Lived Experience Advisors - 2025 paid opportunities

PhD students at UCL are required to have a group of people, who oversee student progress and advise on the research project called a Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee includes academics with expertise in different areas of mental health research, mental health practitioners, and individuals with lived experience of mental illness.

The role of the Thesis Committee is to support the student and their supervisors during the 3-year PhD project. If selected for this role, you will be asked to attend a minimum of 6 online meetings organised by the student across the 3-year PhD project. At these meetings the student will give an oral presentation about their research, and occasionally produce a report to be read in advance of the meeting. Please see the table below for an estimated timetable and format of meetings.

Thesis Committee members have the following responsibilities:

• To meet with the student at the designated times (6 to 10 times over 3 years) throughout the duration of the PhD. Note that additional meetings may be arranged on an ad-hoc basis.
• Read written reports sent by the student prior to the Thesis Committee meeting.

Payment of £25/hour is available for lived-experienced members of the Thesis Committee, should you wish to claim it. This will typically include 1 hour of preparation time (e.g., reading documents that the student has sent before the meeting).

How to apply

If you are interested in joining a Thesis Committee as lived experience advisor, please email the student with a paragraph or two explaining why you are interested in the role and what you would like to bring to their Thesis Committee by 5pm of 2nd of January 2025, at the latest.

1. How heart signals influence cognitive and emotional processing in schizophrenia (Oliwia)

2. How young people’s social and community circumstances affect their mental health (Jasmine)

3. The relationship between chronic pain and mental health conditions (Alex)

4. How targeting inflammation could improve treatments for depression (Jehanita)

5. Loneliness among individuals with mental health difficulties (Annabelle)

6. How childhood adversity might influence relationships and affect mental health (Ritika)

1. How heart signals influence cognitive and emotional processing in schizophrenia

Hi, my name is Oliwia, and I am a PhD student at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. I am interested in the relationship between the brain and the body (particularly the heart) and how understanding it may help us understand and treat mental health conditions better.

Project Description:

The intricate connection between the brain and body plays a pivotal role in mental health, with disruptions to this relationship implicated in conditions such as schizophrenia. The brain continuously monitors signals from the body, including those from the heart, to adapt and respond to our internal and external environments. For example, changes in heart activity during systole (when the heart contracts) and diastole (when the heart relaxes) can influence cognitive and emotional processes, such as the perception of pain or fear, and even memory formation. Understanding how these heart-brain interactions are altered in schizophrenia could shed light on the mechanisms underpinning the disorder’s positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) and negative symptoms (e.g., anhedonia, social withdrawal).

My PhD will investigate how heart signals influence cognitive and emotional processing in schizophrenia, exploring whether aberrant salience—where irrelevant stimuli are perceived as significant—may have a bodily basis. By examining how the timing of heart signals affects experiences like fear perception and memory encoding, I aim to identify patterns of dysregulation unique to schizophrenia. I also hope to focus on cardiac signals during hallucinations (not only in schizophrenia), and how heart-brain communication looks like during those experiences. These insights could deepen our understanding of how body-brain coupling contributes to mental health symptoms and inform the development of novel interventions. Ultimately, I hope this work will lay the groundwork for treatments that harness the intimate interplay between the brain and body to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia.

I am keen to recruit up to 2 people (aged 18 and over) or carers of people who have experienced psychosis, schizophrenia or hallucinations to join my Thesis Committee meetings and be part of designing this research.

How to apply:

If you are interested in joining my Thesis Committee, please send me an email with a paragraph or two explaining why you are interested in the role and what you would like to bring to the Thesis Committee to oliwia.stecko.23@ucl.ac.uk by 5pm of 2nd of January 2025, at the latest.

In addition, please let me know if you would like an informal chat about the Thesis Committee or if you have any questions about the role.

2. How young people’s social and community circumstances affect their mental health (Jasmine)

Did you know that around 90% of the world’s children and young people live in low- and middle-income countries, but most research on mental health comes from the wealthiest 10% of the world?

What's the project about?

My research looks at how young people’s social and community circumstances affect their mental health, especially in parts of the world where research has been limited or overlooked. I'm particularly interested in:

• How being in a religious minority vs majority group impacts mental health in young people
• How the community environment (e.g. cohesion and trust) and social participation (e.g. in a religious community or sports club) affects young people’s mental health

Why is this important?

Understanding risk and protective factors that affect mental health in young people from different backgrounds is crucial for developing effective and appropriate mental health support. What works in one part of the world cannot simply be ‘exported’ elsewhere. 

How can you help?

I am looking for up to three lived experience (LE) advisors to join my Thesis Committee meetings (online) and advise this research. As a LE advisor, you will contribute ideas and views based on your lived experience and expertise.

Please apply if you:

• Recently emigrated to the UK (within the last 2 years) from a low- and middle-income country as listed by Wellcome
• Self-identify as having experienced, or currently experience, mental health difficulties
• Are between 18-25 years old

You are not expected to have previous research experience, but you should be willing to read research updates and reports from this project.

