Due to the launch of the MS Society Doctoral Training Centre for Symptom Management at Glasgow Caledonian University, we are delighted to advertise 8 PhD studentships, across various disciplines but all in the field of Exercise/Physical Activity for People Moderately to Severely Affected by Multiple Sclerosis . Each of the projects are outlined below with start dates of 1 October 2024 or 1 February 2025. The details of how to apply can be found below following the project outlines but we would advise interested candidates to email the primary supervisor and to attend one of our information events before applying. We look forward to hearing from you!
Summary of PhD studentships
PhD 1 Optimal aerobic exercise prescription for people moderately affected by Multiple Sclerosis
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Reference Number SHLS24122
Supervisors; Dr Scott Rooney (Scott.Rooney@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Ben Stansfield, Dr Niall MacDougall (NHS Lanarkshire)
This PhD studentship will firstly assess if sub-maximal exercise testing is feasible and accurate in people moderately affected with MS. Then an aerobic exercise intervention will be co-created with people moderately affected with MS and a dose response study of the intervention undertaken.
Person specification: Essential - BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy or Exercise Science or equivalent, Desirable - MSc Physiotherapy or Exercise Science or equivalent and previous experience working with people with long term neurological conditions
PhD 2 Optimal resistance exercise prescription for people moderately affected by Multiple Sclerosis
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Reference Number SHLS24123
Supervisors Dr Elaine Coulter (Elaine.Coulter@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Scott Rooney, Dr Lars Hvid (Danish MS Hospitals)
Currently, research has found that resistance training in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) improves muscle strength, walking ability, function, fatigue, cognition, mental health, quality of life and may be neuroprotective. Physical activity guidelines recommend strength training of 1-3 sets, 8-15 repetitions, for the major muscle groups, 2-3 times per week. Click or tap here to enter text.However, research to date has mainly been conducted in those with mild disability, with no research exploring the effects of resistance exercise in moderate-severe MS.
Therefore, the aim of this PhD studentship is to establish the optimal resistance training programme by co-producing resistance training interventions for people moderately affected by MS. Co-creation will consider the duration, intensity, frequency, and delivery of resistance training, as well as appropriate and important outcome measures. A randomised controlled, dose response study will then be carried out with outcomes including, but not be limited to, strength, mobility, fatigue and cognition. Physical activity will also be monitored to explore if/how people change their activity (increase or decrease).
Person specification: Essential - BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy or Exercise Science or equivalent, Desirable - MSc Physiotherapy or Exercise Science or equivalent and previous experience working with people with long term neurological conditions.
PhD 3 Optimal aerobic and resistance exercise prescription for people severely affected by Multiple Sclerosis
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Reference Number SHLS24124
Supervisors: Dr Elaine Coulter (Elaine.Coulter@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Jenny Preston (NHS Ayrshire and Arran), Dr Alison Barclay
While Multiple Sclerosis (MS) specific physical activity (and exercise) guidelines exist, they are based only on expert opinion for those who are severely affected, and not on research evidence . Studies involving exercise interventions for people with severe MS are limited and frequently acknowledged as a priority in future research.
This PhD, therefore, will involve co-creating aerobic and resistance interventions with, and for, people severely affected by MS, employing outcomes that are meaningful to people with MS to address symptoms such as mobility, fatigue and cognition. These interventions will then be evaluated in pilot randomised controlled trials.
Person specification: BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy or Exercise Science essential. MSc Physiotherapy or Exercise Science and previous experience working with people with long term neurological conditions are desirable.
PhD 4 Data driven personalised physical activity prescription for people moderately to severely affected by Multiple Sclerosis
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Reference Number SHLS24125
Supervisors: Prof Sebastien Chastin (Sebastien.Chastin@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Zoe Tieges
Physical activity prescription and programme should be tailored to each individual. People have different capacity and preferences for physical activity and will respond differently depending on their personal circumstances, physiology, care they have received and course of the disease.
The aim of this project is to understand who would benefit the most from exercise and physical activity programmes and at what point in the course of the disease. We want to use advances in data science and artificial intelligence combined with the fact that large datasets, including the UK Multiple Sclerosis Register, are now available to extract real world information.
Person specification: MSc in data science or related topic, experience in handling sensitive, large scale data, experience in data linkage, proficient in publishing reproducible code in R and or Python, knowledge of advanced data analysis techniques (e.g. Bayesian methods, graph methods, machine learning, genetic algorithms) and systems thinking/dynamics.
PhD 5 Does context matter: How does where you live and social support impact on long term effectiveness of exercise-based community rehabilitation for people with Multiple Sclerosis?
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Reference Number SHLS24126
Supervisors: Dr Julie Cowie (Julie.Cowie@gcu.ac.uk), Prof Artur Steiner
The effectiveness of physical activity/exercise interventions for people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) is often tested in clinical or laboratory settings with little guidance to help pwMS incorporate exercise into day-to-day life.
This PhD will explore the main contextual and mechanistic factors which can help or hinder long-term adherence to recommended exercise rehabilitation; this might, for example, include factors such as where pwMS live and their social support. The PhD will likely involve a realist review of the literature with findings mapped to an implementation framework and used to inform realist programme theories. Semi-structured interviews with pwMS living in different communities/settings. Implementation and evaluation of a personalised, evidence-based rehabilitation intervention will be conducted across different communities.
Person specification: Degree in social or health science or a related subject area. Ideally, the candidate should have experience in collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data and an interest in community rehabilitation.
