Cravings, Cycles, and Moods: Tracking the link between Diet and Women's Health with AI and smartphones. MRC GW4 BioMed DTP PhD studentship for 2026/27 Entry, Department of Psychology Ref: 5652

Supervisors

Lead Supervisor:  Dr Natalia Lawrence - University of Exeter - Department of Psychology.

Co-Supervisors:

Dr Cassandra Lowe - University of Exeter - Department of Psychology.

Professor Gemma Sharp  - University of Exeter - Department of Psychology.

Dr Louise Millard - University of Bristol - MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit.

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP is offering up to 17 funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2026.

These four-year studentships provide funding for fees and stipend at the rate set by the UK Research Councils, as well as other research training and support costs, and are available to UK and International students.

About the GW4 BioMed2 Doctoral Training Partnership

The partnership brings together the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff (lead) and Exeter to develop the next generation of biomedical researchers. Students will have access to the combined research strengths, training expertise and resources of the four research-intensive universities, with opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary and 'team science'. The DTP already has over 90 studentships over 6 cohorts in its first phase, along with 80 students over 4 cohorts in its second phase.

The 122 projects available for application, are aligned to the following themes;

• Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair

• Neuroscience and Mental Health

• Population Health Sciences

Applications open on 1 September 2025 and close at 5.00pm on 20th October 2025.

Please note that we may close the application process before the stated deadline if an unprecedented number of applications are received– check our website for details.

Studentships will be 4 years full time. Part time study may also be available.

Project Information

Research Theme:  Population Health Sciences

Summary:

Are you passionate about women’s health and behaviour change? Join our cutting-edge research project examining the relationship between diet, mental health and well-being, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and perimenopausal symptoms across the menstrual cycle. In this project you will combine innovative smart technology and the latest AI-based food tracking apps to understand the impact of dietary behaviours on PMS and perimenopausal symptoms and develop skills highly valued in FemTech and diet and health industries. 

Details:  

This project uses novel methods including self-tracking technology and apps to understand the relationships between women’s menstrual and mental health and diet.

The menstrual cycle can substantially impact individual health and well- being, and this relationship can worsen as an individual enters perimenopause. Worldwide, up to 80% of people who menstruate report experiencing PMS, a set of symptoms that occur in the luteal phase, including cramps, bloating, anxiety, low mood, and irritability, while Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a recognized psychiatric condition that has many of the same symptoms as PMS but with severe functional impairment and effects on quality of life. Both PMS and PMDD can substantially reduce an individual’s quality of life, limit work capacity, and lead to absenteeism from school, work, and social activities (Liguori et al., 2023; Delara et al., 2012). Moreover, the pain associated with menstrual cramps can impact mood and sleep quality, further exacerbating PMS symptoms. From mid-life, between 70- 80% of people with ovaries suffer from perimenopausal symptoms, including emotional changes, poor sleep, night sweats, and hot flushes, so severe that they seek medical care. In 20-30% of perimenopausal women, these symptoms are so severe that they significantly impact their mental health, personal relationships, ability to work and complete everyday tasks, and overall well-being and life satisfaction. Annually, more than 1.5 million outpatient healthcare visits, and 26-33 million prescriptions, are attributed to perimenopausal symptoms (Cunningham et al., 2025).

Despite the clear impact of PMS and perimenopausal symptoms on women’s health and well-being, many women do not consult a doctor while experiencing these symptoms, which has been attributed to medication avoidance. Many women do not want to or cannot take hormonal-based contraceptives or therapies – the standard prescription for PMS and perimenopausal symptoms – leading to women trying their own alternative remedies. While there is some evidence that following a healthy diet (e.g., limiting ultra-processed foods rich in refined carbohydrates or fats, and reducing alcohol intake) can help prevent and manage menstrual and perimenopausal related symptoms, there is a limited amount of research in this area. As such, several questions remain unaddressed or unanswered, including: (1) How does typical diet (e.g. healthy plant-based diet index scores) affect PMS and perimenopausal symptoms within and between-people?; (2) Are there changes in diet quality across the menstrual cycle and how are these related to symptoms (bidirectionally)? ; (3) Can dietary intervention reduce the severity of these symptoms and lead to improvements in mental health and well-being? Smartphone apps and wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, fitness trackers) make it possible to collect quality, prospective, real-time data on dietary choices, menstrual symptoms, and emotional states across the menstrual cycle to address these questions. 

