Nepal Injury Research Centre: PhD studentship on the road safety evidence-policy-practice gap in Nepal

A full-time PhD studentship with the College of Health, Science and Society, UWE Bristol, funded by an award from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), for Nepali nationals who are resident in Nepal: This is a distance learning course that will require the applicants to attend Kathmandu Medical College for the length of the course.

Ref: 2223-APR- CHSS- KMC1

The expected start date of this studentship is 01 April 2023.

The closing date for applications is 11 December 2022.

The aim of the programme of research is to reduce road deaths and injuries in Nepal. We will apply a ‘safe systems’ approach, the most effective way to reduce road traffic injuries and deaths. It requires cross-sectoral ownership of the factors underpinning policy and practice failings in relation to safety, and the development and implementation of agreed and coordinated action. 

The student will:

1. conduct a literature review of published and grey literature to identify enablers and barriers to implementing policies and programmes in Nepal
2. review existing road safety policies at national, provincial and local levels in Bagmati province to develop an overview of the context in which road safety interventions are formulated and operate
3. conduct a stakeholder analysis and conduct interviews with key informants to understand the influence of various players
4. develop and test the applicability of a policy toolkit.

This is a distance learning studentship. The successful applicant will be registered for their degree at UWE Bristol but spend most of their time in Nepal, conducting field work, analysing data, and preparing their thesis. Students will spend a maximum of 9 months in the UK, spread across the three years. Time spent in the UK will be primarily to undertake taught causes and complete doctoral review processes.

For an informal discussion about the studentship, please email Professor Sunil Kumar Joshi in Nepal (Sunil.Joshi@uwe.ac.uk) and Professor Julie Mytton in the UK (Julie.Mytton@uwe.ac.uk)

The studentship is available from 01 April 2023 until 31 October 2026, subject to satisfactory progress. It includes a UK stipend for periods spent in the UK at £1297/month, and a Nepali stipend for the remainder of the studentship, which is starts at 125,000NRs/month. In addition, tuition fees and research costs will be covered, and a travel and study allowance included. The studentship is funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research. 

Please note: This is only open to Nepali nationals who are residents in Nepal.

Candidates must have a post-graduate qualification (Masters or higher) in a relevant subject, demonstrating a sound knowledge of research methods and social or political science.

They will be a Nepali national, fluent in written and spoken Nepali.

They will have excellent spoken and written English language skills as evidenced by an IELTS score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or equivalent assessment method).

Please submit your application online.

Applications can only be accepted via the UWE Graduate School online submission process. When prompted use the reference number 2223-APR- CHSS- KMC1. 

Supporting documentation: you will need to upload a copy of your CV, your degree certificates and transcripts (translated if required), evidence of your IELTS score, and a 1000-word outline proposal explaining how you plan to:

• Approach the review of the existing literature on handover of road traffic injured patients from prehospital care staff to emergency department staff. 
• Undertake a baseline assessment of current practice in the handover of road traffic injured patients from prehospital care staff to emergency department staff in Nepal.
• Identify the challenges you might expect when preparing dissemination materials, training materials and recommendations. 

The closing date for applications is 11 December 2022.

It is expected that interviews will take place on Wednesday 4 January 2023 in the afternoon / early evening Nepal time. If you have not heard from us by Friday 23 December 2022, we thank you for your application, but on this occasion you have not been successful.