An interdisciplinary framework to analyse and mitigate the impact of air quality on young people’s physical and mental wellbeing

The Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) is inviting applications for a Doctoral Studentship in association with our collaborative partner Hertfordshire County Council to start in October 2025.

The overall aim of this PhD project is to understand how indoor air quality (IAQ) affects the health of children and adolescents, including their mental health with the aim of creating healthier spaces and habits for them. This is a highly interdisciplinary project that combines computational modelling and behavioural science. The first part will be based on the use of state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to diagnose the air quality status of those spaces (presence of pollutants, ventilation, humidity) and to propose measures to improve it. Such measures might imply retrofitting the spaces, but also behavioural changes, such as changing habits regarding ventilation or heating. The second part will employ secondary data analyses from existing cohort studies to explore the associations between air quality and cognition, sleep and mental health in childhood and adolescence. This Studentship provides the opportunity of liaising with Hertfordshire County Council to get first-hand data of indoor spaces and work with real-life scenarios.

This Studentship will bring a holistic framework to assess mental health impact on built spaces that will influence future blueprints for building design and will provide a better understanding of the differential mechanisms in which the perception and mental health of young individuals is related to IAQ.

We are looking for a highly talented and dedicated PhD student with a 1st class or 2:1 degree in the field of Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Architecture or Computer Science. A MSc degree in a relevant area is desirable though not necessary. Previous experience in modelling or computation is highly desirable. Additional knowledge or experience in Neuroscience, Air Quality, Public Health, Bioinformatics, Mental Health or Psychology will be valued but not necessary.

To be considered for this PhD, please follow the instructions here. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centre-ub/centre-ub-phd-studentships

Application deadline: 5 March 2025

Informal enquiries about the project prior to application can be directed to Bruño Fraga (b.fraga@bham.ac.uk) and Isabel Morales-Muñoz (I.Morales-Munoz@bham.ac.uk)

Funding notes:

Centre-UB studentships cover tuition fees, a maintenance stipend, support for research training, as well as research activity support grants. Due to funding stipulations set by UKRI, we are able to recruit up to 30% of international applicants to the cohort each year. You can find further details https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centre-ub/centre-ub-phd-studentships