You should be able to receive renumeration in GBP with a UK-based bank account, to avoid delays in payment and reduced amounts due to transfer and exchange fees.

If you are interested in joining my Thesis Committee, please send me an email with a paragraph or two explaining why you are interested in the role and what you would like to bring to the Thesis Committee to jasmine.lee.22@ucl.ac.uk by 5pm of 2nd of January 2025, at the latest.

In addition, please let me know if you would like an informal chat about the Thesis Committee or if you have any questions about the role.

3. The relationship between chronic pain and mental health conditions (Alex)

Hi, I’m Alex, a PhD student at UCL researching Mental Health. In my research I aim to explore the relationship between chronic pain and mental health conditions. Chronic pain is thought to increase risk for mental health condition and vice versa. However, the biological mechanisms that link these conditions are, at present, poorly understood. Through three interconnected projects, we hope to develop new treatments for chronic pain and mental health conditions by gaining a better understanding of their shared biological risk factors.

The first project will identify, locate, and characterise the roles of genes that increase risk for both chronic pain and mental health conditions. The second project will deploy a promising new treatment approach at the intersection of chronic pain and mental health condition. The third project will focus on disturbances in specific areas of the human genome which do not code for proteins, called ‘non-coding DNA’. By analysing large genetic datasets from diverse populations, we will look for specific non-coding regions linked to pain and mental health. This could provide new insights into the genetic basis of these conditions and highlight potential targets for future treatments.

We hope that this research will build on our existing knowledge of the overlapping mechanisms that drive chronic pain and mental health, in order that we might develop better treatments in future.

Role requirements:

Applicants must be over 16 years of age and have been previously diagnosed with either a mental health condition or with chronic pain of any type to participate. We are also happy to consider applicants who experience severe recurrent headaches or migraine.

Applicants must be willing to work collaboratively with researchers to shape the direction of the programme of research and, where necessary, review documents intended for non-academic audiences to ensure they are appropriately accessible.

Applicants will not be required to share specific anecdotes related to their condition as part of the programme of research. Prior scientific knowledge is not required to contribute.

How to apply:

If you are interested in joining my Thesis Committee, please send me an email with a paragraph or two explaining why you are interested in the role and what you would like to bring to the Thesis Committee to alex.martin.16@ucl.ac.uk by 5pm of 2nd of January 2025, at the latest.

In addition, please let me know if you would like an informal chat about the Thesis Committee or if you have any questions about the role.

4. How targeting inflammation could improve treatments for depression (Jehanita) 

Hi, I’m Jehanita. I’m a PhD student at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL researching depression. My background is in psychology and neurological conditions that co-occur with mental health symptoms. I’m interested in the relationship between physical and mental health – in particular how inflammation is involved in depression. I am recruiting up to two lived experience advisors to join my Thesis Committee to advise on my research.  

About the PhD project

Depression is a common mental health condition that can significantly impact people’s lives. While we don’t fully understand all its causes, recent research suggests that inflammation in the body might play a key role in how depression develops and persists. For example, inflammation may be linked to symptoms like fatigue, changes in appetite, and loss of energy – symptoms that are often harder to treat with antidepressants. However, we don’t yet know exactly how or why this happens. My PhD research will explore these connections to better understand how targeting inflammation could improve treatments for depression. Some research suggestes that certain interventions, including exercise and antiinflammatory medications reduce both inflammation and symptoms of depression. Building on this, my first study will involve a clinical trial in which people experiencing depression participate in aerobic exercise or stretching and relaxation sessions for eight weeks. I will then measure inflammation, mood, and motivation to explore how physical activity improves mental health. In my second study, I will analyse large-scale genetic data to investigate whether medications that are used for inflammatory conditions could be repurposed to treat depression. This work will help identify specific chemical pathways in the body that might link inflammation and depression, potentially leading to new treatments.

I am looking for up to two people aged 18+ with personal experience of depression and, optionally, who have an inflammatory condition that preceded their depression, to join my PhD Thesis Committee meetings and contribute to all stages of the study. This would involve discussions about study design, recruitment, interpreting results, and sharing the findings.

How to apply 
If you are interested in joining my Thesis Committee, please send me an email by 5pm on December 29th containing 1-2 paragraphs explaining why you are interested and what you would like to bring to the Thesis Committee. You can email me at jehanita.jesuthasan.23@ucl.ac.uk
 
Please let me know if you would like an informal chat about the Thesis Committee, have any questions or if there is anything that we can do to make this opportunity more accessible for you in applying.

5. Loneliness among individuals with mental health difficulties (Annabelle)

Hi, my name is Annabelle. LinkI’m a PhD student on the UCL-Wellcome PhD Programme in Mental Health Science. I’m interested in how social factors influence mental health, and how we can develop interventions that address these contexts. My PhD explores loneliness and social relationships in people experiencing mental health difficulties, with the goal of developing strategies to enhance social recovery.

What is the PhD project about?

