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  1. About Us
    1. About Us
    2. The Team
    3. Member Organisations
    4. Governance
  2. Research & Knowledge Mobilisation
    1. Research & Knowledge Mobilisation
    2. Impact
    3. Social Care and Social Work
      1. Social Care and Social Work
      2. Social Care - Kent, Surrey & Sussex Region
    4. Starting Well: Children's Mental Health
      1. Starting Well: Children's Mental Health
      2. Meet the team
    5. Primary and Community Health Services
      1. Primary and Community Health Services
      2. Meet the team
    6. Living Well with Dementia
      1. Living Well with Dementia
      2. Meet the team
    7. Co-production
      1. Co-production
      2. Meet the team
    8. Public Health
      1. Public Health
      2. Meet the team
    9. Digital Innovation
      1. Digital Innovation
      2. Meet the team
    10. Economics of Health and Social Care
      1. Economics of Health and Social Care
      2. Meet the team
    11. Implementation
      1. Implementation
      2. Meet the team
    12. Rapid Evidence Synthesis
      1. Rapid Evidence Synthesis
      2. Meet the team
    13. Knowledge Mobilisation
      1. Knowledge Mobilisation
      2. Meet the team
  3. Public and Community Involvement
    1. Public and Community Involvement
    2. What is PCIE?
    3. Getting Involved
    4. Support for researchers
    5. Resources
    6. PCIE Guide
      1. PCIE Guide
      2. Contents
      3. Introduction
        1. Introduction
        2. An overview of ARC KSS
        3. Who can help you with PCIE?
        4. Terminology and PCIE
      4. Why and When to do PCIE
        1. Why and When to do PCIE
        2. Why involve members of the public in research?
        3. Why do members of the public want to get involved in research?
        4. When to get members of the public involved?
      5. How to do PCIE
        1. How to do PCIE
        2. Communication and Accessibility
        3. Budgeting
        4. Planning for involvement and engagement
        5. How to recruit members of the public
        6. Inclusive Research
        7. Approaches – different options for undertaking PCIE
        8. Facilitating meetings and Group dynamics
        9. Ethics
        10. Feedback
        11. Impact and Evaluation
      6. Examples/Case Studies
      7. Appendix/Useful tools
  4. Learning and Development
    1. Learning and Development
    2. ARC KSS AcademyARC KSS Academy
    3. Learning and DevelopmentLearning and Development
      1. Learning and Development
      2. Learning and Development Finder
      3. Researchers Journeys
    4. MentorshipMentorship
    5. Research communities of practiceResearch communities of practice
    6. Research Week Research Week
      1. Research Week
      2. Previous Research Weeks
    7. NIHR Health and Care Professional Internship Programme South EastNIHR Health and Care Professional Internship Programme South East
    8. Building social care research capacity
  5. Resource Library
  6. Events
  7. News
  8. Contact Us

We’re updating our website

We are currently updating the ARC KSS website to reflect our new funding and the changes it brings to our programme of work.  These changes will take place over the course of the next few months.

Please bear with us while we work behind the scenes to make these improvements. We thank you for your patience.

In the meantime, if you need help finding anything, please contact spft.arcksscommunications@nhs.net

 Are you interested in using data to improve people’s health and tackle inequalities?

The University of Kent is offering a fully funded PhD studentship, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS).

About the PhD

This PhD will explore how data science can help us understand health inequalities and the wider factors that affect people’s health, such as housing, income and local environments.

You will focus on how health outcomes vary between different neighbourhoods or “places”, helping to build a clearer picture of how and why inequalities happen – and what can be done about them.

You will be based at the Centre for Health Services Studies at the University of Kent, working with experienced researchers and partners across health and care.

What you’ll research

We welcome a wide range of project ideas, including:

  • Using health and national data to understand long-term conditions.
  • Exploring how factors like housing, deprivation or community resources affect health.
  • Investigating the early development of long-term health conditions.
  • Understanding inequalities in:
  • coastal communities
  • rural areas
  • underserved populations
  • deprived communities

Your research should use data in new ways, for example linking datasets together to uncover new insights.

What you’ll get

✔ Full PhD tuition fees (home student rate).

✔ Annual stipend of £20,013 (with yearly increase).

✔ £750 per year for training, conferences and research costs.

✔ Access to the ARC KSS training and development programme.

✔ Opportunities to work with health and care partners across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. 

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to UK applicants who:

  • Have a Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a health or social care related subject.
  • Are interested in applied health research and using data to improve care.
  • Can study full time.

Key dates

  • Application deadline: Sunday 12 July 2026 (23:59 BST).
  • Interviews: late July / early August 2026.
  • Start date: October 2026.

How to apply

Read our guidance notes

Apply through the University of Kent website.

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