Scholarships

We work with many businesses on major commercial research projects where a postgraduate researcher is incorporated in their projects

LSBU PhD Scholarships

Introduction

LSBU is a modern university with a mission to transform lives, communities, businesses and society through applied education and insight. We strive to influence the wider world and to positively impact on the society around us. LSBU’s PhD Scholarships are central to this vision.

LSBU is an inclusive and welcoming organisation, committed to eliminating discrimination based on age, race, religion/belief, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, caring status, and social class. This means that we work pro-actively to eliminate individual, institutional, and systemic inequalities. We believe that it is not enough just to eliminate discrimination but that we must speak out and act against inequalities wherever and whenever they occur.

LSBU’s PhD Scholarships fund UK domiciled and international students through three routes to undertake PhD research in Psychology; Sports and Exercise Sciences; Nursing, Health, and Social Care; Law; Social Sciences; Engineering; Built Environment and Architecture; Business; and the Arts and Creative Industries. The Scholarships provide an opportunity to work with leading researchers and receive advanced education, supervision, mentoring, civic engagement, networking opportunities and industry engagement.

Types of Scholarships

There are three types of Scholarships:

International Scholarships, where we will pay students’ fees and a training and development allowance of £5000 over three years. We will award five of these scholarships.

Home Student Scholarships are fully funded, meaning we will pay course fees, a stipend of £17,688 per year for three years, and a training and development allowance of £5000 over three years. We will award ten of these fellowships.

Home Match-Funded Scholarships which are funded through a 50% contribution to course fees, stipend and £5000 training and development allowance from industry partners and the remaining 50% contribution from LSBU for three years. We will award three of these fellowships.

Duration of Scholarships

The Scholarships are full-time. It is expected that those awarded Scholarships will submit their thesis no later than three years from enrolment.

Starting dates

There are three entry points each year: January, April, and September.

Academic entry requirements

Applicants should have a minimum of an upper second class undergraduate degree, and ideally hold, or expect to achieve a merit or distinction in a master’s degree in a relevant subject from a UK university, or comparable qualifications from another recognised university. See: https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/international/your-country for guidance on entry requirements from different countries.

How to apply for a LSBU PhD Scholarship

Choose which scholarship and topic you are applying for:

International Scholarships

Academic School	Title	Lead Supervisor and contact	Project summary
Applied Sciences Course Code: 9014 PhD Human Sciences Application Ref: IGF-1R-APS	Characterisation and therapeutic targeting of novel functional interactions of the nuclear IGF-1R in rhabdomyosarcoma	Professor Eiman Aleem, aleeme2@lsbu.ac.uk	Despite toxic therapy, the survival of children with high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) is 20-30%, which requires the discovery of novel less toxic treatment. IGF-1R is expressed in the nucleus (nIGF-1R) of ARMS and may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Our aim is to identify novel druggable pathways regulated by nIGF-1R. Methods used include mass spectrometry and validation in patients’ samples by immunohistochemistry, ChiP seq to identify genes regulated by nIGF-1R. Targeting/disrupting novel critical molecular interactions will be conducted in silico. Our data will provide the rationale for the development of selective targeted treatment for patients with high-risk ARMS.
Built Environment and Architecture Course Code: 9006 PhD Construction Management and Economics Application Ref: CONSTRUCTSAFETY-BEA	Developing a methodological framework for industry 5.0-featured construction safety education: socio-technical perspectives	Dr Zulfikar Adamu, adamuz@lsbu.ac.uk	This project aims to develop a platform of construction safety education by various digital technologies (e.g., BIM and VR). The aim consists of these objectives: 1.systematic review of existing digital-driven prototypes for construction safety. 2.raw data collection of unsafe behaviours/scenarios and defining unsafe behaviours. 3.adapting the platform with user interface of BIM integrated to virtual reality, by engaging virtual site scenarios and individuals’ behaviours. 4.tests of individuals’ safety behaviours under given scenarios in the platform built in objective 3; and 5.following Objectives 2 and 4, user feedback will be collected and analysed by engaging stakeholders.
Business Course code: 9000 PhD Accounting and Finance Application Ref: STOCKBOND_BUS	Stock and bond relationship revisited – current models and new approaches	Dr Weiou Wu, wuw6@lsbu.ac.uk	This project aims to redefine at the stock-bond relation using the latest data and offer more insight into the dependence structure between the two markets. To achieve this, a full literature review of existing approaches on stock-bond relation must be provided; Second, we will extend the classic approaches on quantile dependence measure by considering external co-movements both along and beyond the main diagonal, and obtain information associated with heterogeneous as well as homogeneous behaviour. Finally, we will apply the proposed method to model the quantile dependence and tail structure between stock-bond markets of the UK and other international markets.
Engineering Course Code: 9044 PhD Mechanical Engineering Application Ref: MSIInsects-ENG	Multi-purposesurgical instruments (MSI) inspired by insect mandibles	Dr Hamed Rajabi, rajabijh@lsbu.ac.uk	Existing surgical instruments are mono purpose. Hence, surgeons need to frequently exchange them during operation, a currently inevitable action that poses significant safety risks to patients. Striking examples, analogous to surgical instruments, are insect mandibles. These specialised tools are structurally adapted to meet functional demands of fighting by combining multiple tasks. Inspired by mandibles, we will develop multi-purpose surgical instruments. Through novel biomimetic approaches and using parametric modelling, optimisation analysis, 3D printing and mechanical testing, we will design and manufacture instruments that can perform a combination of four functions of holding, squeezing, cutting, and piercing – the most common manoeuvres in surgeries.
9015PhD Law Application Ref: SHAREHOLDER-LSS	For whom is business? Alternatives to shareholder primacy	Dr David Birchall, birchald@lsbu.ac.uk	Shareholder primacy has been criticized for creating a business world narrowly focused on shareholder interests and that redistributes vast amounts of wealth to shareholders, reducing pay, jobs, and productive investment, and significantly hampering a positive business role in contributing to society. In this project we set the task of identifying a real alternative to the shareholder primacy model that is oriented towards realizing human rights, achieving the SDGs, and creating sustainable economics. The project will analyze how shareholder primacy popularized, alternative models, and the political and economic barriers to implementing a transformative alternative to shareholder primacy.

