Real-World Food Choice and Children’s Dietary Health

Improving children’s dietary intake is critical to addressing childhood obesity, a public health priority – and central to this challenge is understanding the mechanisms underpinning children’s food choice.<br /> <br /> This PhD project takes a real-world approach to explore children's food choices within the school setting. By examining high-quality, large-scale data, this work will provide valuable insights into children’s food selection patterns. It will offer insights into how children choose their food - and importantly, how healthier and more sustainable choices may be supported. <br /> <br /> Ultimately, this research will generate new knowledge and understanding about children’s food choice parameters. Findings will have the potential to inform policy and practice in school food provision, both in the UK and internationally, with practical implications for food service providers. The increasing use of digital pre-order platforms presents a timely opportunity to capture detailed food choice data at scale – and this research will lay the ground for future interventions, focused on how children engage with such platforms. This work will also provide valuable knowledge on the methodological approaches relevant to large food choice datasets. <br /> <br />

<p><strong>You must contact the proposed supervisor for this project before you make a formal application. </strong></p> <p>A formal application for research degree study should then be made online through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">University's website</a>. You will need to create a login ID with a username and PIN:</p> <ul> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{125}" paraid="1717955186">For ‘Application type’ please select ‘Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate’. </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{131}" paraid="1941411394">The admission year for this project is 2026/27 Academic Year.   </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{137}" paraid="1823221166">You will need to select your ‘Planned Course of Study’ from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select ‘PhD Food Science and Nutrition Full-time’.   </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{143}" paraid="754352421">The project start date for this project is October 2026, please use this as your Proposed Start Date of Research. </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{149}" paraid="202248598">Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is ‘Real-World Food Choice and Children’s Dietary Health’ as well as <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/food-nutrition/staff/7164/dr-hannah-ensaff">Dr Hannah Ensaff</a> as your proposed supervisor. </li> </ul> <p paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{155}" paraid="812110430">If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below). </p> <p paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{161}" paraid="1891516213">More information on how to apply is available on our website <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">here</a>. You will need to provide copies of the following documents:</p> <ul> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{172}" paraid="1858125611">a personal statement for this project, which outlines your interest in the project, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{178}" paraid="877561217">your CV </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{184}" paraid="1448270499">certificates and transcripts of all academic qualifications </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{190}" paraid="932080590">English language qualification certificates </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{196}" paraid="1315959137">visa and immigration documents, if applicable </li> <li paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{202}" paraid="226045984">funding information – sources of funding that you are applying for (e.g. government scholarship), or if you are able to pay your own fees and maintenance  </li> </ul> <p paraeid="{cc558561-e300-45f5-a898-3bd20c9a5968}{161}" paraid="1891516213"><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability. </em></p>

Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline.

For start dates from September 2026, the minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study in the School of Food Science and Nutrition is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid.

<p><strong>This is not a funded project, but you can apply for funding separately. Self-funding students are also welcome to apply. </strong></p> <p><strong>Please note that in addition to the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-fees/doc/research-degrees-fees" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tuition fee</a> for the programme there will also be a <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-fees/doc/postgraduate-research-bench-policy" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">bench fee</a> of £3,000 per year for this project. </strong>  </p> <p paraeid="{3d04e34c-3522-40f3-8630-c6f14cbc41d0}{171}" paraid="1993701339">Funding opportunities for Home students – The <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/209-leeds-doctoral-scholarships-2026" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Leeds Doctoral Scholarship</a> and <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/234-leeds-opportunity-research-scholarship-2026" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship</a> are available to UK applicants.  <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/60-alumni-bursary" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Alumni Bursary</a> is available to graduates of the University of Leeds. </p> <p paraeid="{3d04e34c-3522-40f3-8630-c6f14cbc41d0}{194}" paraid="629442306">Funding opportunities for International students –The <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/48-china-scholarship-council-university-of-leeds-scholarships-2021" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">China Scholarship Council - University of Leeds Scholarship</a> is available to nationals of China. <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/60-alumni-bursary" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Alumni Bursary</a> is available to graduates of the University of Leeds. </p>

<p>For further information regarding the project, please contact Dr Hannah Ensaff by email (<a href="mailto:H.Ensaff@leeds.ac.uk">H.Ensaff@leeds.ac.uk</a>). You must contact Hannah before making a formal application.</p>