Research outlines from potential supervisors : PhD : ... : School of Psychology : �鶹��ý of Sussex

Research outlines from potential supervisors

Below are research outlines from PhD supervisors who are particularly interested in recruiting a PhD student for entry in September 2025. Entry in January 2026 or May 2026 might also be possible. You are advised to contact a potential supervisor by email to introduce yourself, and discuss your research ideas, before submitting an application. Please consider writing a research proposal around the listed project or topic area.

Supervisors are listed alphabetically by Surname.
Unless stated that ‘This studentship has guaranteed funding’, an entry below does NOT mean that the supervisor is guaranteed to be able to offer a fully funded PhD studentship. These individual studentships will be advertised on our Prospectus very soon and each will have its own closing date.
Applicants are otherwise encouraged to apply for a Psychology Doctoral Research Studentship (UK and International/ UK BAME); closing date Friday 13 December 2024, which are advertised on our Prospectus.

If a supervisor you are interested in working with does *not* have an entry below, you are still welcome to contact them to ask if they are interested in your research proposal. Please see the links below for our research groups:

Dr Sam Berens (Cognitive Psychology / Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience)

Modelling individual differences in learning, conceptual understanding and generalisation

Why do we learn some types of information more easily than others? Why do people differ in how quickly they grasp new concepts and solve unfamiliar problems? The ability to rapidly learn new information, identify hidden patterns, and generalise knowledge to new situations are key features of general intelligence. Despite their importance, we still understand little about how these abilities develop and why they vary so widely among individuals. Neural network models offer a powerful framework for investigating the brain systems that support learning, conceptual knowledge, and generalisation. However, these models have not yet been applied to explain the differences in learning and problem-solving abilities observable across various contexts and individuals.

In this PhD project, you will develop models of learning to account for these differences. You will then test the predictions of these models using a range of techniques, including behavioural data analysis and functional neuroimaging (fMRI).

Contact Dr Sam Berens to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Subject area: Cognitive neuroscience of learning and memory Keywords: Learning, Conceptual knowledge, Generalisation, Modelling, Individual differences

Prof Chris Bird (Sussex Neuroscience; Cognitive Psychology)

Why do you and I remember things differently?

Have you wondered why some people can remember an event in vivid detail while others only remember the gist of what happened? To answer these sorts of questions, my research group studies memory "in the wild", using videos, games and stories to investigate how the brain processes lifelike situations. In this PhD, you will be able to use a combination of fMRI data, memory test scores and questionnaire data to investigate why different individuals remember events in different ways. This project is a collaboration between Sussex and the �鶹��ý of Cambridge and Boston College (USA).

For more information, see our project website The Episodic Memory Group or contact Prof Chris Bird to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Dr Daniel Campbell-Meiklejohn (Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience; Cognitive psychology)

A PhD with The Social Decision Lab

The Social Decision Lab is open to PhD applications this year.  You are welcome to discuss and propose empirical projects relating to social choices, associated biases and their neural basis (including empathy and cooperative, altruistic, teaching, anti-social, and moral choices).  Such interests overlap with our study of social information avoidance, social learning, anxiety, social inequality and cultural differences.  On a separate research track, I also research the cognitive effects of antidepressant medications. I will train you in methods of behavioural measurement, task design, psychophysiology, neuroimaging, computational models, and psychopharmacology using our dedicated testing space.  All PhDs from our lab have graduated to exciting research positions. Collaborative, co-supervisory, and interdisciplinary arrangements can also be made within the School of Psychology and with labs of The Brighton and Sussex Medical School, The Institute for Developmental Studies, and Global Studies.

Please contact Dan C-M by email initially daniel.cm@sussex.ac.uk to discuss your application.

Prof John Drury (Social Psychology)

Crowd psychology and collective behaviour

This PhD research could be on one of two topics:

1. Social influence between collective action events. Recent research has examined how collective action events spread from location to location. This research would look at the role of local meta-perceptions and other sources of local normative influence among participants in a wave of riots or protests.

