Beewell PhD Studentship AF/1542

Location

London or Manchester; attendance in person at University College London courses will be required

Application Deadline

Monday, July 6, 2026

Deadline Time

12:00 PM

Positions Available

1

Vacancy Type

Fixed Term/Full Time

Working Hours

Full-time

Salary

£24,174 year 1 £24,906 year 2 £25, 657 year 3

Job Documents

Job Profile document

Job Summary

Beewell PhD StudentshipReady to make a difference through research? Apply for our PhD in Evidence Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Anna Freud is seeking a PhD Student in Evidence Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Through this funded PhD studentship, you will contribute to research exploring the drivers of young people’s mental health and wellbeing, helping to generate evidence that informs meaningful change. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our

website.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve

.

As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of

staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-ledDiversity Networksoffering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

What you’ll do

This funded PhD studentship offers the opportunity to undertake impactful research into the factors that influence young people’s mental health and wellbeing through the #

BeeWell programmecombining advanced quantitative analysis with collaborative, real-world research that helps drive positive change for children and young people.

• Conduct research using large-scale datasets to investigate the drivers of young people’s mental health, wellbeing and health behavioursl
• Develop and deliver a PhD research project aligned to the key research themes of the #BeeWell programme
• Analyse and interpret complex quantitative data, producing high-quality research outputs and evidence-based insights
• Contribute to the wider delivery of the #BeeWell programme, including supporting planned analyses and engagement activities with schools and project partners
• Work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary research team while undertaking PhD studies through University College London (UCL) and adhering to Anna Freud’s policies, values and safeguarding responsibilities

What you’ll bring

We are seeking a motivated and analytically minded researcher with a strong interest in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The ideal candidate will have a solid academic background, experience of quantitative research methods, and a desire to undertake impactful research that contributes to improving outcomes for young people through the #BeeWell programme.

• An undergraduate degree in Psychology or a related discipline such as social sciences, public health, mental health, or another research-focused subject
• A Master's degree, or equivalent experience working within a research environment
• Demonstrable interest in children and young people's mental health, wellbeing, or related areas of research
• Experience of quantitative research methods, data analysis, and working with complex datasets
• The ability to develop and communicate a clear research proposal, including research questions, methodology, analysis plans, and the potential impact of findings

Key details

Salary:Annual stipend paid termly by Anna Freud, plus tuition fees at the Home (UK) rate.

£24,174 year 1

£24,906 year 2

£25, 657 year 3

Hours:Full-timeLocation:Attendance in person at UCL courses in London will be required. Hybrid working: the PhD students will be able to work at either our London site Anna Freud, 4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH Or our Northern Hub Jactin House, 24 Hood Street, Manchester M4 6WXContract type:Three-year fixed term PhD studentship

Next steps

Closing date for applications:midday (12pm), Monday, 29 June 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.Notification of interview:shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Wednesday, 01 July 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.Interviews:will be held on Wednesday 8 and Monday 13 July 2026How to apply:

As part of your application, you will also be required to submit:

• An Expression of Interestoutlining how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements of the PhD.
• A Research Proposaladdressing the key research themes of the #BeeWell project, which should include:
  • A brief introduction
  • Research question(s)
  • Proposed methodology
  • Proposed analysis
  • Potential implications of the findings

Please refer to the full Job Profile for detailed guidance on completing these application requirements.

Applicants must also be eligible for entry to the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences PhD programme from September 2026 and qualify for tuition fees at the Home (UK) rate.

We encourage candidates to review the #BeeWell programme and its existing research before preparing their application and research proposal.

Questions?

Please email

recruitment@annafreud.orgwith any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.