UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD in Mental Health Science (360G-Wellcome-218497_Z_19_Z)

Mental illness is a major public health problem, with poorly understood causes and highly variable treatment outcomes. While mental health research training has strength within disciplines, these typically operate in parallel, greatly impeding progress in improving clinical outcomes. The UCL Wellcome 4-Year PhD in Mental Health Science is an interdisciplinary, student-centred programme, which aims to train the next generation of research and policy leaders to succeed within mental health research fields, and foster greater cross-disciplinarity in future researchers. It leverages UCL’s outstanding mental health research environment across three broad Themes: Mechanism, Population Mental Health, and Intervention. In Year 1, students will obtain experience in these different Themes through short rotation projects and courses, including areas outside their academic background; through this they will be exposed to new concepts and techniques, learn to "speak the language" of the different disciplines, and spot the synergistic connections between them. For the main PhD project in Years 2-4, students will select a supervisory team and Thesis Committee across all three Themes, enabling interdisciplinary mentorship. A strong emphasis will be placed on developing a distinct and supportive cohort identity, with continual skills development and preparation for transition following the Programme, whether within or outside academia.