The School of Public Health at Imperial College London is recruiting a talented, ambitious, and highly motivated candidate for a 3.5-year PhD studentship in Public Health, funded by the London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP).
Start date: 1 October 2026
Duration and Funding: LISS-DTP ESRC Collaborative Studentship, 3.5-year PhD
Funding is available to cover the cost of UK home tuition fees (no international fees are covered) for the duration of the award, plus a stipend of £22,780 per annum.
Supervisors: Dr Paraskevi Seferidi, Dr Judite Gonçalves, Professor Christopher Millett
This PhD programme will be delivered in collaboration with Idesam, a non-profit organisation in Amazonas, Brazil, with a leading role in conservation and sustainable development efforts in the region.
Research project description:
Social assistance programmes are used by governments globally to support livelihoods of their most vulnerable populations. They provide critical support to low-income households in different ways, including through cash or in-kind transfers or through employment schemes. Beyond its role in addressing inequities, social assistance may contribute towards environmental protection and resilience against climate-related challenges. For example, cash assistance programmes have the potential to support poor households prepare for climate disasters and recover from their impacts. Moreover, employment-based social assistance programmes have the potential to support climate efforts by mobilising a workforce to deliver environmental public works, such as conservation or disaster-resilient infrastructure.
Brazil is a country with deep social and economic inequalities and a long history of social assistance. It is also highly affected by environmental change, as it contains 65% of the Amazon rainforest, with a large percentage of the local population depending on the rainforest for their livelihood. Brazil’s biggest state, Amazonas, has the largest percentage of Amazon rainforest in the country, and is home to many vulnerable and indigenous communities. In Amazonas, more people receive support from Brazil’s main social assistance programme, Bolsa Familia, than have a formal occupation. At the same time, many environmental protection efforts are funded in the region. This creates a critical opportunity to connect these environmental efforts with social assistance programmes to benefit both people and the environment.
In this project, the student will work in collaboration with Idesam, a local non-profit organisation with a leading role in conservation and sustainable development efforts in Amazonas. Together with local stakeholders, they will explore how social assistance programmes can be adjusted to incorporate environmental objectives. The project will:
- Identify and describe social assistance programmes that have been designed or adapted to incorporate environmental objectives globally by reviewing relevant policy documents and academic literature.
- Work with local stakeholders in Amazonas to co-produce a map that outlines ways local social assistance programmes can be adapted to improve environmental outcomes.
- Co-design potential policy ideas with local stakeholders and estimate how these changes might impact environmental, socioeconomic, and health outcomes in Amazonas and Brazil.
See complete project description here
Our PhD programme
This is an interdisciplinary PhD project at the intersection of public health, social policy, and environmental policy. We do not expect candidates to have expertise in all areas; training and support will be provided to help you develop skills beyond your primary discipline.
You will receive dedicated supervision from world-leading academics and access to a comprehensive training programme covering both research methods and transferable skills such as scientific writing and effective communication. In addition, you will benefit from mentoring and career development support, enabling you to shape your training and take the steps needed to achieve your professional goals.
As part of the London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP), you will join a vibrant cohort of researchers and gain access to networking events and interdisciplinary training and resources.
This studentship also offers unique opportunities through its collaboration with Idesam, a leading NGO in Brazil, including a placement that provides hands-on experience, giving you practical insights into policy implementation in real-world contexts.
Department and Location:
The post holder will be situated in the Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit (PHPE) whose mission is to produce high-quality translational research that will inform public health policy, improve health and wellbeing of populations, and reduce health inequalities. PHPE is within Imperial School of Public Health, a highly interdisciplinary department that aims to achieve better health in the population through strengthening the public health science base, training the next generation of public health leaders and influencing health policies and programmes around the world.
The student will be based at Imperial’s White City Campus.
Eligibility
Applicants must either be UK nationals or have permanent leave to remain in the UK. Students applying for CASE studentships must meet the ESRC eligibility guidelines in terms of residency status and academic qualifications, specifically core social science research methods training. Please see the LISS-DTP website for further details.
Person description
Essential Criteria
- A first or upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent qualification) and a Master's degree in Public Health, Social Sciences or a relevant field.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Evidence of academic ability and potential as a career researcher
- Strong motivation to undertake a PhD
Desirable criteria
- Experience with community engagement in a research or professional setting
- Demonstrable interest in system dynamics or other modelling approaches
- Willingness to engage in interdisciplinary research
- Willingness to travel for fieldwork in Brazil
- Speaking Portuguese, or interest in learning it, or experience with multilingual research settings
Application process
To be considered, all applications should be sent to paraskevi.seferidi14@imperial.ac.uk by 15 February 2026 and must include the following:
- A completed ESRC LISS-DTP Collaborative (CASE) application form (CASE Application form 2026 (doc))
- A completed Diversity Monitoring Form
- A copy of your CV (maximum 2 A4 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 A4 pages) indicating your interest in, and suitability for, this research project (see Person Description above) as well as a basic explanation of how you think you might shape the research project
- Academic transcripts
- 2 reference letters: these should be sent directly by your referees (this can include 2 academic referees or 1 academic and 1 professional referee) and address your suitability for the post
Interviews
We expect to conduct online interviews in early March, so please include in your cover email any constraints in your time availability or any disabilities that might impact your ability to attend an online interview.
Enquiries
For further information please contact Dr Paraskevi Seferidi (paraskevi.seferidi14@imperial.ac.uk)