Fully funded three-year PhD studentship - Understanding Variation in Early Speech, Language, and Communication Skills

Supervisor: Dr Sam Jones

Overview

Applications are invited for a fully funded three-year PhD studentship within the Department of Psychology at Bangor University. The studentship includes a tuition fee waiver and a stipend of approximately £17,668 per year for three years, as well as a generous research allowance. The studentship can begin between August 2023 and January 2024, but an October 1st start date is preferred.

Project

Speech, language, and communication skills are essential to human wellbeing. This project will examine factors contributing to variation in these skills during infancy and childhood. The project will be developed together with the successful applicant but should involve theoretical and applied components. Theoretical questions of interest may include the role of auditory perception, attention, working memory, prediction, statistical learning, reward, or meta-reasoning in speech, language, and communication skills. The applied component of this project may involve the development of a tool to measure or improve speech, language, and communication skills, for instance a language ability screener, a parent and teacher questionnaire, or an intervention resource. The aim is to use the theoretical insight we develop to build something that solves a real-world problem.

Requirements

Essential criteria

• First or upper second-class degree in developmental psychology or a related discipline, or significant research experience.

Desirable criteria

• A Master’s degree in developmental psychology or a related discipline.
• Experience of using programming languages such as R or Python for data science.
• Experience of running behavioural experiments with infants and children.

Research Environment

The Department of Psychology offers an excellent research environment, with a large community of PhD students and research-active faculty and facilities including a research-dedicated 3T MRI centre, TMS suite, and EEG and fNIRS laboratories. We are committed to fostering a diverse and family-friendly environment. Bangor University is situated between Snowdonia National Park and the coast, making it an ideal choice for applicants looking to combine advanced research with a love of the outdoors. In addition to immediate access to some of the world’s most beautiful mountains and coastline – plus woodlands, castles, prehistoric sites, and beautiful seaside towns – Bangor maintains close transport links to some of the U.K.’s largest cities, including Manchester and Liverpool.

How to apply

Apply via the ‘Apply’ button above.

Required documents

• Cover letter. Please describe (i) your motivation for applying for this studentship, (ii) why you are well suited to this studentship, and (iii) your aspirations beyond your PhD.
• References. All applications require two academic references.
• Curriculum vitae. No longer than two pages.
• Research Proposal. Three to four pages including background information necessary to situate the proposal, research questions and hypotheses, prospective methods for each study planned, a clear indication of what the project contributes to the existing knowledge base, and a project timeline.

Further information

Informal enquiries about the studentship should be directed to Sam Jones (samuel.jones@bangor.ac.uk).

https://www.bangor.ac.uk/studentfinance/postgraduate/funding#psychology

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