2. Audience experience and behaviour at live events. Recent research has explored changes in audience and artist behaviour at live events, and the industry is looking for solutions from psychology. This research would look at topics such as safety, show-pauses, and collective self-regulation at events such as festivals and small gigs.

These research projects would involve mixed methods (e.g., interviews, ethnographic observations, questionnaire survey, experiments). See more on our work on this topic at our project website or contact me directly at j.drury@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Matthew Easterbrook (Social and Applied Psychology)

Using social psychology to reduce educational inequality

Some groups of pupils have worse educational outcomes than other groups. My research group investigates how school and classroom practices can ignite psychological processes—such as feelings of threat, disengagement, belonging uncertainty, and identity incompatibility—that can contribute to some groups’ poorer educational outcomes, and how we can use social psychology to intervene to support pupils and reduce educational inequalities.

This PhD research project will be in this general area but could take several directions. It could:

investigate how stereotypes and bias can manifest in the education system (e.g., among parents or teachers, see ), and how to reduce them (e.g., see /research/projects/rated/projects).
- investigate which classroom practices threaten or empower different groups of pupils (related to ).
- evaluate the impact of a recent policy change in Brighton and Hove, which gives priority to pupils from low-income households in the secondary school admission procedure (see ).

If you are interested in doing a PhD with in these (or a related) area, please get in touch with him at M.J.Easterbrook@sussex. You can read about some of the work he is doing with schools here:

Prof Andy Field (Research Methods - The work will be hosted by the Centre for Open Science and Research Reform)

The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) estimate that around 60,000 of social science students will experience a significant Mathematics component within their degree, with a further 150,000 experiencing some mathematics. According to a recent Higher Education Academy (HEA) survey of UK universities, in psychology alone, 100% of students experience quantitative methods/statistics modules with 79% of programmes having an approach to psychology that is mainly quantitative. In addition to its ubiquity in non-STEM degree programmes, statistics is a useful life skill: the increasing citation of statistics by journalists and politicians makes critical thinking about statistics a key transferable skill.

Within the context of game-based learning there is little research that explores how the principles of good games specifically influence statistical learning. Does it help to have a narrative that the student finds personally relevant/engaging? How do intrinsic and extrinsic motivation interact? Will lowering the consequences of failure increase confidence and improve engagement? This project aims to take a principled approach to designing, implementing and evaluating a game-based learning environment for teaching statistical concepts that are core to first year level non-STEM degree programmes.

I will also consider supervising other projects in the area of open science, application of statistical methods, and statistics education.

If you are interested in doing a PhD in this area please contact to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Dr Sean Figgins (Social Psychology)

Social identity in recreational sport and exercise groups

I am interested in supervising PhD projects that look at how we can get the most out of sport, exercise, and physical activity groups to enhance performance and health. I would be interested in supervising PhDs that look at social identity processes in:

Recreational sport, exercise or physical activity groups – Broadly such research would explore the positive and negative impacts of identifying with such groups and how we can maximise the positive benefits of these groups, with a particular focus on how these groups can facilitate well-being.
In-person or online exercise contexts – This research could look at how social identification might impact participants experiences with transient exercise groups (e.g., exercise classes that last for a fixed period or where group members regularly change) or explore online exercise to understand the role of social identification in such contexts. Additionally, this research could explore outcomes including engagement, attendance, and perceived benefits of exercise attendance.

Such topics could be explored using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods. If you are interested in these suggestions (or a related area) please do get in touch with Sean at s.figgins@sussex.ac.uk to discuss a potential application

Dr Elian Fink (Developmental Psychology)

Supporting children and families flourish at the transition to school

The transition to school is an exciting milestone for young children but it comes with many challenges as children are confronted with new routines, expectations, and social interactions. The extent to which children ‘successfully’ transition to school has been shown to have implications for their future wellbeing, school engagement, and academic outcomes. and as such it is worrying that in recent years between 10 – 20% of children are starting school with existing emotional and/or behavioural problems that will make the transition difficult. It therefore important to understand the features of the child, parent and school that together support children to have a successful transition to Reception.

