The Role of Sweet Taste Preferences in Food Reward, Appetite, and Body Weight

About the Project

The School of Psychology invites applications from prospective postgraduate researchers who wish to commence study for a PhD in the academic year 2026/27 for this Scholarship. The award is open to full-time candidates (UK only) who meet the eligibility requirements for a PhD degree in the School of Psychology. The PhD is funded through the American Beverage Association.

Wider Context: The use of sweeteners to replace sugar remains controversial with calls for long-term studies. The SWITCH trial studied the impact of sweetener use during and after weight management in a large cohort of individuals over 2 years.

The Project: This PhD explores how individual differences in sweet taste preferences—specifically, how much people like and want sweet flavours—may influence their responses to low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) and their subsequent effects on food choices, eating behaviours, and body weight.