| Project Supervisor | Tessa Roberts |
| Institution & Department | Queen Mary University of London – Wolfson Institute of Population |
| Research Area | RA1: Global Health Innovation |
| Project Start Date | 01/09/2026 (flexible) |
| Project Duration | 3 months |
| Application Deadline | 4th June 2026 |
| Working Pattern | Full-time (5 days per week over 3 months), or Part-time (2.5 days per week over 6 months) |
| Working Arrangements | Hybrid |
| Most of the work can be conducted remotely but some in-person meetings with the local team will be needed, to build relationships and enable the student to better understand the context of the project. We would anticipate the student spending at least one day per week on average with the project team in Newham (based at Ascot Community Centre, Star Lane). The exact working pattern can be negotiated with the student. | |
| How to Apply | View Guidance Here |
Project Description
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The Atmiyata East London programme is adapting an evidence-based community mental health intervention that was developed and evaluated in India, for the context of East London. It is based around training local volunteers (community champions) to identify people experiencing distress and common mental disorder, and to provide informal community support as well as referrals to health services when needed.
Following extensive community engagement and formative work, we are now conducting a small-scale “pre-pilot” in the Green Street neighbourhood of Newham, in order to generate learning and insights that will guide further adaptation of the Atmiyata materials for a larger scale pilot. During the pre-pilot, we are collecting three forms of data;
(1) qualitative interview data on the experiences of both community champions and the people who they support;
(2) process data on the number of people identified, supported, and referred as well the outcomes of those referrals; and
(3) quantitative pre-post survey data measuring depression and anxiety symptoms as well as demographic data to assess equity. These data will need to be analysed quickly in order to inform adaptations for the larger pilot starting in the autumn.
The doctoral researcher will contribute to a rapid analysis of these data, with support from the project coordinator and PI. The primary questions to be answered, include the following:
(a) Which demographic groups is the project reaching during the pre-pilot phase and how does this compare to the demographics of the local area? What barriers do champions or service users mention to reaching any demographic groups that are currently under-represented and do they make any recommendations about how to reach these groups?
(b) What are the key challenges in implementing the programme, as identified by champions, and what recommendations do they make for adapting and improving the programme? What do they identify as the key strengths (or active ingredients) of the programme at the moment that we should retain?
(c) What do service users identify as the benefits and limitations of the support that they receive? What recommendations do they make for improving the programme?
(d) How complete are the survey data collected and what challenges in data collection (and potential strategies to overcome this) are identified in the qualitative interviews?
(e) What proportion of those identified by community champions go on to receive support, and what proportion are referred to other services? What proportion of referrals are taken up and how does this vary between services referred to?
Internship Details
The doctoral researcher will contribute to a rapid analysis of these data, with support from the project coordinator and PI.
While it will not be possible for the doctoral student to lead on all questions listed in the Project Description above, we would welcome students who are interested in taking the lead on some of the above depending on their skills and interests. Their findings will directly inform the next stage of the project, and they will be included as a co-author in the publication reporting on the adaption of the Atmiyata intervention for East London.
Find out more about the original Atmiyata programme in India here.
Find out more about the Atmiyata East London programme here.
Internship Structure
Based on discussions with the student about the skills and knowledge that they most want to gain, they will take on either activity #1 or #2:
- Review interview transcripts using a top-down framework-based approach, highlighting sections that address the questions above, and produce an initial list of preliminary findings under each of the headings in the framework (i.e. strengths, challenges, and recommendations to improve the programme).
- Conduct descriptive analyses of the quantitative data collected, to address the questions above.
They will then:
- Present emerging findings to the project steering committee and community advisory board.
- Join planning meetings with the project team about adapting the intervention materials and protocols based on the findings.
Their intended outputs will be presentations aimed at both academic and non-academic audiences as described above, summarising the preliminary findings from the pre-pilot. They will work closely with the project coordinator and PI during their analyses and will share their notes and working documents with them at the end of the placement.
Anticipated Benefits for the Student
Through this internship, the student will develop the following doctoral-level research and transferable skills:
- Build personal capabilities by applying their skills to a community-based project within a diverse, low-income neighbourhood
- Collaborative working, engaging with a multidisciplinary team to address complex issues
- Communicating emerging research findings to diverse audiences, such as local stakeholders and community representatives
- Gain new experience of applying either qualitative or quantitative research techniques in an interdisciplinary context
- Learn how to leverage the skills and perspectives of both academic and non-academic team members, and promote shared ownership of the research outcomes.
Skills, Experience and Knowledge Requirements
The student should have some prior training in either qualitative or quantitative research methods (as appropriate to the question that they want to lead on), and sufficient familiarity with manipulating and analysing this form of data to conduct informative descriptive analyses. They should also have experience of working with diverse communities.
Knowledge of the context of Newham (or East London more generally) and prior experience of working with community organisations would be beneficial. The ability to speak any of the languages that are widely spoken in the pilot area (Bengali, Urdu, Hindi) would be helpful, but not essential.