The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
When we hear another person talk, we very quickly form a first impression of who we think that person might be and what they are like: Are they an adult or a child? Polite or rude? Attractive? Clever? These first impressions may be fleeting but have been shown to affect our behaviour, in that first impressions from voices have been linked to how we decide to vote, who we would hire in a job interview, and how harshly we would sentence someone in court.
While there is some research examining how listeners form first impressions from healthy, adult voices, many questions remain unanswered. As part of this PhD project, you would examine how listeners perceive information about a person from their voice.
Possible research questions or areas of interest include but are not limited to:
• How do listeners form first impressions formed from voices that would not be considered to be part of the healthy adult population? For example, how are pathological voices, child voices, or synthetic/artificial voices perceived?• When and how do listeners move from a first impression when initially meeting a person to a second and more lasting impression after more exposure?• How does personal taste contribute to first impressions and how do individuals differ in how they evaluate other based on their voices?• How do different types of information shape our first impressions? For example, when and how does information from a face, the words a person says or general contextual cues affect impressions?• Are there ways in which listeners can change first impressions?
As part of this PhD project, you would be mainly using behavioural studies to answer these questions. Depending on your interest, there is, however, scope to also engage in acoustic analysis, electrophysiological recordings (EEG), and computational modelling of behavioural or acoustic data.
If you are interested in any of these questions, please get in touch with Dr Nadine Lavan (n.lavan@qmul.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.
This studentship is open to students applying for China Scholarship Council funding. Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses for 4 years and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must be:- Chinese students with a strong academic background.- Students holding a PR Chinese passport.- Either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas.- Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese QMUL graduates/Masters’ students are therefore eligible for the scheme.Please refer to the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English Language ability. Please see our English Language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Nadine Lavan at n.lavan@qmul.ac.uk
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 31st January 2024 for consideration, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. You must meet the IELTS/ English Language requirements for your course and submit all required documentation (including evidence of English Language) by 14th March 2024. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements. Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship by in March 2024 with the support of the supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CSC can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme. For further information, please go to: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/china-scholarship-council-scholarships.html
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