Psychology Doctoral Research Studentship - Colour Perception and Subjective Colour Experience (2024)

A PhD studentship is available as part of the ERC-funded project COLOURCODE’, investigating the neural basis of subjective colour experience. The PhD student will use individual differences in colour perception to explore the constraints placed on subjective colour experience by neural hardware and environment. For instance, does the presence of an extra receptor type (e.g. in women carrying a gene for anomalous trichromacy) confer an extra dimension of subjective colour experience? Can dichromats (with only two receptor types) experience the same colours subjectively as normal trichromats (with three)? Do the environments that different observers inhabit calibrate their subjective colour experience? The project will use psychophysical methods, and for interested students there is also the possibility of using EEG and/or fMRI.

The PhD student will become part of the COLOURCODE team supervised by Dr. Jenny Bosten . There is a thriving vision science community at the University of Sussex studying vision and colour perception at all levels from retinal processes in animals (e.g. Professor Tom Baden  and Professor Daniel Osorio ), to the many facets of human colour perception (Bosten and Professor Anna Franklin ), to high level cognition and consciousness (e.g. Professor Jamie Ward  and Professor Anil Seth ). The PhD student would become part of the Sussex Vision lab  and the Sussex Colour Group , benefitting from the expertise and collaboration of all researchers involved.

Please get in touch with Dr. Jenny Bosten  to talk about your application.

Eligibility

• Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master’s degree in Psychology, Neuroscience or a related discipline.
• The University of Sussex believes that the diversity of its staff and student community is fundamental to creative thinking, pedagogic innovation, intellectual challenge, and the interdisciplinary approach to research and learning. We celebrate and promote diversity, equality and inclusion amongst our staff and students. As such, we welcome applications from all, regardless of personal characteristics or background
• UK fees are covered for 3 years. International students are welcome to apply but must cover the difference (approx. £20,200) between International and UK fees themselves. International students must move to Sussex for the duration of the PhD and will not be permitted to register as Distance Learners. The studentship does not include additional funding towards the costs of visas or travel to the UK for International students.

Deadline

7 May 2024 23:59

How to apply