PhD support
Not content with transforming research, our Behavioural Science Lab also plays a critical role in delivering transformational research-led education.
Opportunities to design, conduct and analyse experiments can be pivotal in the early stages of academic careers which is why we provide funding to support research students.
Each year we allocate a total of £25,000 in ‘seedcorn’ grants [link to page 4c] allowing junior researchers to conduct pilot studies which we help them scale up to attract external funding.
How ‘seedcorn’ grants have transformed PhD research
Gabriele Navyte is a student in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Social and Economic Research. She was inspired by working as a visiting carer to study how affectionate touch impacts physiological health among older adults.
Attracted by its ability to test multiple participants and collect data from several psychophysiological markers simultaneously, Gabriele used the Lab’s biometric testing equipment to study how people responded to videos of hugs.