Home student Scholarships

Academic School	Title	Lead supervisor and contact	Project summary
Allied and Community Health 9013 PhD Health Studies Application Ref: PUBHLTH-ACH	Public involvement in Public Health Research and Evaluation	Professor Susie Sykes, sykess@lsbu.ac.uk	Patient and public involvement and engagement in healthcare provision and health and social care research is an increasingly established expectation amongst funders and commissioners. However, the involvement of the public in public health research and evaluation is less well established. The specific challenges and opportunities, as well as the potential impact of involving members of the public in interventions designed to improve population health across communities requires further examination. This study will use longitudinal qualitative data collected from public panels attached to three public health evaluation projects, the public health provider team and the evaluators, to provide insight into lived experience, challenges, opportunities and impact of public involvement in public health research.
Applied Sciences 9014 PhD Human Sciences Application Ref: GAIT-APS	Individualised perturbation-based gait-therapy to enhance fall resisting skills using smart knee braces	Professor Kiros Karamanidis, k.karamandis@lsbu.ac.uk	The incidence of falls increases with age due to a decreased ability of the neuromuscular system to cope with perturbed and irregular locomotion in everyday life. However, not only older people but also other populations (e.g., patients) may suffer from impaired neuromuscular capability to preserve safe locomotion. This PhD project aims to expand the application of novel joint orthotic devices for personalised rehabilitation exercise, a growing market, and to further develop, validate and apply smart knee braces that challenges its wearer to improve balance and gait function.
Applied Sciences 9018 PhD Psychology Application Ref: VAPE-APS	Vaping and dependency among young people (aged 16-18) in England	Professor Lynne Dawkins, dawkinsl3@lsbu.ac.uk	E-cigarettes are reduced risk products for smokers but uptake among young people who do not smoke in Great Britain is increasing and some young people are reporting vaping dependency. The aim of the PhD is to characterise vaping dependency and its trajectories among youth (aged 16-18) vapers using a mixed methods approach. The extent of vaping dependency, how it should be measured, whether dependency varies by product characteristics and how it evolves will be assessed using regression analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data. Experiences of vaping dependency will be explored using focus groups and analysed thematically.
Applied Sciences 9018 PhD Psychology Application Ref: GANGS-APS	Understanding why females join gangs: developing a social identity informed framework	Dr Jaimee Mallion, mallionj@lsbu.ac.uk	It is estimated that 50% of young people in gangs are female. Yet, little is known about factors motivating females to join gangs. This research will explore how identity contributesto female gang membership. It will include a systematic review of existing literature exploring identity and female gang membership. A quantitative study comparing identity factors between female gang and non-gang youths will be conducted, followed by a qualitative study exploring female gang members’ identity and how this influenced their decision to join a gang. A theoretical framework outlining the role of identity in female gang membership will be developed.
Built Environment and Architecture 9009 PhD Engineering and the Built Environment Application Ref: CEMENT-BEA	CO2-absorbing basalt fibre reinforced polymer cements for civil and energy infrastructure applications	Dr Rabee Shamass, shamassr@lsbu.ac.uk	The project investigates innovative accelerated carbonation in cements and concrete reinforced with Basalt FRP for civil engineering and energy infrastructure applications. CO₂-mixed and/or cured cement, sequesters CO₂ leading potentially to carbon neutrality in the cement industry. However, if reinforcement is required, as is commonly the case in construction and other applications where cements need to maintain strength and ductility (e.g., in deep well applications), the lowering of the pH induced upon CO₂ injection would be detrimental to common steel-based reinforcement. Therefore, the proposed research combines this CO₂-absorbing cement, withBFRP reinforcement – anew type of FRP of excellent corrosion resistance.
