University of Glasgow Two funded studentships

April 30, 2008

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University of Glasgow

Department of Psychology

Two funded studentships

Two funded studentships are available at the University of Glasgow beginning in Autumn, 2008. Please send expressions of interest as soon as possible:

1. Making 3D faces look better

A Masters studentship, funded by the ESPRC Collaborative Training Account in collaboration with the local company Dimensional Imaging Ltd. (http://www.di3d.com/) will examine image quality in the capture of 3D and 4D (i.e. dynamic 3D) images of human faces and will link in with a new ESRC-funded large grant on social interactions. The 12-month studentship will cover fees and stipend for the taught M.Sc. programme “Research Methods of Psychological Science”, which is accredited by the ESRC (see http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/students/) with the project component being a placement with Dimensional Imaging Ltd. Departmental supervisors will be Dr. Martin Lages and Dr. David Simmons. Applicants should have a good honours degree in an appropriate subject.

Contact: Dr. David Simmons
Telephone: +44 (0)141 330 3612
e-mail: david@psy.gla.ac.uk
url: http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/staff/index.php?id=DRS01

2. The Colours of Voices: Multimodal linkages between phonetic and visual perception

The Colours of Voices is an exciting interdisciplinary research project involving linguistics, psychology and engineering. It focuses on the way some people, known as synaesthetes, regularly experience sounds as colours: hearing a musical note, or a spoken word, triggers a vivid coloured image. These unusual experiences, which may be shared to a weaker degree by the general population, offer a window onto how information from different senses is integrated in the brain.

Sound-colour synaesthesia has been researched for music and individual vowels or consonants, but not for longer-term phonetic attributes of a voice, such as voice quality and intonation. Yet lay labels for voices like ?silvery? or ?muddy? suggest strong links with colour. Vocal attributes are likely to prove an especially intriguing aspect of synaesthesia, as they are communicatively complex, conveying information about language, affect and personal identity.

This project examines whether voice quality and pitch evoke reliable colour associations in both synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes. It uses speech analysis and synthesis along with psychological experimental methods, potentially including neuroimaging. The research team includes Dr Rachel Smith (English Language), Dr David Simmons and Professor Pascal Belin (Psychology) and Dr Nick Bailey (Engineering).

The studentship is for four years and is suitable for candidates with a good first degree (or Masters) in either Linguistics (including Phonetics) or Psychology and a willingness to work as part of an interdisciplinary team.

Contact: Dr Rachel Smith
Telephone: +44 (0)141 330 5533
Email: R.Smith@arts.gla.ac.uk
URL: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/englishlanguage/staff/rachelsmith/

The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401

Scholarship Tags: funded, Scholarship, studentships, University of Glasgow