RESEARCH PROFILE
- RAE score: This department was created in 2012 therefore does not have a score for the 2008 RAE.
- Academic staff: 13.
- Research staff: 15.
- Visiting Professors and Fellows: Aroud 20 per annum.
Current research priorities include the social determinants of national and global inequalities in heath; social, ethical and political implications of developments in psychiatry and neuroscience, and the changing territory of mental health; social aspects and ethical aspects of advanced biomedicine and medical biotechnology, innovation and translation in genomics, stem cells and neuroscience; movements for 'people's health' in developing countries and the implications of transformations to new models of community healthcare; social, economic and policy consequences of ageing populations in developed and developing worlds; social and ethical consequences of capitalisation of healthcare.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Teaching and research in universities, government and NGOs; policy and regulation; employment in the biotech sector.
Head of group/division
Professor Nikolas Rose
Duration
MPhil: two years FT, four years PT. PhD: three years FT, four-six years PT. Research degree registration normally only allowed in September.
Location
King’s Building, Strand Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine
Closing date
None. However, students interested in applying for funding should be aware that deadlines for this differ and may be earlier, therefore applicants should view the Graduate Funding Pages at
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources/index.aspx for more information.
No set number.
Fees
CONTACTS
Contact information
General enquiry email:
sshm@kcl.ac.uk
Department Administrator:
david.hardy@kcl.ac.ukRESEARCH DESCRIPTION
Research in the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine (established January 2012) focuses on the social, political, economic, legal and ethical factors shaping developments in biomedicine, disease and healthcare and their implications.
We have research priorities in the following areas:
- global health inequalities;
- mental health, psychiatry and neuroscience;
- biomedicine, bioscience and society;
- developments in health and medical technologies, social science and aging;
- health policy and health economics;
- bioeconomies and commercial and economic factors in medical developments and health care;
- the problems of translational research;
- the definition and measurement of health and social outcomes by governments, insurers, professionals and patients.
Staff interests associated with the research programme and its research groups
Interests:
Ilina Singh is a Reader in Bioethics & Society (Social Science, Health and Medicine) and is cross-appointed to the Institute of Psychiatry. Her work examines the psycho-social and ethical implications of advances in biomedicine and neuroscience for young people and families.
Her research has several goals:
- To investigate the benefits and risks of biomedical and neuroscience technologies for children.
- To enable evidence-based policy-making in child health and education
- To bring social theory and ethical insights into better alignment with children’s social, emotional and behavioral capacities.
Dr Singh is the programme leader on the MA Bioethics & Society, which will launch in September 2013.
Current projects include:
- the VOICES project (Voices on Identity, Childhood, Ethics & Stimulants: Children join the debate – funded by the Wellcome Trust)
- SNAPBY (Survey of Neuroenhancement Attitudes & Practices Among British Young people – funded by STICERD)
- An edited volume on bio-prediction published in 2013 by Oxford University Press.
- A major project on the nature of character is in development.
Ilina’s work is published in leading scientific, clinical, bioethics and social science journals, including 'Nature', 'Nature Reviews Neuroscience', 'Social Science and Medicine', 'Child and Adolescent Mental Health' and 'The American Journal of Bioethics'.
She sits on international policy and grant-making boards, including the Scattergood Foundation Program for Behavioral Health Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, USA; and the ELSA programme of the Norwegian Research Council.
Ilina has been a consultant to health policy working groups in the US and the UK, including the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE); and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Hastings Center Working Group on Drugs in Pediatric Psychiatry. She is co-editor of the journal 'BioSocieties', and is on the Editorial Board of The American Journal of Bioethics-Neuroscience.
Ilina is a principal investigator of the project Voices On Identity, Childhood, Ethics and Stimulants: Children join the debate, a Wellcome Trust-funded research project that sheds fresh light on children’s experiences with ADHD diagnosis and stimulant drug treatments. The project interviewed over 150 children aged nine to 14 in the United States and United Kingdom using verbal, visual and standardized methods.
