Two PhD student positions are available to work with Dr Massimiliano Di Luca at the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr Di Luca has recently joined the School of Psychology and is setting up a lab in the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics. The goal of the lab is to understand how the human brain processes multiple sources of sensory information for perception and action using a combination of psychophysical methods and computational modeling. The School of Psychology is one of the largest and most active psychology departments in Britain. The School ranked 3rd in the UK in the recent Research Assessment Exercise, and over £8 million of research grants and contracts are currently held. We have an excellent reputation for teaching and research with around 800 students studying a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes. http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/psychology/studyhere/postgraduate/index.aspx Two projects are currently available. The first study will involve testing human perception with audiovisual stimuli to improve our understanding of the temporal characteristics of multisensory processing. The work will combine psychophysics, EEG, and computational modeling. The second study will investigate the dynamics of multisensory perception by looking at how participants interact with objects and how they accumulate sensory information. The work will involve psychophysical studies with real and virtual stimuli and computational modeling. Applicants should be highly motivated with strong quantitative background (an undergraduate degree at 2:1 or 1st class level, or equivalent, and a master or equivalent degree in cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, computer science, physics or related areas). Good knowledge of programming (i.e., Matlab), technical skills, and experience with psychophysics are desirable. The successful candidate will have access to a new audiovisual lab, EEG equipment, and several research facilities within the Centre and the School. It is expected that the positions will start in September and they will be funded by a Marie Curie grant and by the University. Qualified candidates are encouraged to email a letter of interest before 03/02/2012 and to submit a formal application before the 10/02/2012 to be eligible for funding. For further information, please see http://massimilianodiluca.info or contact m.diluca@bham.ac.uk |