PhD 6 Exploring psychological models to propose and evaluate strategies to encourage people with moderate to severe Multiple Sclerosis to exercise
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Reference Number SHLS24127
Supervisors: Dr Paul McCarthy (Paul.McCarthy@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Zoe McVinnie
People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) frequently report fatigue and other troubling symptoms, which evidence suggests can be improved by, non-pharmacological treatments like psychological education (e.g., behaviour change) and exercise. Successful behaviour change means addressing one’s capability (e.g., knowledge and skills), motivation (e.g., energy), and opportunity (i.e., environment) to change and we can achieve this behavioural change for people with MS-related fatigue but we have limited application of its practice.
There are significant and beneficial short-term effects of individually tailored behaviour change strategies that any health or exercise instructor could implement, but the challenge remains to identify the mechanisms of change to offer a foundation to maintain positive effects of these interventions over the longer term.
This PhD studentship will firstly develop case histories of people with moderate-to-severe MS in relation to exercise and physical activity. Then design a personalised behaviour change programme, co-created with people with MS which will be implemented and evaluated with a focus on adherence, self-efficacy, motivation as well as symptoms (fatigue and cognition) up to 9 months following the end of the behaviour change intervention.
Person specification: Essential an undergraduate degree in psychology or a related discipline. Desirable a related MA or MSc.
PhD 7 Improving the health and wellbeing of people moderately to severely affected by Multiple Sclerosis through dance (in collaboration with Scottish Ballet and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
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Reference Number SHLS24129
Supervisors: Prof Lorna Paul (Lorna.Paul@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Bethany Whiteside (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), Emily Davis
Our systematic review demonstrated that dance was feasible for people with mild to moderate Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with weak but positive changes in walking, cognition, fatigue, wellbeing, mood, sense of achievement and belonging, however, there were no studies of dance in people with moderate to severe MS.
Scottish Ballet (SB) delivers internationally leading Dance for Health programmes including SB Elevate®, their dance classes for people with MS (https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/join-in/sb-health/elevate). Although this programme is open to anyone with MS, those who attend the class are generally mild to moderately affected by their condition. Scottish Ballet has developed a digital strand to their SB Elevate® programme, with a hybrid (studio and home-based) delivery of dance classes supported by digital resources. The aim of this development was to support people with MS who find it difficult to attend in person classes owing to their rural location, transport issues, or higher levels of disability. This PhD student will work in collaboration with Scottish Ballet to explore the barriers and facilitators for people with moderate to severe MS in accessing and engaging in the different forms of SB Elevate® and evaluate and refine SB Elevate® (in-person, hybrid and remote) specifically for participants with higher levels of disability.
Person specification: Essential: Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Desirable: Masters degree in a relevant discipline. Relevant disciplines include social sciences, health sciences, dance, and arts and health.
PhD 8 Home based virtual reality upper limb exercise with real time feedback for people moderately to severely affected by Multiple Sclerosis (In collaboration with The Glasgow School of Art)
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Reference Number SHLS24129
Supervisors: Prof Lorna Paul (Lorna.Paul@gcu.ac.uk), Dr Matthieu Poyade (The Glasgow School of Art), Amy Webster
Approximately 66% to 75% of people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) have some upper limb (UL) impairment, with the numbers increasing as level of disability increases. Impaired function of the upper limbs can have a significant effect on Activities of Daily Living, quality of life, social interactions and employment. Virtual reality (VR) involves users engaging with a virtual environment, often through VR headsets and allows the user to visualise their own upper limb movements. Upper limb exercise delivered through VR is thought to be more fun and engaging, encourage longer term exercise and improve clinical outcomes.
This PhD studentship builds on our previous clinic-based research of VR for UL exercise in MS to develop XR (VR/MR) for home use. Specifically, the project will involve co-producing XR (VR/MR) games for home use with an associated training package, developing meaningful performance measures for feedback to the user and therapist, explore the feasibility of the home based XR (VR/MR) intervention with remote monitoring in people with moderate to severe MS.
Person specification: Essential MSc in computer sciences, Medical Visualisation or equivalent with good software development skills.
General Requirements You will have a UK honours degree 2:1 (or equivalent) or Masters degree with research skills relevant to your chosen research project or PhD topic. Equivalent professional qualifications and any appropriate research experience will be considered. For international applicants English language level of IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with no element below 6.0. Previous experience of clinical assessment or working with clinical groups is desirable.
Please also see specific person specifications for each project.
How to Apply These PhD projects are available as a 3 years full-time programme, but we also welcome applications for part time study which may suit an allied health professional (5 years part-time PhD study programme).
Candidates are strongly encouraged to email the named research supervisor for the project before applying and to attend one of the information sessions.
The Information Sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams at 3pm on Wednesday 13th of March 2024 and 6pm on Tuesday 26th of March 2024. Please only attend one session, there is no need to register for these sessions.
The Teams link for both meetings is below.
Microsoft Teams meeting - Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 336 559 123 320
Please note that emails to the supervisory team or enquires submitted via this project advert do not constitute formal applications; applicants should apply using the link on our Application Process page by choosing Health and Social Care area.
Please send any other enquires regarding your application and/or process (not project enquiries) to: researchapplications@gcu.ac.uk or Lorna.Paul@gcu.ac.uk
Closing Date 11th April 2024
Funding Notes These PhD opportunities are fully funded for Home students. Home student fees are included and an annual stipend in line with that supported by the UKRI. Overseas applicants are welcome to apply, but should note that they will be responsible for funding the difference between Home and Overseas fees.
