ProPASS: harmonised device-based epidemiology of movement and sleep for chronic disease prevention

Work inside the world’s largest harmonised thigh-worn accelerometry consortium on the methods and analyses that turn raw sensor data into prevention evidence. ProPASS (the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium) pools harmonised, thigh-worn accelerometry and health outcome data from cohorts across Europe, Australia and North America. Thigh-worn devices distinguish sitting from standing and from stepping, and capture sleep, which conventional wrist or hip measurement cannot do reliably. This makes ProPASS uniquely placed to answer questions the field has been unable to settle. This project offers a choice of directions: aetiological analyses of posture, stepping and sleep in relation to cardiometabolic, cardiovascular, cancer or mental health outcomes; methodological work on harmonisation, measurement error, federated and pooled analysis, and compositional or substitution modelling; or machine learning for behaviour and posture recognition and for risk prediction from raw signals. The candidate joins an established international collaboration, with opportunities to work directly with consortium partners, contribute to multi-cohort papers, and present at international meetings. This is a strong fit for students who want a methodologically demanding, highly collaborative PhD with clear translational reach into physical activity guidelines and prevention policy.