Gerontology and Ageing Studies, PhD

Swansea University

Understanding and addressing the complex issues around ageing has never been more important. In the UK over the last 25 years, the number of people aged 65 and over has increased by more than 1.5 million and globally the population aged 60 and over is growing faster than all younger age groups. Our internationally renowned Centre for Innovative Ageing (CIA) is the largest gerontology research centre in Wales and one of the largest in the UK, providing the ideal base for your postgraduate research. The CIA is also home to the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research (CADR), a multi-disciplinary research centre addressing internationally important questions in ageing and dementia. The most recent Research Excellence Framework in 2014–2021 ranked us 3rd in the UK for our research outputs. Our PhD programme also forms part of the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre for Wales, a pan-Wales collaboration to train top-level social scientists. We have extensive research expertise covering the influence of the natural and built environment on an ageing population, and care provision for the older person across such areas as social care, health care, residential care, palliative care, chronic conditions, and falls and their prevention. Students are currently exploring topics such as the impact of lifestyle on cognitive function in later life, dementia care environments, age-friendly communities for people with mobility difficulties and the driving cessation process amongst older drivers. As part of our College of Human and Health Sciences, you will benefit from a dynamic and supportive research environment with many opportunities to make connections across disciplines and develop links with organisations and policymakers both in the UK and abroad.