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Interests:
Professor Rose is Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine. He originally trained as a biologist before switching to psychology and then to sociology. After ten years at Goldsmiths College, where he was Head of Sociology and Pro-Warden for Research, he joined the London School of Economics in 2002 and was Convenor of the Department of Sociology from 2002 to 2006. He founded the BIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Society at LSE, and was its Director since its inception in 2003.
Professor Rose has published widely on the social and political history of the human sciences, on the genealogy of subjectivity, on the history of empirical thought in sociology, on law and criminology, and on changing rationalities and techniques of political power.
For the last decade, his work has focussed on the conceptual, social and political dimensions of the contemporary life sciences and biomedicine. His current research concerns biological and genetic psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience; his study of the social implications of the rise of the new brain sciences has been published by Princeton University Press as Neuro: The New Brain Sciences and the Management of the Mind.
The new Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine, located in the School of Social Science and Public Policy, will confirm King’s as a world leader in social scientific approaches to health and medicine, with innovative research and research-led teaching (at both taught postgraduate and doctoral levels) as the basis for a significant input into global health policy. A flagship interdisciplinary undergraduate programme, the BSc Global Health & Social Justice will be launched in 2014. The Department’s research in social science, health and medicine will be placed in a global context focusing in particular on the social determinants of inequalities in health and disease.
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ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
A good master's degree in a relevant subject and/or practical experience in the field of study.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The Application ProcessIf you are interested in undertaking doctoral study in our Department, in the first instance you should submit an online application via the portal. Applying online makes the process easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the postgraduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online postgraduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
You will need a fully worked draft research proposal of approximately 1,000 – 1,500 words to accompany your application, along with a personal statement.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
The personal statement should be approximately three to four paragraphs, and no more than one page. This should explain why you are interested in a particular subject, and could include, for example, details of your motivation and aptitude, your relevant experience and skills, and any other information that would be useful for us in assessing your application. In general terms, we look for candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in their chosen subject area, which should be relevent to the work of the Department and our staff, and who demonstrate the potential to conduct original research.
FUNDING
The Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine is pleased to be able to offer the following Postgraduate Research Studentships specific to our department rather than via open competition.
- King’s Annual Fund Studentship
- University of London Postgraduate Studentship
Both are open to students wishing to a pursue an MPhil/PhD programme starting from Sept/Oct 2013 and will provide funding for up to 3 years to cover home/EU tuition fees and an annual stipend which is currently set at £15,590. Overseas students are eligible for these studentships but it will not cover the full cost of their fees.
Application procedure
All applicants who submit a complete admissions application by the deadline of 28 March 2013 will be considered for these studentships.
Full details are available here
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/sshm/study/Studentships.aspx
In addition, UK and EU students can seek funding from ESRC and AHRC. Other funding sources include Wellcome Trust Medical History and Humanities Programme. Overseas students should seek funding from their national funding agencies.
Fees for the programme are as follows:
Home/EU: £4,300 (FT) £2,150 (PT)
Overseas: £15,400 (FT) £7,700 (PT)
Related programme student profile
Gerontology Research MPhil/PhDWhat I initially found most attractive at King’s College London was its central location. As my experience as a student went on, it was the staff’s availability and open-mindedness that I found most pleasant. Beyond KCL’s great reputation, the Institute of Gerontology is among the most highly-regarded research centres on ageing in Europe known both for its innovative research and track record.
King’s is a place where unconventional ideas are welcome and where personal projects are supported. I was given the chance to discuss a partnership with a private company for a PhD. King’s gave me the necessary time and advice for this project to be successfully initiated.
I am now on my way to completing my first year as a part-time PhD candidate. I spend my days between the Strand Campus for classes or meetings and Camden Town, where the company I work for (Amaris) is located.
King’s has provided me with the ideal environment to reach my highest goals.