This research project explores loneliness among individuals with mental health difficulties. Loneliness, a gap between desired and actual social connections, is common among people with mental health difficulties and can negatively impact mental and physical health. The project aims to understand factors contributing to loneliness and how social relationships, especially friendships, are formed and maintained.

Why study loneliness in mental health?

We know that loneliness significantly impacts well-being, yet it remains underexplored in mental health contexts. By examining how social relationships, particularly friendships, are developed and sustained, we can identify challenges individuals face. The research will also explore how community spaces and social interventions can help build lasting connections. This understanding may help in developing effective strategies that promote meaningful relationships, enhance quality of life, and inform sustainable social support in mental health care.

How will the research be conducted?

In my first study, I will conduct interviews to understand how individuals with mental health difficulties form and maintain friendships. I will identify barriers people face, such as stigma and symptoms, and explore how community spaces and social programmes can help build lasting connections.

Later on, I will explore broader socioecological factors associated with loneliness across various mental health conditions. This will involve examining existing data to identify factors in the social environment that contribute to experiencing loneliness.

By using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches, my aim is to provide a comprehensive view of loneliness and social relationships in individuals with mental health challenges. I hope that this PhD will inform future interventions and strategies aimed at reducing loneliness and promoting social support in mental health care. My project is supervised by Professor Sonia Johnson, Professor Brynmor Lloyd-Evans, and Professor Francesca Solmi from the UCL Division of Psychiatry.

I am recruiting up to two lived experience advisors (LEAs) who are interested in collaborating with me on this project. I am seeking people with personal experience of all of the following: (1) using mental health services, (2) having faced loneliness or social isolation, and (3) previous involvement in research projects.

How to apply

If you are interested in joining my Thesis Committee, please send me an email by 2nd January 2025, containing 1-2 paragraphs telling me: (a) why you're interested in the role and what you hope to contribute and (b) what your previous experience in research is.

Based on the number of expressions of interest I receive, I will shortlist around 5-6 applications and schedule a brief chat online with you to check our fit to work together. After this, we will invite final applicants to be the Lived Experience Advisors for this project.

You can email me on: annabelle.olsson.20@ucl.ac.uk

Please let me know if you would like an informal chat about the Thesis Committee, if you have any questions, or if there is anything that we can do to make this opportunity more accessible for you in applying.

6. How childhood adversity might influence relationships and affect mental health (Ritika)

I’m Ritika, a PhD student at the Division of Psychology at University College London, UK. I’m currently in the second year of my PhD and working with Prof. Eamon McCrory and Prof. Essi Viding on a project about childhood trauma, our social world and mental health.

My PhD Project
Background: Although we know that experiences adversity and trauma can impact us, including our mental health, we still don’t have a clear idea why this happens. Or why some people are more resilient. We believe that one part of the puzzle relates to our social relationships with others. 
Aim: I want to better understand how childhood adversity might influence our relationships and how these in turn may affect our mental health. My hope is that this can help us learn more about what could help to prevent mental health problems emerging in some individuals and help promote resilient outcomes for those impacted by adversity and trauma. 

How I will do this: In the first part of my PhD, I will analyse existing data from thousands of people in the UK to understand if there are associations between childhood adversity, our social world and our mental health.  In the second part of my PhD, I will work with individuals who have experienced adversity in childhood looking at how their experience of the social world may be affected. In the third part of my PhD, I hope to build on the previous work to pilot a small intervention.

How you can help: I want to recruit approximately 2-3 lived experience advisors (LEAs) who are interested in collaborating with me on this project. The advisors will be people with lived experience of the topics I am interested in (see below for description) and I will seek advice from them about whether the research questions I am asking make sense, how I can collect data in a sensitive and accurate manner and how the results of my research might apply to people with experience of childhood adversity. 
The lived experienced advisors would need to start in February 2025. I will be carrying out my PhD until August 2027, but you do not need to commit to that whole length of time now.

More about the role
Who can apply? I am looking for people between 18 – 25 years old who:
- Have lived experience of childhood adversity / trauma and a mental health condition
- Have lived experience of childhood adversity / trauma but do not have a mental health condition

If you fit any of the above criteria, you can apply. While recognizing that childhood adversity and trauma can be of many different types, in this project, we are defining childhood trauma to be some experience of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and/or neglect at home or in the community. For this project, we are not looking at traumas such as car accidents or serious illnesses.

How to apply
If you want to join my PhD project, please email me at ritika.chokhani.14@ucl.ac.uk and tell me in one or two paragraphs: (a) why you're interested in the role and what you hope to contribute and (b) if you have any previous experience of doing research or being involved in research (It’s totally okay if you do not!). Based on the number of expressions of interest I receive, I will shortlist around 5-6 applications and schedule a brief chat online with you to check our fit to work together. After this, we will invite final applicants to be the Lived Experience Advisors for this project.

The deadline for getting in touch is 2nd January 2025. Please feel free to reach out to me on email if you would like an informal chat about this role or have any questions about it, before applying.