Physiotherapy PhD in the UK

As a Physiotherapy PhD student at the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton you will be able to draw on research approaches from a range of cognate fields including musculoskeletal therapy and rehabilitation, exercise prescription and health, assistive technology and mobility and efficacy of therapeutic interventions and approaches.

We foster research into clinical practice and effects of treatment modalities, the therapeutic relationship, patient views in relation to conditions and treatment received as well as issues relating to practitioners. We are also interested in the field of therapeutic exercise. Research can be based in clinical or laboratory settings and can involve qualitative as well as quantitative approaches. There is also a strong educational area of research exploring pedagogy and practice.

Graduates with a PhD in physiotherapy from the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton proceed to jobs in various organisations including NIHR, NHS, university lecturer posts and consultancy.

Contact an expert in this field

Successful applicants have invariably had support with their application from one of our academics. We suggest you approach a suitable academic staff member with relevant research interests before progressing with your application.

Details of our Brighton, UK-based PhD in physiotherapy

Research supervisors for your PhD research programme

You will benefit from research supervision comprising two or maximum three members of academic staff. To ensure the right mix of expertise alongside specialists in occupational therapy and occupational science, one of the supervisors might come from the wider School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences or from an external partner for example with specialism in sports physiotherapy or occupational science.

You will identify your primary potential supervisor for your doctorate in physiotherapy from the early stages of application and they will usually then support you throughout your programme of study, helping you find any additional support to carry out your research, guiding your learning of rigorous research methods and preparing you for the next stage of your career.

You should consider the staff listed at the foot of the page and create a short draft research proposal identifying your suitability for supervision from that person's research specialism.

We welcome applications across a number of physiotherapy-related research themes:

Musculoskeletal therapy and rehabilitation
Exercise prescription and health
Posture and mobility
Efficacy of therapeutic interventions/approaches

Research training and support

PhD students are provided with supervisors from both within and outside occupational therapy and occupational science and offered a range of developmental opportunities to help challenge and broaden their academic and professional thinking. You will have the opportunity to network with other doctoral students and staff across the university to share ideas and expertise. You will be supported with conference presentation preparation, with research planning and publication activities as well as grant applications and network-building, for example by joining our Public Health and Health Conditions Research Excellence Group. Whatever the focus of your PhD project, you will be able to draw on research approaches from a variety of related fields.

As a member of the Brighton Doctoral College, you will benefit from regular opportunities on a training programme designed to support postgraduate researchers at all stages of the PhD and help them achieve their career goals. Attendance at appropriate workshops within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the various seminar series hosted by the school and the annual Postgraduate Research Festival. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Postgraduate degree resources for doctoral physiotherapy students

We pride ourselves on conducting research within the context of professional practice and our students join us from various stages in their careers or at the point of a career change.

As well as academic staff experienced in the profession, you will benefit from access to internationally-linked research resources, including a contemporary range of electronic resources via the university’s Online Library, as well as the physical book and journal collections housed within campus libraries. The library services are connected to national and international collections and students also have the option of inter-library loans.

The 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton offers interdisciplinary study through a range of allied health and healthcare practitioners. As a research student you will play an important role in developing, changing and improving clinical practice.

The School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences

Students have a base on the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton's Falmer Campus where PhD students from a range of health disciplines can meet and exchange ideas. This is where our disciplinary facilities and our supervisory staff can normally be found.

As a Physiotherapy PhD student, you will take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the school. Students are encouraged to meet for informal discussions and supportive activities and on an annual basis for research conference/celebrations. We value all personal input from researchers and those interested in becoming researchers, and those who are interested to find out more about research and share ideas and knowledge.

The academic profile of this part of the university includes midwives, nurses, physiotherapists, podiatrists, occupational therapists, sports scientists and osteopaths. We also collaborate closely with staff from other parts of the university, for example, Brighton and Sussex Medical School. We have professional networks and collaborate with departments in other universities together with clinicians and managers locally.

You and your fellow postgraduate researchers will have the opportunity to attend and present at research seminar sessions, and to integrate with researchers over a range of relevant specialisms. You may find closely aligned researchers in one of the university's Centres of Research and Knowledge Exchange Excellence (COREs) or Research Excellence Groups (REGs), including the Public Health and Health Conditions Research Excellence Group.

The school is proud of a long-standing strength in professional practice and education, with accreditation of our taught courses by regulatory and professional bodies including the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, the Department for Education, the Health and Care Professions Council, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Aerial picture of Falmer campus

Paddock Field 1 2023

Our leafy Falmer Campus brings researchers together from across all aspects of health science and healthcare.

Supervisors for physiotherapy PhD

We strongly recommend that you apply with the support of one of our academics. By establishing your supervisor from the early stages of application, you will be supported through the application process and can make the best start to your programme of study.

You should consider the staff listed below and create a short draft research proposal identifying your suitability for supervision from that person's research specialism and your place in the wider context of the department's research ambitions. Their contact details are available on their full profile.

Our primary staff supervising in the discipline are listed. For further information on university supervisory staff, including cross-disciplinary options, please visit

My supervisory and research interests are paediatric physiotherapy, with a special interest in physical activity and motor development in children, physiotherapy in mainstream schools, holistic management of children with long-term and complex needs (including cardiorespiratory and neurological problems). I am currently supervising 1 PhD student, 4 MSc students and 2 BSc projects, while successfully supported 16 MSc students in completing their dissertation in the past.

I would be very interested to work with students exploring aspects of professional values and behaviours, in particular compassion and fitness to practice. I would like to work with students researching how academic and placement based experience influences the development of the student as a health professional, considering aspects such as communities of practice and professional identity.

Doctoral completions

Experienced Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapists' understandings

Effects and Mechanisms of Rhythmic-Cued Motor Imagery

Nick supervises PhD students in the area of motor control, experimental psychology and cognitive and motor neuroscience. He is happy to be contacted to discuss potential projects on clinical exercise science, rehabilitation and sports and expert performance. There would be particular benefit to potential PhD students if their proposed programme of research fitted Dr Smeeton鈥檚 research interests.

I am interested in supervising qualitative research in a range of topics. I have a particular interest in phenomenology, hermeneutics, creative methods, and patient experience in long term neurological conditions. I am also currently involved in developing a programme of research into the NEUROfit programme. 聽

I supervise research in the rehabilitation field, caring practices, acute stroke care, and other timepoints along the care and rehabilitation pathway. I am interested in the healthcare provider and user experience, how they can contribute to meaningful understanding, and how research findings can translate and inform practice.聽

I supervise undergraduate and MSc students. I have been a member of a supervisory team for a doctoral study completion exploring wellbeing in cancer survivorship. I am currently a supervisor team member for a study into co-production of care, and PhD team in Finland exploring the lived experience of chronic headache and migraine.聽

Making an application

Once you have prepared a first-rate application you can apply to the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton through our . When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton staff. We strongly recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2025–26

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD
Student	Full-time fees	Part-time fees
UK	£5,006	£2,503
International (including EU)	£16,390	N/A
International students registered in the School of Humanities and Social Science or in the School of Business and Law	£14,950	N/A

PhD by Publication
Study method	Fees
Full-time	N/A
Part-time	£2,503

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the 国产吧精品福利 of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page.

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.