Funding
Unfunded
Mapping Grief and Designing Solutions: Understanding Student Bereavement and Developing Digital Support Innovations
School of Psychology | PHD
Reference Number
EN1-Oct2026
Application Deadline
13 February 2026
Start Date
21 September 2026
Overview
This PhD project will investigate the prevalence, psychological impact, and support needs of bereaved university students in Northern Ireland, addressing a critical gap in evidence that limits how universities design effective wellbeing support. In Phase 1, the student will recruit a large cohort of bereaved students to examine how grief affects wellbeing, academic functioning, help-seeking, and service use, generating the first contemporary regional dataset in this area. In Phase 2, these findings will inform the co-design and evaluation of an AI-enhanced digital Student Grief Portal, integrating practical university guidance with a psychologically informed conversational agent to support early identification, personalised signposting, and scalable support delivery. The project offers strong opportunities for high-impact publications, digital innovation, policy engagement, and interdisciplinary funding development.
Bereavement is a near-universal human experience - almost everyone will, at some point, experience the death of someone close - yet the psychological impact of loss is shaped by complex individual, social, cultural, and structural forces. Despite this, bereavement in higher education remains critically under-researched. A recent systematic review of bereavement support in UK and Irish universities highlights limited visibility, fragmented provision, and a lack of evidence-based, student-informed pathways to care (Graham et al., 2025). It is estimated that approximately one-third of students experience the death of a close relative or friend during their studies, yet universities lack coordinated or accessible support structures (Balk et al., 2010). Kaplow et al. (2010) found that bereaved students are 40% more likely to show significant depressive symptoms than their non-bereaved peers, illustrating that grief is not only an emotional experience but one that significantly disrupts students’ academic functioning and wellbeing. Recent research suggests that 35–55% of students have experienced a death in the past two years (Hay et al., 2024), and while many adapt, up to 10% experience prolonged or complicated grief with substantial impacts on mental health, academic continuity, and retention (Hay et al., 2024). Although bereavement is widely studied in clinical and social psychology, there is a notable gap in research specifically addressing university students, particularly in Northern Ireland. Much of the existing literature focuses on children or older adults, overlooking the unique academic, developmental, and social contexts of young adults in higher education. There is currently no contemporary dataset on the prevalence or impact of bereavement among university students in Northern Ireland, making it difficult for institutions to design tailored or effective support.
This PhD project aims to address this critical gap in two phases. Phase 1 will recruit a cohort of approximately 300 (or more) bereaved students to model the psychological structure, types, and consequences of grief in university settings. It will examine how bereavement affects wellbeing, academic performance, help-seeking, service use, and students’ experience of university life, while identifying unmet support needs. This will produce the first large-scale Northern Ireland dataset characterising bereavement experiences in university students. Phase 2 will build on this foundational evidence to co-design and evaluate an AI-enhanced digital grief support tool specifically tailored for higher education. The project will develop a Student Grief Portal that integrates practical guidance on university processes (e.g., extensions, compassionate leave, hardship support) with a psychologically informed conversational agent designed to sensitively explore grief experiences, screen for symptoms such as prolonged grief disorder, depression, and anxiety, and provide personalised signposting to appropriate support. Recent evidence demonstrates that AI-mediated mental health tools can serve as scalable, low-stigma support systems for young adults, particularly in navigating complex or siloed service pathways (Feng et al., 2025). The development of this digital system offers a direct and powerful pathway to a REF Impact Case Study, with strong potential for integration into university wellbeing services, policy frameworks, and digital infrastructure across Northern Ireland and beyond.
The project aligns strongly with ESRC and NINE DTP priorities in mental health, inequalities, youth transitions, and digital innovation. NINE DTP has previously funded a PhD focused on grief, bereavement, and the use of administrative and digital data to understand loss, demonstrating clear funder interest in this domain. Finally, by generating novel empirical datasets, a co-produced AI prototype, and strong partnerships with university wellbeing services, this PhD will directly underpin a large interdisciplinary grant (>£250k) to UKRI, ESRC, MRC, or NIHR focused on AI-enabled mental health assessment, bereavement support, and digital wellbeing systems. Taken together, the project is strategic, innovative, and timely, clearly aligned with School and funder priorities for impactful, externally competitive, and scalable research.
References:
Balk, D. E., Walker, A. C., & Baker, A. (2010). Prevalence and severity of college student bereavement examined in a randomly selected sample. Death Studies, 34(5), 459–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180903251810
Graham, R., Wilson, S., & Harrop, E. (2025). The accessibility and visibility of bereavement-related support for university students in the UK and Ireland: A systematic review. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2561082
Hay, K., Breen, L. J., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2024). Bereavement in higher education: Prevalence, impact, and implications for support. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221096
Kaplow, J. B., Saunders, J., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2010). Psychiatric symptoms in bereaved versus nonbereaved youth and young adults: A longitudinal epidemiologic study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(11), 1145–1154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.08.004
Feng, Y., Hang, Y., Wu, W., Song, X., Xiao, X., Dong, F., & Qiao, Z. (2025). Effectiveness of AI-Driven Conversational Agents in Improving Mental Health Among Young People: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 27, e69639. doi:10.2196/69639
Psychology overview
The School of Psychology has a thriving, well-resourced and engaged PhD community that is central to its research environment. Students are strategically appointed to research projects with the express purpose of enhancing research capacity and development in prioritised areas for which the School aims to enhance world-leading research.