This PhD research project could examine one of more of the following questions;

What are the different strategies undertaken by schools and parents to support children transition to Reception?
How do child-level and parent-level characteristics together support a child’s successful transition to school?
What do teachers perceive as the successful ‘ingredients’ that make up a successful school transition programme and what are the gaps in the current UK provision

Relevant publications:

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact at e.fink@sussex.ac.uk to discuss their proposal prior to submitting an application.

Dr Darya Gaysina (Clinical Psychology)

Youth mental health in the Global South

Most mental health problems have their first onset in childhood and adolescence. Therefore, preventive interventions for the early period of the life course (from pregnancy through adolescence) are critically important. Approximately 90% of children and adolescents live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however mental health research in the Global South is very limited.

The PhD proposals should focus on either a) understanding risk factors and mechanisms that underlie youth mental health problems in LMICs, or b) developing interventions to promote youth mental health in LMICs. The projects that consider specific issues relevant to LMICs settings (e.g., low literacy, malnutrition, early pregnancy, high burden of infectious disease) and/or propose to use an interdisciplinary approach are particularly welcome.

Depending on the project needs, the successful candidate will be supervised by a team of experts with a complementary set of skills.

You are encouraged to contact Dr Darya Gaysina at d.gaysina@sussex.ac.uk to discuss your research proposal

Dr Matthias Gobel (Social and Applied Psychology)

The Social Psychology of Economic Inequality

Economic inequality, the growing gap between those who have more and those who have less, is one of the key challenges of our time. It increases competitiveness, reduces wellbeing, and polarises our society. In everyday life, we are exposed to economic inequality in various ways (e.g., a housing estate opposite a multi-million-pound family home, a smart-dressed businessman passing a homeless person, going out with friends and not being able to afford the cocktail). This PhD research project provides an exciting opportunity to join a larger lab group (we have regular lab meetings, and ongoing research collaborations across four continents) that investigates economic inequality and socio-hierarchical differences in psychology. The different research projects in our lab try to understand when and where people experience economic inequality, how it makes them feel and what we can do about them.

Interested candidates are encouraged to email with their CV and an idea for a research proposal. He will then set-up an introductory meeting on Zoom to discuss shared research interests.

Dr Rona Hart (Social and Applied Psychology)

Positive Psychology / Positive Work and Organisational Psychology

I am a researcher in Positive Psychology with expertise in Positive Work and Organisational Psychology, a sub-domain of Positive Psychology that explores applications of positive psychology in organisations. I am open to different research ideas either in Positive Psychology generally or in the work and organisation sub-domain. 

I'm currently pursuing research projects that have the potential for a PhD expansion:  

Work based positive psychology interventions. 
Prosocial organisational behaviours. 
Testing the novel PERMA+4 work wellbeing model.
Bullying and harassment at work

Positive Economic Psychology / Economic Psychology

Recently I launched a novel interdisciplinary domain - Positive Economic Psychology, a field that integrates Economic Psychology and Positive Psychology. 

I'm currently pursuing several research projects in this area that can be expanded:  

The predictors financial wellbeing. 
Work, financial behaviours and financial wellbeing. 
Testing novel interventions for the financial behaviour domain.
Money beliefs, financial behaviours and financial wellbeing.

In terms of research methods, I use a variety of methodological approaches, and keen to use big data techniques. 

Please get in touch with me to discuss your application: rona.hart@sussex.ac.uk
Further details about me are available here:

Dr Henry Hogh (Research Methods)

The use of assumption checks in psychological research with smaller samples

The project is interested in investigating common methods for assessing assumptions for use of parametric tests, and how reliable and valid such checks are with use of small sample sizes commonly found in psychology.