Built Environment and Architecture 9009 PhD Engineering and the Built Environment Application Ref: LOWCARB-BEA	Evaluation of long-term durability to a low-carbon road pavement infrastructure	Dr Oluwatoyin Ajibade, ajibadeo4@lsbu.ac.uk	The research will focus on the evaluation of the effects of extreme weather conditions and water penetration on the long-term durability of the new pavement under varied traffic loading. The performance will be compared to traditional asphalt mixes. The outcome of the project will enable the generation of sufficient data for recommending the new product to stakeholders such as Highways England, Local Government Authorities, and road construction companies.
Built Environment and Architecture 9009 PhD Engineering and the Built Environment Application Ref: REFRIDGE-BEA	Low carbon food transport refrigeration trucks with hydrogen fuel cell and compact onboard hydrogen storage	Professor Yunting Ge, yunting.ge@lsbu.ac.uk	Food transport refrigeration trucks (FTRTs), powered predominantly by diesel fuel, can lead to air pollution, energy crisis and excessive carbon emissions. It is urgently desired to electrify the FTRTs with applicable technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells (H2FCs). In this project, a novel H2FC system for FTRT will be designed, measured with experiment, and simulated with model development. A modern technology will be applied to ensure compact and safe onboard hydrogen storage. Meanwhile, the hydrogen desorption process from the hydrogen storage tanks will be applied to produce cooling for the refrigerated storage and thus eliminate the conventional refrigeration system.
Business 9005 PhD Business and Enterprise Application Ref: EMOTIONS-BUS	Developing a theoretical framework for the influence of emotions on loss aversion, risk perception, judgement, and choice	Professor Petko Kusev, kusevp@lsbu.ac.uk	A growing body of empirical evidence demonstrates that emotions influence risky decision-making. Recent evidence suggests that decision-making is constructed “on the fly” by a range of factors; however, there is currently little understanding of how emotions – incidental, anticipated or sampled from memory - influence changes in risk preference. This project/PhD aims to explore how emotions influence which items become salient from context and are evoked from memory, and the influence of the magnitude and range or these emotions. The research is likely to involve both psychometric tools and experimental science methods.
Engineering 9044 PhD Mechanical Engineering Application Ref: miRNA-ENG	Nanoparticle bioconjugates for early-stage cancer diagnosis through detection of miRNA	Dr Philip Howes, howesp@lsbu.ac.uk	Though cancer survival rates are improving, its global burden is still enormous and there is much more research required to improve early detection and effective treatment. A significant part of this will be improved diagnostics, where cancer will be detected at ever earlier stages when treatment is more likely to be effective. This project will develop a new assay for early-stage cancer detection based on advanced nanoparticle bioconjugates for microRNA (miRNA) detection. miRNAs are signalling molecules whose expression is dysregulated during cancer, yielding a ‘fingerprint’ of disease. To take advantage of this advanced information, we must produce new diagnostics assays.
Law and Social Sciences 9019PhD Social Sciences Application Ref: STUEXP_LSS	Student experience, activism and agency at London South Bank university (LSBU): 1892 to the present	Dr Charlotte Clements, clemenc6@lsbu.ac.uk	How have LSBU students engaged in activism and local community issues since 1892? What impact has this had on student experience, the evolution of LSBU and on our local community? Drawing on LSBU’s organisational archives, in particular student publications, the project uncovers for the first time the agency of our student body; offering new perspectives on the diversity of student life in the UK. The activism of students is analysed through different lenses: social, cultural, and political change, locality, a diverse student body and the polytechnic/post-92 environment. An intersectional approach makes use of archival sources, oral history interviews, surveys, and participatory research methods.

