PhD Studentship in the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC): North East and North Cumbria (NENC): Creating Safe Spaces to Support Neurodivergent Parents’ Perinatal Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing

Award summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) of £21,805 (2026 – 27 UKRI rate). Additional funding provided for research costs and travel.

Overview

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for people processing information in different ways. This variability is natural; all neurotypes are equally valued. There are many types, for example autism, ADHD, dyslexia. Neurodivergent parents/parents-to-be are at elevated risk of perinatal mental health illness. Without timely and appropriate support, perinatal mental illness can have long-term impacts on parents and their children. It is the most common complication of pregnancy; yet, scant research exists on prevention and early intervention/support. This is particularly pronounced for neurodivergent parents.

The proposed PhD will address this gap by examining neurodivergent parents’/parents-to-be’s experiences of perinatal mental illness, accessing treatment and/or support, and co-producing family-friendly support/interventions that would enable prevention and early intervention. It will use intersectionality-informed participatory research for intervention development and early evaluation, including tailoring for specific neurodivergent groups. The appointed PhD student will be expected to critically engage with available evidence to determine appropriate methods, e.g. traditional qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, ethnography), creative methods (e.g., photovoice, participatory mapping), and/or quantitative methods (e.g., early economic analysis of co-produced interventions).

This research will generate policy-relevant evidence to address gaps in perinatal mental health provision for neurodivergent parents through illuminating how overlapping identity factors interact with structural factors to shape access to care/support.

All PhD students will undertake an 8-week placement as part of their studies.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: January 2027

Award duration: 3.5 years including placement. Part-time options available, please get in touch.

Sponsor: NIHR ARC: NENC

Supervisors:

Ryc Aquino
Angela Wearn

Eligibility criteria

To qualify for this studentship, you will need at least an upper second-class honours (2:1) bachelors degree, and a masters degree (in a relevant social or health sciences subject) or equivalent professional experience and an interest in/experience in health and social care research.

We encourage applications from people with an interest in Co-production and/or participatory action research.

This studentship is only available to applicants with a Home fee status (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria).

How to apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

In ‘Course choice’ tab, click ‘Search Course’ put ‘Postgraduate Research’ in 'Type of Study', ‘Full Time’ in ‘Mode of Study’, ‘2026’ in ‘Year of Entry’, ‘January’ in ‘Month of Entry – Intake’, code ‘8370F’ in ‘Course Title’, blank in ‘Research Area’.

Press ‘Search’, select ‘PhD Population Health Sciences (FT)’, and click ‘Save selection.’

Either upload a document or write into the ‘Personal Statement’ section.

Put code ‘ARC5’ in ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’. When prompted for research proposal, select ‘Write Proposal’. Type in the title of the research project from this advert. A research proposal is not required. You can also upload a covering letter and CV, please state how your interests and experience relate to the project.

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact details

Dr Ryc Aquino - Population Health Sciences, Newcastle University

ryc.aquino@newcastle.ac.uk