TWO fully funded ESRC PhD STUDENTSHIPS linked with the ESRC Administrative Data Research Centre England

The new Administrative Data Research Centre (ADRC) England at the University of Southampton is pleased to announce TWO 1+3 PhD studentships which will be linked to the Centre and based within the University’s ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC).  The studentships will provide up to four years’ funding (1 year Masters + 3 years PhD) including fees, Standard Maintenance Grant (currently £13,726 pa) and Research Training Support Grant (£750 pa). In addition students are eligible for the advanced quantitative methods supplement (currently £3000 pa and £250 pa respectively). High quality applicants will also be considered who have already obtained an average of 60% or more in an ESRC recognised Masters.  Applications are invited in the following topic areas to be supervised by ADRC co-investigators.  Two studentships will be awarded based on the excellence of the applicants.

Topic A: Establishing patterns of error in household and individual level consumption data

This project concerns the relationship between a range of consumption patterns and energy consumption levels. The project will review approaches to the estimation of reported 'consumption error'; combine and/or link consumption and other datasets from various sources to produce a set of experimental linked consumption datasets; develop methods to analyse the characteristics and distribution of error in reported consumption of, for example, water and energy.

Topic B: The Residential Mobility of Mental Health Service Users

The aim of this research is to enhance understanding of the residential mobility of patients receiving NHS mental health treatment.  Tracking geo-referenced patient movements via administrative sources, the project will undertake multilevel longitudinal analysis of individual and area variables to predict the numbers of moves, comparing trajectories of people with mental illness with a comparison sample of others treated for conditions that are also likely to give rise to multiple hospital treatment episodes.

Topic C: Multistage cluster sampling using geo-frame

In traditional approaches to multistage sampling design, the clusters are fixed in advance.  This PhD concerns investigation of multistage cluster sampling methodology in which geo-referenced information is incorporated into the sampling frame. The project will explore the possibility of using administrative data to perform dynamic clustering in order to minimize the intra-cluster correlation subject to the constraints of cost or work load, and thereby achieve to better trade-off between cost and design efficiency.

Topic D: Combining survey and administrative data for nonresponse investigation

This project aims to combine survey data with administrative data to analyse survey nonresponse behaviour. The project will use multilevel modelling to investigate key determinants of nonresponse and representativity indicators and to develop nonresponse adjustment methods. The project will inform survey practice on how to analyse and adjust for nonresponse using administrative data. The research will improve survey designs including adaptive and responsive survey designs.

Details of how to apply are provided on the Southampton ESRC DTC website at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/esrcdtc.  Applicants must apply to the University and submit the additional DTC form downloadable from the website. The closing date for applications is Monday 28^th February 2014 and interviews will be arranged with the short-listed applicants soon after this closing date. These studentships are for entry in October 2014.

For informal enquiries and further detail on any of these topics, contact: Prof Peter W Smith (P.W.Smith@soton.ac.uk), Director, ADRC England; or Prof David Martin (D.J.Martin@soton.ac.uk), Deputy Director, ADRC England