PhD Ageing Research

About the project

• Research

PhD Ageing Research

• Overview
• Degree details
• Our students
• Research
• Entry and fees
• Careers
• Facilities
• Supervisors
• Recently viewed
• Related courses

Overview

Our Ageing Research PhD provides an opportunity for those with an interest in older adults and ageing to undertake advanced studies within your chosen area.

UWL is committed to advancing knowledge and innovation in research and education to improve the lives of older people in the UK and around the world living with dementia.

The team within The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory (GIAM) has expertise in conducting multi-method research in dementia and ageing related studies and can provide relevant mentoring and supervision to doctoral students.

The course promotes applied and critical thinking around theoretical and practice-based issues related to diverse aspects of ageing research and the well-being of older adults.

We invite applications for doctoral research in various topic areas, including:

See details of specific PhD opportunities listed below .

This PhD is available for you to study:

As part of your application, please state whether you are applying for an online PhD.

See a list of potential PhD supervisors and read about their expertise in the " supervisors " section lower down the page.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Hear from Dr Snorri Bjorn Rafnsson about the research degrees on offer at our Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory (GIAM): PhD Dementia Studies and PhD Ageing Research.

• healthy ageing and its determinants
• ageing and social relationships
• surveillance, technology and ageing
• minorities and ageing
• ageing social care research (care homes and home care).
• full-time or part-time
• on-campus or online
• starting in September or February.

About your degree

During your Ageing Research PhD, you will have a supervisory team made up of a Director of Studies with expertise in your chosen field, a further supervisor and, where appropriate, an additional adviser. Your research will be judged through the presentation of a thesis or artefact and a viva voce for academic assessment. We provide a stimulating and supportive environment where you will benefit from:

Our online PhD allows you to undertake a postgraduate research degree from a location that fits with your lifestyle and commitments. As part of your application, please state that you are applying for an online PhD. As an online PhD student, you will not be required to visit the campus: all supervision, training, reviews and the viva voce examination are provided online.

An online PhD may not be suitable for all projects, and consideration will be given to the suitability of the research project and whether it can be completed successfully without regular access to campus facilities.

This course is available for you to study full-time or part-time, online or campus-based.

All PhD students will have access to the University’s student support services , the Library’s e-resources collection and IT support services . You are also welcome to attend the annual doctoral students’ conference on campus.

A PhD is founded on independent research. You will undertake a systematic and in-depth exploration of your chosen topic to produce a substantial body of knowledge and make an original and important contribution to the subject area.

The support provided by your supervisory team will be vital to your student experience and scholarly advancement. You and your supervisors will have regular one-to-one meetings which will provide you with opportunities to develop your research topic and discuss your progress.

Based in the heart of Ealing, west London, you can make use of the excellent transport links to travel to the capital or further afield – ideal for attending research meetings and networking events.

If you would like guidance or more information about studying for an Ageing Research PhD degree, please contact by email Dr Snorri Bjorn Rafnsson , Associate Professor of Ageing and Dementia, GIAM Doctoral Programme Lead.

• peer feedback and discussion
• a series of master classes and lectures from industry figures
• support by a supervisor and a second supervisor suited to your project.
• PhD opportunities
• Support
• Networking

Research areas

• Carer experiences of end-of-life care in mental health wards Supervisors: Professor Emma Wolverson and Dr Juliet Gillam Contact: [email protected] Dementia is a life-limiting condition that requires coordinated, compassionate care in its later stages. While palliative and end-of-life care is increasingly recognised as a core component of dementia care, its delivery within mental health wards remains underexplored. Recent research has highlighted the high symptom burden among people with dementia on admission to mental health wards, including pain, agitation, and distress (Wolverson et al, 2023). Mortality rates in these wards are high, with predictors including physical frailty and neuropsychiatric symptoms (Marguet et al, 2025). Despite this, little is known about how families and carers experience end-of-life care in these environments. This PhD project seeks to explore the experiences of family members and carers of people with dementia who receive end-of-life care on mental health wards. It will examine how they perceive the quality of care, communication with staff, involvement in decision-making and emotional support. The project is important as it will help identify unmet needs, barriers to compassionate care and opportunities to improve the experience of families and carers. Findings from this research will inform the development of person- and family-centred approaches to end-of-life care in mental health settings, contributing to improved practice, policy and training for healthcare professionals. Candidate profile You must have the following research skills to apply for this topic: Qualitative research skills, e.g. experience conducting and analysing semi-structured/narrative interviews Understanding of ethical research practice, particularly when working with vulnerable populations such as people living with dementia and their carers Strong written communication skills for preparing ethics applications, participant materials and research outputs. It would also be useful to have: Experience conducting ethnographic or observational fieldwork in healthcare settings Understanding of co-production or participatory research methods, such as Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) Competence in qualitative data management and analysis software (e.g. NVivo).

