The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Inequalities Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) is proud to announce its PhD Studentship competition. We are seeking the next generation of researchers to help us tackle persistent inequalities in maternity.
The MDC brings together a UK wide collaboration of universities, NHS trusts, councils, charities, and industry partners. You can find information about our consortium members here. Our goal is to improve outcomes for women and babies before, during, and after pregnancy through inclusive, evidence-based research.
Capacity Development
The MDC capacity development programme aims to build the next generation of maternity disparities research leaders, strengthen the workforce to deliver and sustain impact across the UK and deliver on the government priorities including the Women’s Health Strategy for England and 10 Year Health Plan for England.
The Consortium focuses on growing long-term research capacity and expertise, especially within underrepresented disciplines, professions and underserved communities; inspiring and supporting the next generation of researchers with the right skills mix to work across clinical, practice and research sectors.
The Opportunity
We are offering up to 13 funded PhD studentships (one co-funded with the NIHR School for Public Health Research) across a range of potential projects at universities across our Consortium. We are specifically looking to grow research capacity in methodological areas, including but not limited to, health economics, statistics, trial design, digital research, data science, implementation science and co-production methods, where expertise is currently limited.
Start: January 2027
Duration: Up to 3 years (Full-Time) or 4 years at 0.8WTE (Part-Time). Some projects might be full time only, this will be indicated on individual project page.
Funding:
- Full home tuition fees covered (at 2026/27 UK rates)
- Tax-free annual stipend at UKRI rates (£21,805/£23,805 outside London/ inside London from 1st October 2026).
- £5,000 (per award) contribution towards research, travel, training and consumables.
- International students are welcome to apply but must secure alternative funding for the difference between UK and Overseas tuition fees.
All students will be expected to be based at their host university and meet the individual university PhD studentship regulations. Please check individual university postgraduate admissions.
If you are an international applicant, you must submit financial evidence that you can cover the difference in UK-International fees for the full duration of the award via email at application stage. You will need to prove by the deadline that:
>The funds have been available in your bank account for 28 days
>You have an approved loan
>Your official financial sponsor will be paying your fees
Find out more about how to provide evidence of funds here.
Who is a MDC PhD studentship for?
We welcome applications from individuals passionate about maternal health equity with particular methodology knowledge and experience. We are committed to building a supportive, inclusive, and caring research community. We particularly encourage applications from:
- People from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.
- People with disabilities, neurodivergent conditions, and long-term health requirements
- Candidates of all genders, ages, and beliefs.
- We encourage applicants with experience of a wide range of methodologies to apply if they believe they can bring valuable skills to research on maternity inequalities. If it is not immediately obvious, please use your cover letter to explain how your disciplinary background will allow you to carry out your research.
PhD Studentship Projects
For more information please click on each project title.
Accessible Maternity: An AI-Powered Framework for Disadvantaged Communities (code D1.1_Bournemouth)
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Developing a unified conceptual and measurement framework of maternity inequalities to inform policy using routinely collected national data(code D1.2_LSHTM)
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Pregnancy as control: co-producing trauma-informed perinatal mental health pathways with women with insecure immigration status who have experienced reproductive coercion(code C1.1_Sheffield)
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Putting Women’s Experiences at the Heart of Maternity Care: A Co-Produced Evaluation of Engagement and Participation in Maternity Services (code C1.2_QueensBelfast)
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Shifting participation power: embedding community research link workers in equitable periconception care(code A1.2_Sheffield)
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Developing Rapid Realist Methods for Evaluating Accountability Frameworks in Maternity Services(code R1.1_Birmingham)
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Mapping Place-Based Inequalities in Access to Maternity Care (code A1.1_Bedfordshire)
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Implementing Equitable Hospital-to-Home Care Pathways for At-Risk Newborns: An NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium PhD in Implementation Science (code T3.2)
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Understanding and Communicating Maternity Disparities: Novel Statistical Methods for Improving Newborn, Child and Family Outcomes (code T3.1_Cardiff)
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Developing an analytical framework of the societal cost of inequalities in perinatal mental illness. (code T2.2_SheffieldHallam)
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Using implementation science to optimise cardiometabolic care bundle transitions between pregnancy, intrapartum, and early postnatal periods(code T2.1_Newcastle)
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Using health economics to improve preconception care and reduce maternity disparities(code T1.2_Southampton)
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Health data science to understand pregnancy intention and reduce maternity disparities (code T1.1_UCL)
Read moreApplication Process
The selection process consists of three stages (please do also check individual project pages):
- Stage One: Application – Please complete and submit an application form here. by 5pm Monday 7th September 2026. You may apply for a maximum of two projects. You may choose to submit one covering letter or one covering letter for each project, if you are applying for more than one.
Please upload a two-page CV and at least one covering letter (max. 1 page). We also ask that you identify two referees (one must be an academic referee).
Please name your CV and covering letter using the following naming convention:
Surname_CV_project code
Surname_CL_project code
- Stage Two: Interview – Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with our National Panel. Interviews will take place on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th October 2026 in Newcastle. (If you are selected to interview for two projects, we will try our best to ensure you only need to interview once).
- Stage Three: University Placement – Successful candidates will be required to register for a PhD at the host institution. Please note that you must also meet the specific entry requirements of the host institution. More information can be found on individual institution websites and by contacting the lead supervisor on the project.
- PhD studentships will start January 2027
Accessibility and Support
We want you to perform at your best. You may contact individual supervisors when asking for more details about the projects and your suitability for the project. General enquiries about the recruitment process and MDC, including if you require any reasonable adjustments for the application process or the interview (such as alternative formats, extra time, or specific technological needs), please contact [email protected].
NIHR and DHSC have a duty as a public body to promote equality of opportunity. We will contact all applicants throughout the application period with an Equality Monitoring Form. Monitoring ensures that all applications to NIHR MDC Programmes are treated equally in terms of gender, ethnicity and/or disability. Information will be anonymised and stored separately from your application, only be used for the purpose of monitoring equal opportunities and be kept securely and in confidence.