PD with cognitive impairment.
Methods:
Mixed methods:
- Analysis of care and support needs of patients with advanced PD with cognitive impairment using quantitative data collected during the PD-Pal trial
- Qualitative study on care needs in patients with advanced PD with significant cognitive impairment in a new qualitative study
- Analysis of healthcare utilisation, informal care and health status data in people with advanced PD with cognitive impairment in those receiving a palliative care intervention compared to those receiving usual care. Analysis of healthcare utilisation and health status in relation to cognitive status and diagnosis of dementia.
Project 9
Title: Autonomy, independence and technology acceptance and use decisions by people with dementia
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Martin Knapp, email: M.Knapp@lse.ac.uk
Background: Information and communication technologies and electronic assistive technologies may support independent living for people with dementia by reducing risks of harm, promoting autonomy, and compensating for cognitive, memory or functional difficulties. But there can be trade-offs between autonomy and functional independence. For example, technologies like remote continuous surveillance that aim to keep people living safely at home risk encroaching upon someone’s sense of autonomy. People with dementia might find that a carer managing their banking poses similar risks. Many people with dementia and families use/purchase technologies without involving health/social care services.
Aim: How can carers make person-centred choices that recognise autonomy of someone with dementia when looking for technologies to support independent living? What support can formal services provide? How does sense of autonomy of someone with dementia relate to decisions to adopt/use technology?
Methods: The student can propose what methods they think would be suitable to address this topic, taking into account their academic training, experience, and career-developing aspirations.
Project 10
Title: Developing an evaluation framework and data solutions for dementia-focused community-based initiatives: cross-national case studies
Theme: Personalised Care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Martin Knapp, email: M.Knapp@lse.ac.uk
Background: Community-based initiatives (CBIs), such as Meeting Centres (MCs) and peer-support groups, can support people with dementia. They provide emotional, cognitive, and social support, helping individuals remain connected and delaying institutionalisation. This PhD would build on NIHR-funded evaluations of the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of MCs, and the NIHR/ESRC-funded Neighbourhoods and Dementia programme. Previous research emphasised the importance of locally driven, person-centred approaches and highlighted the need to strengthen methods and measures for understanding the value of CBIs and generating consistent, actionable data.
Aim: To develop and validate an evaluation framework for UK dementia-focused CBIs, incorporating economic, social, and strategic dimensions, and explore how digital tools can support real-time data visualisation and use to inform service delivery, commissioning, and funding.
Methods: The study will map existing projects and datasets, pilot new indicators, and conduct UK case studies with comparative insights from Italy and the Netherlands. It will co-design dashboards and guidance tools, testing feasibility in real-world settings.
Project 11:
Title: Addressing inequalities in social care
Theme: Underserved populations
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Martin Knapp, email: M.Knapp@lse.ac.uk
Background: People with dementia and their families have variable experiences of social care, including differences in access to social care assessments; availability and quality of care; carer support; help with navigating an increasingly complex system of social care and its interactions with healthcare; and costs of these services.
Aim: To explore the nature of inequalities in social care for people with dementia and their unpaid carers; some of the reasons for these disadvantages; and how policy makers, service providers, and others could reduce these variations to improve the independence and wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers.
Methods: The student can propose methods they think would be suitable to address this topic, with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches all options. Involving people with lived experience of dementia, unpaid care and social care will be essential.
Project 12:
Title: Service provision and equity: Identifying ‘dementia care deserts.’
Theme: Underserved populations
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Martin Knapp, email: M.Knapp@lse.ac.uk
Background: Dementia prevalence is rising across the UK, yet access to appropriate care remains uneven, particularly at the local level. Some areas face high need but limited services, creating ‘dementia care deserts’. Understanding the spatial distribution of dementia risk and service availability is crucial for targeted resource allocation and improved outcomes for people with dementia and their carers.
Aim: This project aims to map local dementia prevalence, identify mismatches between need and service provision, and explore the factors (such as deprivation, rurality, and funding levels) that contribute to these disparities.
Methods/Approach: A mixed-methods approach may be adopted. Quantitative analyses could use geocoded data from sources including Primary Care Dementia Data, Hospital Episode Statistics, and CQC records to examine local service accessibility. Qualitative research could explore the experiences of people with dementia, carers, and service providers in underserved areas. Together, these approaches may provide a comprehensive geographical perspective on dementia care provision.
Project 13:
Title: Preparing for the next generation of Memory Assessment Services – recommendations for adapting to a Brain Health Services Model
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Sarah Jane Smith, email: S.J.Smith@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Background: Memory Assessment Services in the UK will need to respond to the challenges of providing disease-modifying medications that will require specialist diagnostic tools and monitoring. Contemporary thinking around Memory Assessment provision is that Brain Health Clinics are the next step in dementia care, this second generation of memory clinics will additionally offer evidence – based prevention in at risk individuals, combining pharmaceutical treatment with a range of health advice on personalised prevention and risk reduction.
