Scholarships and funding

The Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex is pleased to announce an interdisciplinary PhD studentship available focusing on the theme ‘Being in the other’s shoes – Social cognition in babies and robots’.

 In a highly interdisciplinary environment, the PhD student will investigate the role of embodiment in social cognitive development by formulating computational theories, testing them through experimental studies with infants, and closing the loop by re-enacting the experiments with state of the art robots available in the Essex robotics lab.

The applicant will also have the opportunity to perform empirical studies and computational modelling on social intelligence to examine disorders of social cognition (lack of engagement, inability to adopt others perspective) and validate the architecture in end user environments (for example robotic companions in homes, hospitals etc.). The University’s centre for Brain Science accounts for one of the most comprehensive and equipped laboratories for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in the UK, which has been featured in the media.

Supervisors: Dr Vishuu Mohan, Dr Dimitri Ognibene, Dr Maria Filippetti, Dr Silvia Rigato

Application deadline: 24 August 2018

The Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Biological Sciences at the University of Essex are pleased to announce a PhD studentship available in “Rapid 3D reconstruction of coral ecosystems from multi-camera imagery”.

By using camera systems taking images from multiple angles, compelling 3D models of coral reef structures can be built using a photogrammetry technique called “structure from motion”. An alternative is a technique known as “visual SLAM”, which runs in real time. By adopting elements of both techniques, this studentship will develop a hybrid approach to support marine surveying, in particular for threatened coral reefs. For example, by producing 3D models of reefs, biodiversity can be monitored in ways that are currently not possible using manual measurements taken in-situ by divers.

Supervisors: Dr Jon Chamberlain and Dr Adrian Clark, with regular input from Professor David Smith and Dr Philippe Laissue

Application deadline: 20 July 2018

The Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex are pleased to announce a PhD studentship available in ‘Learning to move: exploring neural signatures of motor learning for brain-computer interfacing’.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to help movement rehabilitation. However, one problem with this technology stems from our incomplete understanding of how our brains change as we learn to move. This means current BCI protocols are based on static neural markers of movement production, which are, in reality, constantly changing.

This studentship will begin by investigating the neural basis of motor learning. We will then apply this knowledge to create more effective BCI protocols for movement rehabilitation.

Supervisors: Dr Ian Daly and Dr Gethin Hughes

Application deadline: 20 July 2018

The Schools of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Essex are pleased to announce a PhD studentship available for the multidisciplinary project “Online interpretable real-time EEG analytics for the rapid interpretation of brain processes, clinical diagnosis and disease management”.

This project will involve the development of computational intelligence methods and data visualisation for Cognitive Neuroscience studies involving electroencephalography (EEG). The student will design and develop machine learning models that objectively deal with uncertainty, partial truth and ambivalence inherent in brain responses that reflect recognition of specific sensory stimuli or current observer state, while putting emphasis on expressiveness and interpretability of the learned models. This novel computational framework will be intelligible by psychologists, health practitioners and mental health professionals, and will help make neuroscientific data accessible to untrained observers (e.g., students, media, general public).

The applicant will also get the opportunity to perform experimental research in cognitive neuroscience specifically in multisensory processes involving somatosensation (embodiment). The University’s centre for Brain Science houses state-of-the-art equipment to measure physiological responses.

Supervisors: Dr Javier Andreu, Dr Helge Gillmeister, Dr Hani Hagras

Application deadline: 24 August 2018

The expansion of the Internet has brought about an exciting research area full of unexplored, well-motivated research directions. Its use as a primary computing platform has changed the way computation is now performed. In many contexts, reaching an outcome or a collective decision depends on information that is privately controlled by several agents, who have an interest in the actual outcome that will be realized. As a result, any individual agent might benefit, to some extent, by falsely reporting his private information. This, in turn, can greatly affect the performance of the overall system.

The goal of this project is to explore settings of strategic interaction in the intersection of computer science and economics: To what extent does the behaviour of the individual agents affect the overall outcome? Can the agents be motivated towards a more desirable behaviour? Algorithmic Game Theory is a perfect tool to model and analyse such competitive situations. It can be applied to examine the incentives of users in several different contexts like scheduling, block-chain applications, or finance, among others.

Supervisors: Dr Maria Kyropoulou and Dr Carmine Ventre

Application deadline: 24 August 2018