PhD Studentship: Illustration in Healthcare Decision-Making
Cardiff School of Art and Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University are delighted to offer a four-year fully funded Lles studentship on: Embedding illustration in the co-production of an infection prevention and control decision aid for people with Cystic Fibrosis
The studentship is part of the AHRC-funded Lles project, which will fund 28 studentships across Wales’ universities. This studentship will commence in October 2026.
Lles is a consortium of all Wales’ universities, working in partnership with Welsh public and third-sector bodies. It will fund and train PhD students to investigate issues relating to wellbeing through the arts and humanities. Lles is a Welsh word that means ‘benefit’ or ‘wellbeing’. Its use here captures both how Lles students will benefit from training and career development and how their research on wellbeing will be for the benefit of wider society in Wales and beyond.
Lles and its studentships are guided by the ambition, principles and requirements of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This legislation is globally unique and obligates Welsh public bodies to set objectives and take steps to improve the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of Wales against seven goals: prosperity, resilience, equality, health, cohesive communities, vibrant culture and Welsh language, global responsibility. Lles seeks to use the arts and humanities to meet and understand these goals.
Lles will fund 28 PhD studentships over 4 cohorts. Lles studentships will explore and demonstrate how the arts and humanities can contribute to a healthy planet, people, and places. At the project’s heart is the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015. This unique legislation was designed to improve the wellbeing and sustainability of people and places in Wales. The underpinning goal of Lles is to work with and take forward that vision. All its students will receive bespoke training delivered in collaboration with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales about the Act, its five ways of working and how these can be used in public life and policy. Every Lles student will undertake a sustained placement with a Welsh public body where they will develop their research and employment experiences.
Project overview
This interdisciplinary PhD will explore the use of illustration, with the illustrator acting as a conduit between patients and medical providers, to coproduce a patient-facing decision aid that will support Shared Decision Making (SDM) in relation to new Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) recommendations for people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).
CF is a genetic disorder that causes damage to the lungs, pancreas and other organs in the body, affecting over 11,000 people in the UK. People with CF are highly vulnerable to specific harmful bacteria and need to take additional precautions to reduce their risk of infection. For example, people with CF are strongly discouraged from meeting each other in-person (unless they live in the same household) due to risks associated with cross-infection. This impedes the authentic sharing of experiences, creating a need to enable indirect communication between patients.
SDM is a collaborative process where healthcare professionals and patients work together to make health decisions. Research indicates that embedding illustrators as part of a multi-disciplinary team can support the authentic co-production of SDM aides by empathetically capturing patient experience, empowering patients to consider and communicate their preferences, values and needs with their healthcare teams.
With new international guidelines for CF IPC due in 2026, decision-making tools are needed to support individuals with CF and their healthcare teams to tailor the implementation of new recommendations to individual needs.
For this PhD, the successful candidate will work with co-production groups at the All Wales Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, including healthcare professionals, individuals with CF and their families.
Focussing on one key element of the new CF IPC guidelines, this research will test a model for integrating narrative illustration into the development of SDM aids. This will follow a two-stage approach to (1) engage in an iterative, in-depth process based on knowledge exchange, trust, communication and empathy to develop and illustrate SDM aids and (2) conduct a mixed-methods evaluation assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the model.
The PhD will be supervised by Dr Rhiannon Phillips and Dr Debbie Savage and advised by Amelia Huw Morgan.
Placement
All Lles students are required to undertake a placement that totals at least three months. For This project, the placement will take place at the All Wales Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, University Hospital Llandough. It is the only adult centre in Wales and provides specialist, multi-disciplinary care, including pharmacy, physiotherapy, dietetics and clinical nursing to over 350 patients with CF. Supported by Dr Jamie Duckers, the placement will provide the student with:
- First hand-experience of how the unit operates, clinician and patient experience, as well as experiences of working with small teams to effect change within a larger organisation.
- Provide links to Health and Care Research Wales, the CF Trust, and established international research and clinical networks
- Provide opportunities to link with patient and healthcare professionals’ education and training activities.
The placement will also provide valuable insights into the phenomenological implications of working with illustration to build meaningful sensitive experience and explore new research methods examining the experience of illustration, alongside philosophical phenomenology, and human science practice
Applicant webinar
A webinar for applicants will be held on 3 March at 4pm. This will be an opportunity to go over the Lles project and ask questions.
Register for the applicant webinar.
Entry Criteria
To receive Lles studentship funding, you should have qualifications or experience equivalent to an UK honours degree at a first or upper second-class level, or a masters. Students with non-traditional academic backgrounds are also welcome to apply.
This studentship is available to home and international students. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Lles is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all. We welcome applications from all members of the global community irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
Assessment
Short-listed applicants will be invited to interview. As part of the interview process, applicants will be asked to give a short presentation and answer a series of panel questions. Interviews may be held in person but should also be available through Zoom/Teams for all students who wish to participate in that way.
How to apply
Applications, including all required documents, must be received by 27 March 2026 to csadresdegrees@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
Your application must include:
- CV - This may be in a narrative form, demonstrating how your lived experience, educational and/or work journey showcases your potential
- Statement outlining your interest in this project, your ideas for it and your suitability to undertake it (2 pages max)
- Academic or professional references (candidates must approach referees themselves and include references with their application. The reference must detail the applicant’s research strengths).
- Degree certificates and Transcripts (including translations if applicable)
- If relevant, proof of English Language Competency
Due to the volume of applications received, incomplete applications will not be considered.
Following the selection process, the successful candidate will be invited to enrol onto our PhD programme via our Self-Service application portal. Here you will be required to complete Cardiff Metropolitan University’s application form and upload all supporting documentation.
Funding
The studentship funded by the AHRC covers tuition fees, an annual tax-free living stipend of in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £21,805 for 2026-27 full-time) and includes access to a Research Training Support Grant. Full and part-time applications are welcomed. If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.
This studentship is funded as part of a wider doctoral focal award funded by the AHRC entitled ‘Lles’.
Enquiries
General queries to be directed to the Lles central mailbox PGR-Lles@swansea.ac.uk
Project specific queries to be directed to Dr Rhiannon Phillips or Dr Debbie Savage