If you are interested in doing a PhD in this area please contact to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Professor Jessica Horst (Developmental Psychology)

Understanding how children learn and remember words

The at the �鶹��ý of Sussex is open to PhD applications this year. My research investigates early child language acquisition, especially word learning, using a variety of methods from traditional word learning tasks to touchscreens to shared storybook reading. We are interested in both the environmental aspects of language development that hinder or facilitate word learning as well as the underlying attentional and cognitive processes that allow children to grow their vocabularies. Most studies focus on typically developing children with implications for children with speech and language delays or developmental language disorder. All WORD Lab PhD students have completed on time and immediately progressed to fulltime employment in academia or another setting of their choice.

Relevant publications:

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact to discuss possible topics in this area and their proposal prior to submitting an application.

Dr Donna Jessop (Social and Applied Psychology)

Might positive psychology hold the answer to reducing sleep disturbance in menopause?

The central importance of sleep for health and wellbeing has recently been recognised and poor sleep represents a risk factor for a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including premature mortality. Critically, research to date indicates that the menopause transition can adversely affect sleep quality and quantity.

Positive psychological constructs such as mindfulness, self-compassion, gratitude and optimism have repeatedly been associated with better sleep outcomes in the general population, but it is less well understood whether they might similarly benefit sleep during the menopause transition.

The initial goal of this PhD would be to identify variables that facilitate good quality and quantity sleep among people going through the menopause, with a particular focus on positive psychological constructs. Subsequent studies are likely to involve the development of interventions to promote better sleep among this at-risk population.

This project would suit a candidate interested in sleep and wellbeing who has a background in psychology. Candidates should have skills in research methods and - ideally - experience in designing experiments. Please get in touch with me to discuss the project further.

Please contact Dr Donna Jessop to discuss this project: d.jessop@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Theodoros Karapanagiotidis (Cognitive Psychology; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience)

Exploring Brain Function & Ongoing Experience

My lab's research focuses on the neural mechanisms supporting ongoing conscious experience, as well as the functional hierarchy of the human brain, information flow, neural trait-state interactions, and their associations with behaviour and dispositional traits. Some key questions include, for example: How do thoughts relate to brain functioning and well-being? How do neural signals propagate across the brain, and how might this be associated with different cognitive functions? How do neural priors and dynamics relate to behaviour, task performance, and learning? We address these questions using multiple neuroimaging modalities (i.e., structural, functional, and diffusion MRI, TMS, and E/MEG) and analysis techniques (i.e., machine learning algorithms).

Projects typically involve acquiring data from cohorts of neurotypical adults and include multiple elements, such as behavioural testing, neuroimaging, programming, and methods development. Additionally, we have a keen interest in conducting studies on clinical populations with mental health disorders, aiming to translate theoretical and computational findings into clinical practice, which, with the use of Artificial Intelligence, has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients.

would also be very happy to discuss any ideas that align with the above objectives, if you are interested please get in touch at t.karapanagiotidis@sussex.ac.uk prior to submitting an application.

Dr Eisuke Koya (Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience; Sussex Neuroscience)

Changes in food desirability and the impact of food cues

Stimuli or ‘cues’ associated with food, such as fast-food signs and advertisements powerfully control our behavioural and emotional responses. For example, encountering the ‘Golden Arches’ may make one crave for a hamburger and seek it out. However, our responses to food cues are also controlled by the desirability of food. Thus, we may react less to the Golden Arches after consuming several hamburgers and feel sated, i.e. when the rewarding value of food is devalued. Recently, we found that mice react less to sucrose cues following its excessive consumption (Sieburg et al., 2019), as observed by reduced sucrose seeking behaviour. This reduction was also associated with reduced neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens, a brain structure that is important for reward. But which brain areas might coordinate these changes in nucleus accumbens activity and the diminished reactivity to food cues? The aim of this project is to reveal the wider brain circuitry linked to the nucleus accumbens that interprets changes in the desirability of food and the resulting decreased impact of food cues. A combination of techniques such as immunohistochemistry and state-of-the-art in vivo neuroscience methods, such as fibre photometry and optogenetics will be used here to reveal these mechanisms.

