FYI

A 3-year PhD studentship is available in the School of Psychology at Bangor University commencing in January 2013. A highly-motivated and creative student with strong written and oral communication skills, and preferably experience with human neuroscience techniques (fMRI, TMS, EEG) is required for this position. The project is part of ongoing research in the Social Brain in Action Laboratory (SoBA Lab), which explores the cognitive and brain systems that underpin our ability to understand the actions and mental states of other people.

Project description

Appreciating the meaning of social interactions depends crucially on understanding others’ identity. To date, neuroimaging studies have examined separately how we perceive features of other people, such as their bodies, beliefs and attitudes. As such, it is not known how multiple features of a person are integrated in the brain to form a holistic understanding of a person’s identity. The aim of the current project is to use fMRI and connectivity analyses (e.g., PPI, DCM or Granger) to measure the influence of distinct brain regions on each other during social perception. By doing so, the project will build a more coherent picture of how multiple brain circuits interact when we make sense other people’s behaviour (for further discussion see Ramsey, van Schie& Cross, 2011, Cognitive Neuroscience).

SoBA Lab

The SoBA Lab is an international research group housed in the School of Psychology at Bangor University, which offers access to outstanding facilities for Social / Cognitive Neuroscience. Furthermore, Bangor is situated in a beautiful region of North Wales close to Snowdonia National Park, which provides a wonderful natural backdrop to professional activities.

Informal enquiries regarding the PhD position can be directed to Richard Ramsey (r.ramsey [at] bangor.ac.uk) and further information about the SoBA Lab is available at: www.soba-lab.com. Guidelines for formal applications will be published in due course.

---------------------------------- Richard Ramsey, PhD Lecturer School of Psychology Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (WICN) Bangor University Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2AS, UK