PhD Studentship: Developmental Psychology: Impact of Children’s Auditory Technology

Project description: Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship to study the impact of children’s auditory technology on communication in a naturalistic listening environment. The project will be based in the Paediatric Listening, Cognition and Neuroscience (PELiCAN) Lab at the Department of Psychology, Lancaster University.

Children with mild to moderate hearing loss (MMHL) are behind their peers in educational attainment and in language development through to adulthood, and do not get as much benefit from auditory technology as adults. We are seeking to recruit a curious and highly motivated PhD student to be part of Hannah Stewart’s UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship ‘Impact of Children’s Auditory Technology (iCAT)’. The overarching aim of iCAT is to provide the evidence base needed to deliver child-appropriate auditory technologies for primary school aged children with MMHL.

You will work on iCAT’s naturalistic assessment of listening project. This is a ‘blue skies’ project combining social behavioural (e.g., eye and motion tracking) and behavioural outcomes with mobile neuroimaging, to assess communication between children and a teacher in a naturalistic research classroom. This PhD studentship focuses on the social behavioural side of the project. In particular, you will be trained in hearing sciences, and eye and motion tracking study design and analysis.

You will join a multidisciplinary team of highly driven researchers from experimental psychology, auditory neuroscience, and education. The Psychology Department has a very active auditory group, including six permanent academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students. The department is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena Swan Silver Award.

The PhD candidate must have a first or upper second-class Undergraduate honours degree or Masters in a discipline relevant to the project. While we expect that this project would suit graduates from a psychology background, we are also keen to receive applications from a wide range of backgrounds that might enhance the project. The technical demands of the expected work may well suit applicants from a mathematics, computer science, or linguistics background. A demonstrable understanding and passion for psychological research is essential. Experience working with children is highly desirable, but not essential. The successful PhD candidate will need to complete an enhanced DBS check.

This PhD studentship is fully funded for up to 3.5 years with a tax-free studentship stipend of £18,622, along with paid tuition fees, subject to satisfactory progress. A budget for training and attending conferences will also be provided. Due to tuition fee restrictions, these positions are only available to applicants who are eligible for UK fee status (see https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/fee-status/ for further details).  

For informal enquiries about the project please contact Hannah Stewart (h.stewart5@lancaster.ac.uk).

Studentship start date: 6 October 2024 or 10 January 2025

How to apply: Please email the following documents to postgraduate.psychology@lancaster.ac.uk with the title “Impact of Children’s Auditory Technology PhD studentship” by 5^th June 2024.

• Two page CV
• Names and contact details of two referees. One of the references must be academic.
• One page personal statement which demonstrates the applicant’s
  • motivation for choosing a PhD project exploring the social behavioural impact of children’s auditory technology on communication in a naturalistic listening environment
  • readiness for a PhD studentship

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