Aim: The project will deliver a pragmatic appraisal of the requirements for the transition to the second generation of services – and recommendations for services and commissioners preparing to make this transition.
Methods: This project will adopt a mixed methods approach to explore the implementation of and requirements for the development of new service models. This will involve a literature review and case studies of recently established brain health services and sites under review/development.
Project 14:
Title: Supporting effective diabetes management and care for people living with dementia
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Laura Ashley, email: L.J.Ashley@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Background: Many people living with dementia (PLWD) also have diabetes, which requires self-management and care to prevent or mitigate acute diabetic symptoms and long-term health complications. Management often includes monitoring blood sugar levels; administration of medications; dietary adjustments; and attending health screening and review appointments. Comorbid dementia is likely to exacerbate challenges around accessing and participating in effective diabetes management and care.
Aims: Examination of the challenges and support needs of PLWD, their caregivers and/or clinicians in relation to diabetes management and care, and identification of potential ways to address these. Aims may also include co-development and feasibility testing of an interventional strategy or tools.
Methods: Will depend on the specific research questions formulated, though will likely include qualitative data collection and analysis (e.g., interviews, observations), and a co-production approach (e.g., to intervention development), involving PLWD and diabetes, carers and/or primary care health professionals.
Project 15:
Title: Addressing end of life care needs for people living with dementia and cancer and their families
Theme: End of life care
Supervisor and lead contact: Professor Laura Ashley, email: L.J.Ashley@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Background: Many people living with dementia (PLWD) also develop cancer, and this comorbidity brings care and management complexities. There has been little research on end of life (EOL) in this population and none in the UK. The limited research suggests PLWD and comorbid cancer at EOL, and their families, are vulnerable to suboptimal care, poorer outcomes, and may be less likely to experience a good death.
Aims: As a relatively unexplored area the student will have flexibility to determine an appropriate research focus, aims and research questions, in consultation with the supervisory team and public involvement members. Examples include elucidating experiences and needs around EOL care for this population or modifying and feasibility implementation of a potentially beneficial EOL intervention (e.g., pain management, care-planning).
Methods: Likely to be qualitative (e.g., interviews, observations) or mixed methods, though will be agreed with the supervisory team based on the research focus.
Project 16:
Title: Personalised care using AI-enabled biomarkers for people with dementia to improve independence and quality of Life
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Michael Loizou, email: michael.loizou@plymouth.ac.uk
Background: Understanding the lived experience of people with dementia is central to maximising their independence, quality of life, and the provision of personalised care. Obtaining clear insights can be difficult: Cognitive impairments affect the accuracy of patient insights, and large multifactorial datasets (e.g. biomarkers) can make it harder to identify meaningful patterns. AI may offer the potential to obtain insights than humans cannot.
Aims: This PhD opportunity addresses this fundamental unmet need by researching if cognitive neuroscience and biomarkers can improve the understanding of the experience and care needs of people with dementia from diagnosis to end-of-life care.
Methods: Public and patient involvement will shape all stages—from research priorities to design and interpretation: (1) participatory research with people with dementia, carers, and professionals to identify key wellbeing indicators and acceptable data sources; (2) co-development of a conceptual model and prototype tool with industry partners; and (3) pilot evaluation of feasibility and acceptability.
Project 17:
Title: Rest & nourish: sleep nutrition routines for night-time disturbance in dementia
Theme: Personalised care
Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Louise Mole, email: louise.mole@plymouth.ac.uk
Background: Sleep and nutrition interact bidirectionally in dementia. In older adults, daytime sleep is associated with malnutrition; whether this occurs in dementia is unclear. Clinically, fragmented nights blunt appetite and disrupt mealtime routines, while poorly timed energy-dense snacks and irregular hydration exacerbate awakenings. Psychological interventions can improve sleep but do not target what people consume or when to prevent malnutrition risk.
Aims: This PhD aims to synthesise evidence on sleep disturbance and nutritional status in dementia; explore lived experiences of people with dementia and caregivers around sleep’s impact on eating and drinking; and co-design and test the feasibility and acceptability of a sleep and nutrition intervention.
Methods: The project will include: 1) a scoping review, 2) qualitative interviews with people with dementia and carers on how sleep affects their eating and drinking, and 3) the co-design and feasibility testing of a novel sleep and nutrition intervention.
Project 18:
Title: Lived Trajectories: Co-creating a Dementia Archive using a Citizen Science Approach
Theme: Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Tomisina Oh, email: tomasina.oh@plymouth.ac.uk
Background: Advance care planning (ACP) aims to support future care decisions, but its effectiveness in delivering goal-concordant care is uncertain. A reframed approach suggests ACP should foster understanding of the condition, shared values, and preparation for end-of-life decisions. This PhD focuses on the first, but the unpredictable trajectory and range of experience of dementia complicate achieving that understanding. Access to others’ personal narratives may support richer, person-centred insights than clinical models.