Carer experiences of end-of-life care in mental health wards

• Supervisors: Professor Emma Wolverson and Dr Juliet Gillam
• Contact: [email protected]
• Qualitative research skills, e.g. experience conducting and analysing semi-structured/narrative interviews
• Understanding of ethical research practice, particularly when working with vulnerable populations such as people living with dementia and their carers
• Strong written communication skills for preparing ethics applications, participant materials and research outputs.
• Experience conducting ethnographic or observational fieldwork in healthcare settings
• Understanding of co-production or participatory research methods, such as Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD)
• Competence in qualitative data management and analysis software (e.g. NVivo).
• Decision making, risk and reassurance in virtual care settings for people living with dementia Supervisors: Professor Andy Northcott and Dr Megan Wyatt Contact: [email protected] The use of virtual wards and digitally enhanced care is a growing trend, particularly in the care of older people. ‘Fit for the Future’, the 10 Year Health Plan for England, has the use of virtual wards at its centre, enabled by a switch in the NHS from analogue to digital and the goal of care happening in the home rather than the hospital. A key patient group within this will be older people living with dementia; however, little research has been done into the experience for this group in using these technologies, nor the experience of those making care pathway decisions for them within the "virtual" setting. Candidate profile You must have the following research skills to apply for this topic: Qualitative research skills (semi-structured interviews). It would also be useful to have: Qualitative research skills (ethnography).

Decision making, risk and reassurance in virtual care settings for people living with dementia

• Supervisors: Professor Andy Northcott and Dr Megan Wyatt
• Contact: [email protected]
• Qualitative research skills (semi-structured interviews).
• Qualitative research skills (ethnography).
• Supporting people living with young onset dementia (YOD) to use creative arts as a post diagnostic tool to reduce loneliness and improve quality of life Supervisors: Dr Laura Cole and Gill Ashington (Expert by Experience) Contact: [email protected] Individuals newly diagnosed with dementia are often not given support with their condition, and many feel lost and overwhelmed about what to do next. Creative arts have been shown to be helpful to people with long-term health conditions by increasing their quality of life and reducing loneliness. Sometimes, healthcare practitioners signpost people to local creative arts activities through social prescribing. However, being prescribed or encouraged to join creative art initiatives can feel like a lottery and depends on the practitioner (knowledge and individual differences) and the area you live in (accessibility, availability and resources). This project will explore the use of creative arts for younger people (under the age of 65 years) newly diagnosed with dementia and in need of post-diagnostic support. The aim is to support newly diagnosed people living with young-onset dementia (YOD) to maintain their abilities, independence and agency by supporting them to adapt and make small changes to improve their quality of life using creative arts. This proposal has been co-produced with a person living with YOD, who will be a member of the doctoral supervisory team. Candidate profile You must have the following research skills to apply for this topic: Familiarity with psychological research methods Understanding of ethical research standards Evidence of self-motivation, good organisational and communication skills Ability to investigate and synthesise evidence on a topic (e.g. literature review). It would also be useful to have: Experience of working with people living with YOD or dementia Prior experience of qualitative research methods Knowledge and/or experience of the use of creative arts as a therapeutic tool.

Supporting people living with young onset dementia (YOD) to use creative arts as a post diagnostic tool to reduce loneliness and improve quality of life

To enable you to enhance your professional profile, we support you throughout your research degree by:

We provide structured research training, expert supervision and an environment where you can discuss your research with other PhD students and researchers.

We run seminars in research methods from the Graduate Centre, as well as an ongoing series of events and activities organised by Schools and Colleges. Specialist help with academic English for students for whom English is not their first language is available.

We contribute to national and international initiatives and promote collaboration and networking opportunities. We also encourage and support you to publish and disseminate your research in academic journals and via presenting papers at conferences.

We run an annual conference for doctoral students, where you are encouraged to present a paper about your research. As well as being an opportunity to discuss your work with other students, the conference is a chance to gain valuable experience in presenting your research and participating in open discussions with academic peers.

You will also find other opportunities such as postgraduate student seminars and forums within your specific subject area.

Once you start a PhD course at UWL, you become part of our research community. You will have access to a postgraduate common room, located at our Ealing campus on St Mary’s Road, where you will meet fellow researchers from other subject disciplines offering scope for collaborations or simply to discuss ideas, allowing you to be part of a vibrant research environment.

• Supervisors: Dr Laura Cole and Gill Ashington (Expert by Experience)
• Contact: [email protected]
• Familiarity with psychological research methods
• Understanding of ethical research standards
• Evidence of self-motivation, good organisational and communication skills
• Ability to investigate and synthesise evidence on a topic (e.g. literature review).
• Experience of working with people living with YOD or dementia
• Prior experience of qualitative research methods
• Knowledge and/or experience of the use of creative arts as a therapeutic tool.
• providing research seminars
• organising doctoral events and activities
• facilitating networking and collaboration opportunities
• encouraging and supporting publication and dissemination of your research
• offering opportunities to gain teaching expertise and experience.

What our students say

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

The staff members that I encountered were warm, welcoming and supportive of my studies. The relatively small size of the University’s postgraduate school created a close family/communal environment for both staff and students. This provided a good support system as I could quickly grow acquainted with the postgraduate team and other doctoral research candidates.

Abdulazeez Rotimi - PhD

The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory

The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory delivers research and education into how the quality of life can be improved for people living with dementia.