MODE OF STUDY / DURATION
Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD, or two years for MPhil (or part-time equivalent).
Course content
Research Information
Associated Research
The School of Psychology has a postgraduate research community of around 50 PhD students who are very well resourced and supported in their research.
The School has made extensive material investments in infrastructure, including two computer labs and access to several suites of dedicated research labs, to support their research.
Students are a central part of the research environment of the School and participate in School-level seminars and research meetings.
Students are expected and encouraged to publish during their PhD research and are supported in doing so through their research training.
Subject-specific postgraduate modules in research design and methods are delivered as part of the PhD training portfolio to complement the generic University training and further topic-specific research training is also available.
Other opportunities exist to attract funding from non-governmental sources. Current and previous PhD sponsors include professional services firms, international Governments, charities, and technology companies. We also welcome self-funding students on a full-time or part-time basis.
The School of Psychology at Queen's ranked in the top 10 psychology departments in the UK for research intensity in REF 2014 and provides an excellent environment in which to carry out PhD research.
One distinctive aspect of the PhD experience in the School of Psychology is the high level of spontaneous peer-support, initiative, and engagement among this community of Doctoral researchers. This is valued and fostered by the School through its support of the postgraduate conference and postgraduate week activities as well as wide-ranging involvement of research students across many aspects of School life.
Our PhD community also organizes numerous social events each year that are very popular amongst both staff and students. There is a range of sources of funding available for PhD students. Every year the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DEL) funds a number of PhD students to undertake research on pre-specified topics within the School of Psychology. These topics and the names of the associated supervisors are typically advertised online in December with a closing date in February. Last year's topics spanned research topics across Development, Social, Cognitive and Biological Psychology. Selected applicants are invited to interview and the successful candidate is offered a fully funded place with fees paid and an annual maintenance stipend for the three years of the PhD. Eligibility criteria can be found at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/delterms
Students who wish to self-fund or explore external funding sources are advised to peruse our staff webpages (http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/psy/Staff/) and to contact potential supervisors to discuss potential topics. Most students continue within academia to take up postdoctoral research positions, fellowships or lectureships in psychology. Some continue into clinical or educational psychology training while others take up research positions in the private and public sectors.
Career Prospects
Introduction
For further information on career opportunities at PhD level please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Student Recruitment Team on askEPS@qub.ac.uk.
Our advisors - in consultation with the School - will be happy to provide further information on your research area, possible career prospects and your research application.
People teaching you
Professor Donncha Hanna
Director of Postgraduate Research
School of Psychology
Course structure
-Entrance requirements
Graduate
The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Psychology from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School.
International Students
For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.
English Language Requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University, is required (*taken within the last 2 years).
International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.
For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.
Tuition Fees
| Northern Ireland (NI) 1 | TBC |
| Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2 | TBC |
| England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1 | TBC |
| EU Other 3 | £28,000 |
| International | £28,000 |
1 EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled or pre-settled status, are expected to be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB are expected to be charged the GB fee, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.
2 It is expected that EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI will be eligible for NI tuition fees. The tuition fee set out above is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.
3 EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.
All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. All fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
More information on postgraduate tuition fees.
Psychology costs
Depending on the area of research chosen there may be extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees.
Additional course costs
All Students
Depending on the programme of study, there may also be other extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies . Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £100 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges. Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen. There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, and library fines. In undertaking a research project students may incur costs associated with transport and/or materials, and there will also be additional costs for printing and binding the thesis. There may also be individually tailored research project expenses and students should consult directly with the School for further information.
Bench fees
Some research programmes incur an additional annual charge on top of the tuition fees, often referred to as a bench fee. Bench fees are charged when a programme (or a specific project) incurs extra costs such as those involved with specialist laboratory or field work. If you are required to pay bench fees they will be detailed on your offer letter. If you have any questions about Bench Fees these should be raised with your School at the application stage. Please note that, if you are being funded you will need to ensure your sponsor is aware of and has agreed to fund these additional costs before accepting your place.
How do I fund my study?
1.PhD OpportunitiesFind PhD opportunities and funded studentships by subject area.
2.Funded Doctoral Training ProgrammesWe offer numerous opportunities for funded doctoral study in a world-class research environment. Our centres and partnerships, aim to seek out and nurture outstanding postgraduate research students, and provide targeted training and skills development.
3.PhD loansThe Government offers doctoral loans of up to £26,445 for PhDs and equivalent postgraduate research programmes for English- or Welsh-resident UK and EU students.
4.International ScholarshipsInformation on Postgraduate Research scholarships for international students.
Funding and Scholarships
The Funding & Scholarship Finder helps prospective and current students find funding to help cover costs towards a whole range of study related expenses.
How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.
Find a supervisor
If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.
To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here.
You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.