Aims: This PhD explores whether narratives collected on a large scale via a citizen science approach can enhance understanding of dementia prognosis and emotional readiness for ACP, especially among those isolated or lacking peer support.
Methods: Using a mixed-methods design, the project will co-develop a digital platform for story submission, pilot longitudinal narrative collection with diverse contributors, and assess impact on dementia knowledge and ACP readiness through pre-post measures and interviews with dyads and professionals.
Project 19:
Title: Triadic talking therapies in dementia care: a realist investigation of what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and why.
Theme: Supervisor and lead contact: Dr Hannah Wheat, email: hannah.wheat-1@plymouth.ac.uk
Background: Depression and anxiety are common for people with dementia and unpaid carers. Talking therapies can help, yet people with dementia rarely access NHS Talking Therapies and carers are seen separately. An integrated pathway spanning primary care, Talking Therapies and memory services is missing, and evidence on optimising therapies for dementia is limited. Triadic approaches to therapy, involving a therapist, the person with dementia and their carer, may help but remain under-explored.
Aim: To explain whether, when, for whom and why triadic talking therapies work (and don’t) for people living with dementia, and how they might be embedded into relevant health/care pathways.
Methods: A realist approach, with flexibility for candidate to shape PhD design. Possible components include a realist review, practice survey, interviews and/or observation across services. Focus may be therapy-specific (e.g. CBT) or broader. Active involvement of people with lived experience is central. Outputs will provide actionable service guidance.
How to apply
To apply, please email the following to icare-dtc@qmul.ac.uk:
- A completed application form, including:
- Selecting either PhD or Clinical Studentship opportunity
- Details of two referees
- Your ranked order of preference for the PhD projects
- A one-side (1,000 words maximum) A4 personal statement. This should set out:
- Why you wish to apply for a PhD and particular project/s
- Your previous academic or other experience relevant to the proposed research
- Your previous research or professional training and what further training you think you will need to complete a PhD
- How you meet the Skills, knowledge, attributes and experience listed in the about you section.
- Two-page Curriculum Vitae (CV) including relevant education and employment history (please send using Word format).
- A completed Diversity and Equality form (please send using Word format).
- Proof of English language ability for overseas applicants from non-English speaking countries.
Please note the Studentships will cover the cost of home fees only. International students are welcome to apply, although they will be responsible for covering the difference in fees.
Applications close at midnight on Monday 12th January 2026.
Interviews will be held in person at Queen Mary University of London, Whitechapel Campus on Thursday 19th February 2026. We will reimburse reasonable, standard class travel for shortlisted candidates on provision of valid receipts. If attendance in person is not possible, in line with our inclusive ethos we will liaise with shortlisted candidates to enable virtual participation.
ICare-DTC and associated institutions are committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion. We welcome applications, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, or transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.
For more information or to ask questions, please join the ICare-DTC lunchtime Webinar on Thursday 11th December 2025 12:00 – 13:00 hosted by the centres co-leads Prof Nathan Davies and Prof Claudia Cooper.
FAQs
Is there an application fee?
No, we do not charge an application fee.
Is my qualification recognised?
Our International Office has a list of countries/regions for which we have published admissions information online. Please see our international students section. Alternatively we use UKNARIC to check the equivalency of international and European qualifications: www.naric.org.uk
Will part-time studentships be accepted?
Alzheimer’s Society supports researchers and their research teams to work flexibly to meet personal circumstances and are happy to discuss part-time PhD studentship options. If successful, as a part-time student, a plan will be made to ensure you remain a vital part of the cohort.
Clinical Training Fellowships
Applicants are expected to maintain and develop their professional practice-based skills during the course of the Fellowship, and up to 20% of their Alzheimer’s Society funded time can be spent in NHS sessions or equivalent.
What happens after I submit my form?
All complete applications will be considered by the ICare-DTC management team. Providing you have included all the required documentation; we aim to inform you of a decision on your application within six to eight weeks of receipt.
Where can I find out more about English language requirements?
Read more about our English language requirements page.
Is there any help for applicants with disabilities?
Each University has a dedicated Disability and Dyslexia Service which offers advice, support and guidance for disabled students, including those with mental health difficulties and specific learning difficulties (eg dyslexia), from the point of application through to graduation. This advice covers issues such as agreeing to the provision of reasonable adjustments, as well as accessing external sources of funding and support, such as the Disabled Student’s Allowance.
How will successful candidates be matched with institutions and projects?
All interviewed candidates will be scored and ranked by the interview panel. The candidate ranked first at interview by the panel will have the choice of all projects advertised across the programme. The second candidate will have the choice of remaining projects and institutions. Each institution can host one project, so the institution selected by the highest ranked candidate will not be available to the second ranked candidate. We will continue to offer PhDs to successful candidates in the order ranked until all projects have been selected or until there are no further candidates ranked as appointable by the interview panel.
Who is on the interview panel?
Academics from all five host institutions and a member of our PPIE team will be represented on the panel.
Alzheimer's Society
