LSHTM PhD Studentship in Food Systems Change and Obesity Prevention 2026 (NIHR)

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is inviting applications for a 3-year full-time PhD studentship, starting in September 2026, funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Only those applicants who meet all the eligibility criteria outlined below can be considered for this studentship.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineApril 20, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
• City to studyLondon
• School to studyLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
• Course to studypublic health , Public Health & Health Promotion
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• Funding is available for one 3-year full-time PhD studentship to start in September 2026.
• The studentship award covers tuition fees and a tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate (which is £22,780 in 2025/26). 
• This PhD Studentship award is only available to candidates who meet the eligibility requirements for the Home fee rate.
• Please see the LSHTM fee assessment policy in particular the ’criteria‘ section, for further details. 
• Further information about fee status assessment can be found on the UKCISA website.

Requirements

• An undergraduate and Masters degrees with strong quantitative element (economics, statistics, epidemiology, data science), both degrees awarded at a high grade. Applicants with a very strong undergraduate degree and relevant work experience may also be considered
• Some research experience (ideally applying multivariable regression models) and strong interest in quantitative methods
• Interest and some understanding of experimental study designs
• Demonstrable familiarity with R/Python (or other equivalent) software
• Demonstrable attention to detail
• The ability to work independently, manage own workload and work to deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• An interest in food systems and public health nutrition research in the UK

Please note that due to the high volume of enquiries we receive, we will not be able to respond to emails from applicants who do not meet these eligibility criteria.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Laura Cornelsen ([email protected]) and Dr Alexandra Kalbus ([email protected]) for an informal discussion before applying.

To apply, submit a completed research degree application online using the LSHTM application portal by the scholarship deadline of 23:59 (BST) on 20.04.2026.

Applicants must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria before contacting their proposed primary supervisor. When contacting their proposed supervisor, applicants are encouraged to write a short paragraph about their experience and research interests, and explaining how these match the proposed topic for the PhD, and to provide a short CV.

Applicants must ensure all information and standard required documents outlined on the LSHTM ‘before you apply’ page is included/uploaded with the application, including:

• academic transcripts (official transcripts for all completed study; interim transcripts for any ongoing programmes of study);
• a two-page Curriculum Vitae;
• a research proposal (the research proposal should identify a specific research question or hypothesis, summarise the relevant background information (with no more than five key references) and should outline an appropriate research methodology by which the question can be addressed); and
• References.

In addition, applicants for this scholarship must upload the following documents:

• A personal statement outlining why you are interested in, and suited to, undertaking a PhD in this area at LSHTM; and
• A writing sample (this may consist of your dissertation, an essay, a blog post or other piece of long-form writing and should be around 5,000-10,000 words long).

Applicants must indicate that they wish to apply for this funding by writing ‘NIHR PhD Studentship in Food Systems Change and Obesity Prevention' in the funding section of the application form.

Incomplete applications will not be considered for this studentship. This includes any applications missing supporting/supplementary documents (eg transcripts or references) at the deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete and therefore applications should be submitted as early as possible to give referees time to submit their references prior to the deadline.

By submitting an application for this funding applicants agree to its Terms & Conditions.

Applicants short-listed for funding will be invited for interview. Interviews will likely be held remotely (via Teams or Zoom).

For more details, visit LSHTM Scholarship webpage