Location
Stratford Campus, University of East London

Hours
Full Time (Part time study available at 0.6FTE)

Salary
Funding covers tuition fees (approx £5,000-8,000 per year) and a stipend set at the ESRC/UKRI rate for London Universities (£22,780 p.a) for full-time study. Part-time stipend is adjusted accordingly (£13,668), lasting up to 5 years.

About the Role
A fully funded PhD position is available at the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY) at UEL, focusing on the project titled “How engagement with complex screen media is reshaping early cognitive development and attention systems.” This research addresses a fundamental question in developmental science: how shared reading between caregivers and young children supports early learning and the interpersonal neural mechanisms underpinning these benefits.

Shared reading is a dynamic, interactive process where caregivers adapt speech, gaze, gestures, and pacing in response to children’s attention and behaviour, creating optimal learning opportunities. This PhD project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms supporting these interactions using dual-brain EEG and behavioural measures to provide a mechanistic account of how shared reading supports early learning.

The successful candidate will work within a team of 20 researchers at ISEY, led by Prof. Sam Wass and supervised by Dr. Ira Marriott Haresign. The role involves knowledge exchange and dissemination activities, including sharing findings with teachers and early years practitioners through articles, events, and training sessions. This position is ideal for candidates passionate about bridging research and practice.

Experience
Applicants must have a first or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree and preferably a Masters in a relevant discipline. While psychology graduates are preferred, candidates from related fields such as computer science, educational psychology, or media analysis are encouraged to apply. Experience working with children is highly desirable. Familiarity with programming and data analysis tools is preferable, as the project involves advanced quantitative data analysis, with support provided.

Experience with eye-tracking, EEG, and associated data analysis tools is highly desirable. Candidates should have an interest in auditory or visual attention, speech and language processing, arousal, and EEG. The successful candidate may also use custom-built wearable devices and analyse multi-streamed timeseries data. The project may involve virtual reality and motion tracking methods.

While some remote work is possible, candidates must be willing to be based at the ISEY lab in Stratford, London for at least 50% of the time, with daily presence required during data collection periods.

About You
You should be motivated to undertake a PhD and passionate about early childhood development research. You will be enthusiastic about translating scientific findings for non-scientific audiences and engaging with educators and practitioners. Strong communication skills and a collaborative attitude are essential.

Qualifications
First or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree required. A relevant Masters degree is preferred. No additional qualifications are mandatory, but relevant experience and skills as outlined above will strengthen your application.