Wednesday, January 7, 2009

PhD Studentships in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience of Autism School of Psychology, University of Birmingham

Funding is available for a three-year PhD studentship from October 2009, for a student interested in studying the development of autism in infants and/or children using the tools of developmental cognitive neuroscience. The successful candidate will be trained to conduct developmental research using event-related potentials (ERPs), eye-tracking technology, and clinical / behavioral assessments.


The University of Birmingham School of Psychology is a 5* RAE-rated Psychology department with excellent facilities, established research groups, and substantial external funding. Research supervision for this studentship will be provided by Dr. Joseph McCleery, and the successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art EEG/ERP equipment (http://www.egi.com), eye-tracking technology (http://www.eyelinkinfo.com), and a variety of clinical assessments, for their research. Finally, the recently established Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders provides a larger community to support research and training towards understanding autism as it relates to other neurodevelopmental disorders.

This studentship requires enthusiasm for clinically-oriented research, strong organizational and interpersonal skills, and a commitment to producing and disseminating excellent experimental research. Prior involvement with event-related potentials or eye-tracking research, and/or prior experience working with infants and children, would be a considerable advantage.

The studentship pays the tuition fee and a maintenance allowance currently £12,940 per annum. Home and international students are eligible to be considered for this studentship. This includes students without a degree in psychology but with a degree that equips them with relevant skills in neuroscience, cognitive science, computer science, medicine, or biology. Tuition fees for overseas applicants will be paid at the home tuition fee rate.

Application:
For more information, and informal discussion about the studentship, please contact Dr. Joseph McCleery (joe.mccleery[ at ]gmail.com). To obtain the Research Studies brochure and an application form, please contact Ms. Parveen Chahal (p.k.chahal[ at ]bham.ac.uk).

Requirements:
Applicants should hold, or anticipate receiving very soon as shown in supporting documents, a bachelor’s or master’s degree, diploma, or equivalent in one of the relevant fields. The Research School welcomes participation by women, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or disability.

Closing Date: February 28, 2009