Reference:

Sieburg MC, Ziminski JJ, Margetts-Smith G, Reeve HM, Brebner LS, Crombag HS, Koya E. Reward Devaluation Attenuates Cue-Evoked Sucrose Seeking and Is Associated with the Elimination of Excitability Differences between Ensemble and Non-ensemble Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens. eNeuro. 2019 Dec 10;6(6):ENEURO.0338-19.2019. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0338-19.2019. PMID: 31699890; PMCID: PMC6905639.

Dr David Leavens (Biological Psychology)

Visit for an overview of his research interests. He is interested in considering applicants for a PhD in September 2025. If you are interested in doing a PhD with David please contact him at davidl@sussex.ac.uk to discuss your research proposal prior to submitting an application.

Dr Kathryn Lester (Developmental and Clinical Psychology)

School Absenteeism and Emotionally-Based School Avoidance

The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic has created a perfect storm for children’s school attendance, with growing circumstantial evidence for a rise in emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA). While absence rates have increased and show no signs of returning to pre-pandemic levels, accessing psychosocial interventions for EBSA has become increasingly difficult due to access bottlenecks in specialist mental health care settings. We have developed and piloted ISAAC (Intervention for School Anxiety and Absenteeism in Children), a brief, blended parent-led intervention designed to improve attendance and reduce anxiety about attending school.

The successful student would have the opportunity to develop and refine ISAAC. Possible research avenues include: a systematic review of existing interventions and/or patterns of absenteeism, developing intervention content targeted at high-risk groups (e.g. families with children with SEND, children from low-income families, children experiencing the transition to secondary school); exploring peer-led coaching models, developing related content for children and school staff.

Relevant publications:

This project would suit a student interested in:

applied developmental, educational and clinical psychology research
adult and/or child mental health
intervention development

The student should :

have experience of/willingness to use mixed methods/participatory approaches
have strong academic writing, organisational and interpersonal skills

If you are interested in doing a PhD in this area please contact at k.lester@sussex.ac.uk to discuss your research proposal prior to submitting an application.

Dr Liat Levita (Biological Psychology)

Neuroscience of adolescent development and mental health

*** This studentship has guaranteed funding***

Are you passionate about exploring the adolescent brain? Join the Developmental Adolescent Neuroscience Lab for a PhD focused on neural mechanisms behind emotional, cognitive, and mental health changes during adolescence. Our lab uses EEG, MRI, MRS, psychophysiology, and behavioural testing to study typical and atypical development.

As part of your application, you will submit a research proposal. You can tailor it to our focus areas: neural mechanisms underlying adolescent anxiety, cortical plasticity, adaptive or maladaptive development, and adolescent brain responses to threat and fear. Alternatively, you can propose a topic aligned with the lab’s broader objectives.

Candidates should have a solid background in psychology and/or neuroscience. Ideal applicants will have prior research experience in neuroscience, brain imaging, and/or programming. If you are passionate about advancing adolescent neuroscience and improving young people's well-being, please register your interest with at L.Levita@sussex.ac.uk prior to submitting an application. Please include a brief outline of your research interests, experience, and your CV so we can discuss potential PhD projects and develop a proposal that aligns with both your interests and the lab's goals.

Dr Dominique Makowski (Cognitive Psychology; Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience)

Cognitive Neuropsychology of Conscious and Unconscious Perception of Reality (PhD at the Reality Bending Lab)

The Reality Bending Lab researches reality perception, fake news, illusions, fiction, deception, altered states of consciousness, self-control and more, by recording signals from the body (ECG, EDA…) and the brain (EEG). We analyse data using advanced computational modelling (Bayesian stats, chaos theory, mixed models…), and we also develop open-source tools and software to improve neuropsychological science.