Aims and Objectives

Over the course of the studentship, the student will have the opportunity to work on several research projects designed to address these aims and objectives. Depending on their interest, existing skills, and career aspirations the student may choose to develop any one of the aims/objectives outlined below in more detail (in consultation with supervisors). The research provides an excellent opportunity to develop skills that are highly valued in the FemTech and nutrition and health industries and to become one of only a few global experts in EMA based methods. In Year 1, the student will prep a scoping or systematic review related to this topic.

Key research objectives/questions (student can choose 2-3 to focus on as part of a larger study):

Year One: Systematic review and pilot study. The student will develop and pilot an approach to combine AI-based dietary assessment (Fueld) and EMA measures to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using these methods in diverse participants. This will involve assessing participants' experiences during the study and willingness to participate in similar future studies, and the quality of the collected data such as the amount of missing data. It could also include developing approaches to best analyse these repeated-measures data, or how feasibility / acceptability varies across demographic groups.

 Year Two: Conduct a larger study combining the Fueld app with EMA measures to capture dietary intake data, menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms and psychological outcomes. This will involve assessing how food cravings fluctuate across the menstrual cycle, and whether these cravings result in changes in dietary behaviours that exacerbate PMS and perimenopausal symptoms?

Year Three: Intervention study, e.g., assessing how adopting a plant- based diet during Veganuary or abstaining from alcohol during Dry January impacts PMS and perimenopausal symptoms and well-being across the menstrual cycle.

Funding

This studentship is funded through GW4BioMed2 MRC Doctoral Training Partnership. It consists of UK tuition fees, as well as a Doctoral Stipend matching UK Research Council National Minimum (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26, updated each year).

Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per annum is also available.

Eligibility

Residency:

The GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP studentships are available to UK and International applicants. Following Brexit, the UKRI now classifies EU students as international unless they have rights under the EU Settlement Scheme. The GW4 partners have agreed to cover the difference in costs between home and international tuition fees. This means that international candidates will not be expected to cover this cost and will be fully funded but need to be aware that they will be required to cover the cost of their student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD.  All studentships will be competitively awarded and there is a limit to the number of International students that we can accept into our programme (up to 30% cap across our partners per annum).

Academic criteria:

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences.  Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English requirements:

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements for the University of Exeter by the start of the programme. Please refer to the details in the following web page for further information https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/englishlanguagerequirements/

Please check the relevant English Language requirements of the university that will host the PhD project.  

Data Protection

If you are applying for a place on a collaborative programme of doctoral training provided by Cardiff University and other universities, research organisations and/or partners please be aware that your personal data will be used and disclosed for the purposes set out below.

Your personal data will always be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations of 2018. Cardiff University (“University”) will remain a data controller for the personal data it holds, and other universities, research organisations and/or partners (“HEIs”) may also become data controllers for the relevant personal data they receive as a result of their participation in the collaborative programme of doctoral training (“Programme”).

Further Information

For an overview of the MRC GW4 BioMed programme please see the website www.gw4biomed.ac.uk

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of medical sciences, computing, mathematics or the physical sciences. Applicants with a lower second class will only be considered if they also have a Master’s degree. Please check the entry requirements of the home institution for each project of interest before completing an application. Academic qualifications are considered alongside significant relevant non-academic experience.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements for the University of Exeter by the start of the programme. Please refer to the relevant university website for further information.  This will be at least 6.5 in IELTS or an acceptable equivalent.  Please refer to the English Language requirements web page for further information.

Please check the relevant English Language requirements of the university that will host the PhD project. 

How to apply

A list of all the projects and how to apply is available on the DTP’s website at gw4biomed.ac.uk.  You may apply for up to 2 projects and submit one application per candidate only.

Please complete an application to the GW4 BioMed2 MRC DTP for an ‘offer of funding’.  If successful, you will also need to make an application for an 'offer to study' to your chosen institution.

Please complete the online application form linked from our website by 5.00pm on Monday, 20th October 2025.  Please note that we may close the application process before the stated deadline if an unprecedented number of applications are received– check the DTP’s website for details and updates

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be notified from Tuesday, 23rd December 2025.  Interviews will be held virtually on 27th and 28th January 2026.  

Further Information

For informal enquiries, please contact GW4BioMed@cardiff.ac.uk

For project related queries, please contact the respective supervisors listed on the project descriptions on our website.

Summary