PhD Studentship Opportunity - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher position (ESR3) on the DCOMM ETN

Project Title: Spatial language and joint attention in child development

PI: Dr Martin Doherty/Dr Andrew Bayliss.

DCOMM www.dcomm.eu is a new Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN). It will train the next generation of scientists in the full range of multidisciplinary and cross-sectorial methods necessary to make significant progress in understanding deictic communication, with direct synergies between basic research and application. Deictic communication is fundamental to understanding communication in both typical and atypical populations, and forms the key connection between language and objects/locations in the world.

ESR3 Project Description

This project will examine spatial language in typical development, and the relationship between the use of ‘demonstratives’, gesture, and theory of mind. Eye tracking will be used with infants and toddlers during simple play, employing tasks that will encourage children to identify objects being referred to and joint attention cues (e.g. checking the gaze of the speaker). This project will be the first to examine the relationship between demonstratives, perspective taking/theory of mind, and joint attention using a range of controlled and ecologically valid metacognitive tasks. The successful applicant will complete this programme of research at the University of East Anglia but will have the opportunity to travel to other sites hosting researchers working on the ITN.

Eligibility Criteria

Application requirements: a Degree in Psychology or a related discipline; a Masters degree in Psychology or a related discipline; Masters studies must be completed before taking up this post; fluency in spoken and written English commensurate with PhD study. It would be desirable for candidates to have experience of research with children

Informal enquiries may be addressed to: Dr Martin Doherty Martin.Doherty@uea.ac.uk


Funding Notes

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 676063.

The salary is based on the standard Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher living and mobility allowances:

Living Allowance – the sterling equivalent of EUR 3,741.33 per month;
Mobility allowance – the sterling equivalent of EUR 600 per month;
Family Allowance – the sterling equivalent of EUR 500 per month (if applicable).
Before local taxes are applied.

The following conditions apply:

The position is open to candidates of any nationality, as long as they fulfil the requirements set for Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) funded by Marie Sklodwoska-Curie actions.

Early-stage researchers shall, at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree.

Mobility Rule: at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation (UK) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date.

Entitlement to Work in the United Kingdom

Immigration legislation allows the University to apply for a sponsorship certificate for this post. Where appropriate, the University will apply for a sponsorship certificate from the Home Office UK Immigration and Visa Service on behalf of the candidate offered employment. The individual will be required to supply original documents and certificates to support this application.

Workers from outside of the EU who do not have current residency status within the UK and will require entry clearance or leave to remain approval from the Borders Agency should familiarise themselves with Tier 2 (General) of the Points Based System operated by the Home Office. Details are available at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.

See the DComm and Euraxess websites for information.

Application information:

www.uea.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research-degrees/phds-and-studentships/psychology

A personal statement is required but you are not required to write a project proposal for this particular application.

Closing Date: 12 midnight, 2 June 2016.