Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014) and an outstanding 66% of the work of Loughborough’s academic staff who were eligible to be submitted to the REF was judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, compared to a national average figure of 43%. In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career. Very short stature-for-age, or stunting, is an indicator of chronic undernutrition and, if not curbed early in life, will leave permanent and damaging physical, cognitive, and developmental traits. The impact of growth stunting on cardiovascular health of children, and its repercussions in adulthood, needs to be established. Stunted children, besides lacking in height, also lack in muscle mass, energy expenditure efficiency, work capacity, cognitive abilities, and show compromised brain structure and function. They will, most likely, become stunted adults with a higher risk for overweight and non-communicable diseases. Existing research on cardiovascular health and stunting only focus on: i) stunting as a result of heart conditions detected prenatally/at birth, or ii) stunting as a precursor of type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and hypercholesterolemia. These are proxies of cardiometabolic health but we need to ascertain how stunting affects the heart and vascular structures and function. Aims: i) to assess and quantify the effects of growth stunting on the cardiovascular health; ii) to investigate how stunting in childhood affects cardiovascular health in adulthood; iii) to investigate the intergenerational (matrilineal) effects of stunting on the cardiovascular health of the children. This project will focus on stunted populations in Latin America; therefore, verbal and written fluency in Spanish is desirable. Fieldwork, during the 2nd year of studies, will be required either in Mexico and/or Guatemala.