Funded PhD Opportunities in the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast 2025-26

The School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast invites applications for the following fully funded PhD projects:

DfE funded studentships

Fully-funded PhD studentships are available for the following projects that will start in the 2025-2026 academic year. These studentships are all funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE, NI) and may cover maintenance and course fees for a maximum of three years. For further details re eligibility criteria (including citizenship and residency criteria), please see the DfE Research Eligibility Guidance Notes.

The application deadline is Friday 7th February. It is recommended that you contact the project supervisor before submitting an application.

·        Adversity and Parenting: Exploring personality as a component of resilient functioning in families - Dr Tayler Truhan

·        Collective victimhood, imagined futures, and the constitutional status of Northern Ireland - Dr Andrew McNeil

·        Combining and optimising Brain Computer Interfaces and Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to aid motor rehabilitation - Dr Emmet McNickle

·        Individual Differences in Depersonalisation-Derealisation (DPDR) - Dr Emanuele Fino

·       Psychological Outcomes Following Early Pregnancy Loss - Dr Martin Robinson

NINE Doctoral Training Programme

The School is part of the NINE Doctoral Training Programme funded by the ESRC. This doctoral training programme offers fully-funded PhD studentships of different time periods depending on the student’s pre-existing research training. Candidates can apply for NINE DTP funding regardless of their residential status or nationality. It is essential that candidates work closely alongside a potential supervisor to develop a research proposal and an application. Projects can be in any area that matches the remit of the ESRC and you are advised to approach potential supervisors as early as possible.  The application deadline is 20th January 2025. Further application details are given here.

Currently unfunded projects

A number of staff in the School of Psychology are offering PhD projects that are currently unfunded. Successful applicants will need to self-fund or locate an alternative funding source, although it should be noted that funding occasionally becomes available later in the academic year. The application deadline is Friday 7th February. 

·        Communicating Truth: Consumption and transmission of polarised information amongst young people in a divided society – Dr Jocelyn Dautel

·        Developing Belief Network: Cross-cultural research on the development and diversity of religious cognition, beliefs and identities – Dr Jocelyn Dautel

·        Developing Trauma Informed Care principles for Health Professionals – Professor Donncha Hanna

·        How human perceptual and motor abilities shape human-robot interactions – Dr Joost Dessing

·        Identifying as “Other”: Disidentification with Traditional Identities in a Divided Society – Dr Danielle Blaylock

·        Identifying psychological mechanisms which promote resilience post-trauma – Professor Cherie Armour

·        Reference frames used for coding target and body information for interception – Dr Joost Dessing

·        Staying Focused: How Mind Wandering Impacts Students' Ability to Delay Gratification and Achieve Academic Success – Dr Paddy O’Connor

·        The mediating role of trauma appraisals following potentially traumatic life events – Professor Donncha Hanna

·        Training goalkeepers to improve performance in stopping penalties - Dr Joost Dessing

·        Transgenerational Contact: Exploring how a Child’s Positive Intergroup Relationships Improves Parental Intergroup Attitudes and Behaviours – Dr Danielle Blaylock

·        Two halves make a whole: Exploring the role of the families in caring for police officers with occupational related psychological distress – Professor Cherie Armour

The School welcomes applications from international students.  Mobility allowances of up to £500 per year to cover travel expenses to Belfast will normally be available to successful candidates eligible for QUB international tuition fee rates. Note that international students do not normally meet the residency criteria set out for DfE funded studentships.

For a full description of these projects please visit the following link https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research/phd-opportunities/ and go to School of Psychology.

Applicants must have at least a 2.1 degree (or equivalent) in Psychology or a related subject.

The University welcomes and encourages applications from disabled people or those with long term conditions.

The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity. Prospective students with a disability or long term condition are encouraged to disclose as early as possible in the application and selection process by contacting admissions@qub.ac.uk. Upon disclosure the University will ensure appropriate reasonable adjustments and additional supports can be put in place for applicants. Reasonable adjustments and additional supports will be determined on an individual basis, in line with the course entry requirements to ensure selection standards are maintained.