Match-funded Scholarships

Academic School	Topic	Lead supervisor and contact	Project summary
Arts and Creative Industries 9003 PhD Arts and Creative Industries Application Ref: TATE-ACI	Tate Digital: The Art Museum and online user experience in the public cultures of the network	Professor Andrew Dewdney, dewdnea@lsbu.ac.uk	This is a collaborative partnership with Tate Digital, which serves all four Tate Museums. Tate Digital is currently reviewing its 2012 Digital Strategy and proposing to explore new directions in online user experience. This research will critically support Tate in analysing its digital history as well as undertaking online projects to engage non-museum audiences in identifying public value in online visual culture. Of especially interest is the question of in what ways do user experiences connect the museumand the National Collection British Art with network cultures. Can Tate’s traditional mission to deepen inclusive public engagement with art engage the concerns and practices of online users.
Arts and Creative Industries 9003 PhD Arts and Creative Industries Application Ref: SEMIOSIS-ACI	Image and text: Semiosis of the photographic image in networked culture	Professor Geoff Cox, geoffcox@lsbu.ac.uk	This is a collaborative partnership to extend our work on computer vision and its relationship to photographic practice and theory, and what this implies the analysis of visual culture which has been historically underpinned by linguistic metaphors (e.g., semiotics). It subsequently asks how to conceive of visual literacy that is problematised by developments in AI vision-language models. Put simply, the project examines the changing relations between what we see and what we know, and how the notion of visual literacy needs to adapt to new conditions in which images and texts have become interchangeable in multimodal machine learning.
Engineering 9044 PhD Mechanical Engineering Application Ref: HEROES-ENG	Heat recovery opportunities from electricity substations (HEROES)	Professor Graeme Maidment, maidmegg@lsbu.ac.uk	This project aims to investigate how waste heat from electricity transformers can be exploited by using large-scale heat pumps, connected to district heating networks, to decarbonise the heat supplied to UK buildings. The project, a collaboration between LSBU, SSE and the National Grid, will involve evaluating the performance of a first-of-its-kind scheme that recovers waste heat from a transformer for reuse. Data from the heat recovery system will be collected and used to inform spatial and mathematical models that will indicate the potential for this technology to be replicated across the UK.

Follow the application process selecting the course code in the advert above: please make it clear that you are applying for an LSBU PhD Scholarship and add the application reference (eg. Xxxxx-BEA). There is also a place to add the supervisor whose name is in the details about the project. You will also need to add two references, one of which must be an academic reference.
Applications must be made online.
Home students should use this link: Signin - London South Bank Unversity (lsbu.ac.uk).
International students not holding a UK passport must also satisfy the UK Government regulations for entry to study in the UK. Please use this link Signin - London South Bank Unversity (lsbu.ac.uk)

Closing date for applications is Friday 10 March 2023

Select your preferred start date: January, April, or September – If 2023 only April or September applies.
Once your application is received it will be assessed by the lead supervisor and the supervisory team and a shortlist of candidates will be agreed.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online interview. The interview will assess the following.
- Reasons and motivations for undertaking a research degree and passion for the research topic
- Why you want to do a PhD at LSBU
- Ability for completing a PhD within the agreed time.
- Personal attributes such as creativity, confidence, tenacity, motivation, time management.
- Knowledge and understanding of research methods pertinent to the project. Be prepared to contribute your views on proposed methods of the selected project.
- Training and development need to undertake and compete a PhD successfully
- Additional needs necessary to complete the PhD successfully
- Your future career plans
- Other supporting information: recent publications if any or other research training and experience
We will inform you of the outcome of your application within two weeks of your interview.

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