Research at the School of Medicine and Biosciences

The School of Medicine and Biosciences is active in research with an interdisciplinary community made up of researchers in diverse areas including genomics, bioinformatics, pharmacology, ageing and memory and translational medicine.

Research impact

Learn how our research has helped communities locally, nationally and internationally.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

In addition to the minimum entry requirements for a UWL research degree, we are looking to recruit high-quality PhD candidates who have relevant research or practice-based experience related to older adults.

Ideal candidates are self-motivated and well-organised, have good presentation skills, can communicate sensitively and effectively in both spoken and written English, and, with supervision, have the potential to develop as independent researchers, and can complete their doctoral research within four to six years.

The minimum entry requirements for a research degree are:

In addition to the minimum entry requirements for a UWL research degree, we are looking to recruit high-quality PhD candidates who have relevant research or practice-based experience related to older adults.

Ideal candidates are self-motivated and well-organised, have good presentation skills, can communicate sensitively and effectively in both spoken and written English, and, with supervision, have the potential to develop as independent researchers, and can complete their doctoral research within four to six years.

• Requirements: UK
• Requirements: International
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• a good first degree (First Class or Upper Second Class), or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• a Masters Degree (MA, MSc, MBA or MRes) with Merit, or equivalent postgraduate or research experience.
• Competence in written and spoken English is a pre-requisite for entrance to this programme.
• An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 (with no element under 6.0).

Fees & funding

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• Funding: UK
• Funding: International
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

Funding for postgraduate students usually comes from one or more of a range of key sources:

Find out more about funding opportunities .

Examples of most of these types of funding are included on the postgraduate studentships website (except for funding you may be able to obtain from your employer and self-funding).

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

We offer other generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. See our PhD scholarships and bursaries .

Please note that the following writing-up fees apply for the final year of full-time PhD study , a reduced amount from the standard fee per year:

Writing-up fees do not apply for the final year of part-time PhD study. The standard fee applies.

• research councils
• charities and trust funds, including those funded by the UK government
• higher education institutions
• overseas governments (international students only)
• employers
• professional and career development loans
• self-funding (including family funds).
• On campus PhD (Year 4): UK £1,900. International: £6,000
• Online PhD (Year 4): UK £1,000. International: £3,000.
• Fees for the 2027/28 academic year and onwards may be subject to change.
• Tuition fees are charged for each year of your course and you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year, except if otherwise stated.
• If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (e.g. The Ministry/Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council.

The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you - they also produce the sources of funding for international students guide.

The PhD Bursary is available to home and international students enrolling on a full-time PhD course in 2026/27. The Bursary consists of a £500 fee reduction in your first year of study and for each subsequent year of study, subject to successful progression, up to a maximum of 4 years.

Your future career

Through our PhD in Ageing Research, we aim to equip the next generation of future leaders in ageing research with the knowledge and skills to make a real impact worldwide.

Our doctoral programme will:

• enhance leadership skills and effectiveness
• foster critical approaches to evidence review and knowledge management
• develop advanced skills in research design, practice and dissemination
• promote advanced knowledge and a critical understanding of ageing research, concepts and theoretical frameworks
• improve scholarship in critical thinking, written manuscripts and oral debates.

Our West London campus

Explore our fantastic facilities at UWL's West London campus.

The Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory (Century House)

GIAM offers a welcoming environment, where postgraduate researchers have access to modern facilities, including a spacious office.

GIAM is based in a convenient location on Uxbridge Road, within walking distance from Ealing Broadway rail station and Ealing Broadway shopping centre.

The Paul Hamlyn Library

The Paul Hamlyn Library provides an extensive range of books, journals and digital resources, PC and Mac workstations and a variety of study spaces.

Rami Ranger House (Postgraduate Student Centre)

Rami Ranger House is a focal point for the University’s postgraduate and international students, providing dedicated space for social and learning interaction.

This building, which is three storeys high, offers spaces for collaborative working, socialising, supervision and mentoring on the ground floor. The first floor has work spaces for the postgraduate support teams to use, while the second floor provides guest accommodation for visiting scholars.

The Graduate School

If you are interested in studying for a PhD or Professional Doctorate, the Graduate School is here to support your research.

Dementia Studies

Our dementia studies course offers cutting-edge knowledge about dementia and developments in care and service provision.

Find out more

Discover seven reasons to study with us and how studying at UWL will support your future career.

Find out about student accommodation and the support for students.

Explore our campus and sites and book onto a campus tour or open day .

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

Rankings

• † Fees - the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the course. Fees are subject to change. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full-time taught international fees are subject to an annual increase.
• Teaching - your course will primarily be delivered in-person, however it may include delivery of some activities online, either in real-time or recorded.
• Testimonials - quotes are provided by current or former UWL students. These are mostly from the course but quotes from a UWL student on another course may be used if, for example, the course is new.
• Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.
• Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming, however staff and course content may have since changed.
• Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route and a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.
• The National Student Survey 2026 result is based on the average of all answers by the taught student populations.
• Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and after, 1992.
• PRES - rank out of 53 institutions.

Research areas