The School of Social Sciences seeks to recruit a high-quality PhD candidate for the project titled 'Behaviour change for brain health supported by AI imagery'.

The School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University is offering a full-time PhD studentship funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to start in May or September 2026.

The studentship includes a tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend set at £20,789 for 2025-26. The duration of the studentship is 3.5 years.

The School consists of the Department of Psychology, the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, the Department of Research Methods and Practice, and Edinburgh Business School. Our research in psychology focusses on applied solutions, including interventions in brain health and dementia. Research students have access to a range of training and other activities supported by the School, and through the University’s Research Futures Academy. The PhD studentship will benefit from the multidisciplinary research and practice environment of the university’s Global Research Institute in Health and Care Technologies.

Summary of project

As we age, we may experience changes in our brain health. For most people, these changes are related to ageing for some they reflect underlying diseases of the brain leading to dementia. There is growing evidence about the lifestyles and behaviours that promote and protect brain health across the life course, and those that reduce or delay changes when we’re older. Identifying these protective factors is a global research priority, as is transforming that knowledge into action. Developing interventions to reduce or slow age-related cognitive decline can harness new technologies to deliver those at scale these must ensure behaviour change principles are embedded in their design to ensure their effectiveness.