Examples of research projects:

Technical skills that you will be trained during the PhD typically include:

Neuroimaging and Physiology: EEG and bodily signals recording and analysis (EDA, ECG, …)
Advanced statistics and data science (mixed models, Bayesian stats, …)
Programming (Python, R, Julia) and reproducible research

Candidate requirements include having:

A taste for exploring complicated questions about Human nature
A willingness to learn new skills
A sense of respect for the teachings of Master Yoda

More details and info about alternative funding opportunities at:

Dr Faith Matcham (Clinical Psychology)

The use of digital technologies to improve the measurement and management of health.

I am a Health Psychologist and digital mental health researcher, interested in mental/physical comorbidity, and how we might use technology to improve how we measure and manage health.

I work on a range of projects covering the use of different technologies applied to different clinical populations. I conduct observational (using wearable devices and smartphone sensors to measure change over time and predict outcomes) and interventional (using digital technologies to deliver evidence-based therapeutic content) research. I welcome applicants with their own idea which aligns with my existing work, and will supervise quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods proposals.

For applicants interested in alcohol use and addictive behaviours, I also have an opportunity to collaborate with an industry partner, using app-collected psychometrics to predict response to a digital alcohol reduction intervention.

Selected publications:

The relationship between wearable-derived sleep features and relapse in Major Depressive Disorder. Doi:
The association between persistent cognitive difficulties and depression and functional outcomes in people with Major Depressive Disorder. Doi:
Qualitative exploration of the psychological and social factors associated with loneliness in later life. Doi:
What impacts the acceptability of wearable devices to detect opioid overdose in people who use(d) opioids: A qualitative study. Doi:

If you are interested in doing a PhD in this area please contact at F.Matcham@sussex.ac.uk to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Alexa Morcom (Cognitive Psychology, Biological Psychology, Sussex Neuroscience)

How the brain shapes memory retrieval in youth and ageing

My lab’s research focuses on human memory for events in youth and ageing. This year I’m keen to recruit PhD students with an interest in cognitive and brain ageing. We use brain imaging and behavioural methods in humans, combining traditional with multivariate and model-based analytic techniques such as machine learning and representational similarity analysis (see profile and publications e.g. and ].

The project will investigate how people select and modify memory retrieval to suit their needs. Bringing to mind the right memory can involve mental control or external memory cues. Older people may make greater use of external cues, so understanding these trade-offs can help us to understand how best to support memory in later life (see this ). You will have the opportunity to learn advanced EEG and/or fMRI brain imaging methods, apply them to tasks designed to assess memory control and use them to test theories of cognitive ageing. This will allow you to explore when and how control dynamically modifies representations in memory brain networks.

Contact to discuss this project prior to submitting an application.

Raquel Nogueira Arjona (Clinical psychology)

Transforming mental health and substance use support in Higher Education: A co-production and co-implementation framework

Are you interested in understanding the challenges young adults face during the transition to university? This project aims to understand the interactions between mental health, substance use and academic success in young adults, and to develop evidence-based and inclusive support strategies using digital technologies and a community-centred approach. This initiative will develop a co-production and co-implementation framework that places students, staff, and stakeholders at the heart of innovative, practical solutions.

This position is based at the REAL Lab, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of experts in mental health, developmental psychology, and higher education.

What We’re Looking For:

A strong academic background, ideally in psychology or a related field, interested in applying to the scheme or .
A keen interest in developing research skills in diverse qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
A passion for supporting emerging adults through evidence-based, co-produced interventions.
We are interested in supporting international and BAME students who approach this project from an equality, diversity and inclusion perspective.

This is an outstanding opportunity to conduct high-level research while making a meaningful impact on the lives of students navigating the complex university transition.

If you are interested in this project and would like to discuss your research proposal, please contact Dr. Raquel Nogueira-Arjona at R.Nogueira-Arjona@sussex.ac.uk or Dr. Pablo Romero-Sanchiz at P.Romero-Sanchiz@sussex.ac.uk.

