PhD in What's around the corner? How expectations affect visual scene processing

Primary supervisor - Dr George Malcolm 

Are you interested in understanding how we make sense of our visual world, and eager to contribute to cutting-edge cognitive science research? Then we invite you to apply for a fully funded PhD studentship. 

The project investigates how expectations help us to understand our environment. As we move through the world, we tend to have a good idea of what we will see, even before we arrive (e.g., if we walk into a cafe, we know the next scene will likely contain a front counter along with tables and chairs). Yet over a half-century of scene processing research, aimed at disentangling how the human brain can interpret our environment from basic light signals, has largely ignored the role that expectations play. The PhD studentship – funded by the Leverhulme Trust – uses an innovative combination of participant generated drawings, gaze-contingent eye tracking, and computational analysis, carried out over multiple experiments to reveal how our expectations change the way we view scenes. 

We seek highly motivated candidates with a strong academic background in Psychology, Cognitive Science, or related discipline, with a keen interest in research. Prior experience with experimental design, eye-tracking, data analysis, and coding (e.g., R, Matlab, Python) are highly desirable but not essential. The project will be supervised by Dr George Malcolm and the student will join a vibrant and supportive Psychology department in the beautiful city of Norwich, with access to excellent facilities and opportunities for professional development. 

Key Features of the Project: 

• Opportunity to tackle a cutting-edge and high-impact question in the field of visual cognition 
• Involvement in research as part of UEA’s Multisensory Brain and Behaviour Research Group 
• The chance to work with leading researchers in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment 
• Comprehensive training and support throughout the PhD 
• If you’re ready to take on a challenging and rewarding project that will advance our understanding of human visual cognition, we would be very pleased to hear from you. 

Start date

1 June 2026

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is 2.1 in Psychology; Computer Science; Neuroscience.  

Additional Funding Information 

This 3-year PhD project is fully funded by the Leverhulme Trust and open to UK and international applicants. The studentship covers tuition fees at either Home or International-fee rate and an annual tax-free maintenance stipend at the UKRI rates (£20,780 for 2025/26). Note however, that visa expenses, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), or other costs incurred by relocation will not be covered. 

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