Dr Anna Rabinovich (Social and Applied Psychology)

Social psychology of cooperation around shared environmental resources and sustainability

My research focuses on attitude and behaviour change, primarily in the area of environmental sustainability and cooperation. I approach this challenge from the perspective of group processes and communication, often as part of interdisciplinary collaborations. For example, I’ve been conducting projects on:

the role of collective identification in cooperation around shared natural resources (such as East African rangelands, , , )
the value of group-based feedback for motivating sustainable change (e.g., )
effective communication of climate change science (e.g., , ).

I welcome PhD students who are interested in sustainability, cooperation, group processes, attitude and behaviour change, social influence, understanding and perception of science, and communication. If you have an idea for a PhD project in any of these areas, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and I’ll be happy to work with you on shaping the project. A.Rabinovich@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Rim Saab (Social and Applied Psychology)

The Social Psychology of Collective Action/Meta-science in Social Psychology

I am interested in a) intergroup relations, particularly the social psychology of collective action and resistance, and b) the meta-science of social psychology, particularly the global power systems that affect social psychological knowledge production.

For both research topics, I am interested in applying these questions to the Arab region. I welcome applications specially by Arabic speakers, and I welcome projects using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Please contact me by email to have an initial discussion of your application: r.saab@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Ryan Scott (Cognitive Psychology)

Understanding cognitive and physiological mechanisms of anxiety

Anxiety is experienced as a complex mix of cognitive, affective, behavioural, and physiological factors. If we can better understand the processes that underpin anxiety, we can go on to develop treatments that target these processes. This PhD will employ experimental psychopathology techniques to explore novel ways that we can target and manipulate cognitions (e.g. cognitive biases/inhibitory control) and physiological processes (e.g. heart rate variability) and explore how modifying these processes may affect symptoms of anxiety.

The PhD would be co-supervised by Dr Fran Meeten a Clinical Psychologist and Visiting Lecturer in the School in the School of Psychology.

Further information on supervisors here:

Dr Ryan Scott:

Dr Fran Meeten:

Prof Julia Simner (Cognitive Psychology; Individual Differences)

Neurodiversity in the 5 senses: Special populations with sensory differences

is a psychology professor who works with special (rare) populations who experience the 5 senses in remarkable ways. The sensory differences she studies include: synaesthesia (a type of ‘mering of the senses’), misophonia (unusual aversion to everyday sounds like chewing, and tapping), sensory sensitivities (over- or under-responding to the senses), aphantasia (absence of visual mental imagery, so a 'blind mind's eye'), dysikonesia (absence of multisensory imagery), and subgroups within autism (notably, savantism and objectophilia). These ostensibly disparate groups are united by the fact they have differences in their 5 senses, accompanied by altered brain structure and function. In her research she asks 3 broad questions: How do we process the sensory world? How do special brains do this in special ways (i.e., people with sensory differences)? And how might we support adults and children with sensory differences?

I am open to co-supervision arrangements with other Sussex faculty, such as Jamie Ward, Sophie Forster, Giulia Poerio etc. My research pages give more information on misophonia () and synaesthesia ()

Dr. Özden Melis Uluğ (Social and Applied Psychology)

The Conflict and Collective Action Lab run by Dr. is open to PhD applications this year. You are welcome to discuss and propose empirical projects relating to (1) conflict analysis and resolution (e.g., how can conflict narratives be used as interventions?; how can victimhood narratives be facilitators of and barriers to conflict resolution?) and (2) collective action and allyship (e.g., what motivates costly allyship?). I also supervise gender-related projects (e.g., feminists’ actions to challenge gender inequality) as long as your proposed topic aligns with the two research lines outlined above. At our lab, you will have the opportunity to learn about qualitative methods, quantitative methods and mixed methods. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD students and co-supervise undergraduate dissertations with me. Please contact me by email initially to discuss your application.