About the Project
This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.
Understanding what another person is feeling is one of the most fundamental abilities in human social life. The ability to “read” another’s emotions shapes empathy, informs judgements about others' intentions and personality, and guides how we respond to their distress or celebration. Altered emotion perception, in contrast, is a feature of schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, and is linked to real-world outcomes such as impaired social problem-solving and difficulties forming relationships. Yet, the neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning it remain poorly understood.
Research has long assumed that people would simply detect another’s emotions from the specific movements of their facial muscles, assuming that distinct emotional expressions are unambiguously linked to underlying emotions. However, evidence has increasingly undermined this view (e.g., Barrett, 2017). Facial expressions are more variable and ambiguous than assumed, heavily shaped by context, and interpreted differently across cultures. This project builds on an alternative account, which reframes emotion perception as a process of hierarchical (Bayesian-like) inference. On this view, perceivers hold internal models of what another person is likely feeling, generated from prior knowledge, context, and cultural experience. These models are continuously verified against the sensory evidence, so that our understanding is kept in check by how the other person actually behaves (e.g., they smile after negative news).
The studentship will test whether emotion perception follows these Bayesian principles, combining behavioural, computational, and electrophysiological methods. Work will begin by establishing qualitative signatures of predictive updating in how people judge emotional faces in different situations, before quantifying computationally how prior expectations and sensory evidence are combined. EEG/ERPs will be used to trace the time-course and identify neuronal markers of this inference process, testing whether components associated with prediction and prediction-error signalling track the hypothesized process. Together, this will provide some of the first direct neural and computational tests of predictive processing accounts of face emotion perception.
The project is suitable for candidates with a psychology/neuroscience background and a willingness to develop skills in experimental design, computational modelling and EEG analysis. Prior experience with programming (e.g., R, MATLAB, or Python), signal processing, or modelling is an advantage. They will be supported by an expert team in social perception and predictive processing (Bach), emotion perception (Jackson) and EEG (Rommers). They will be part of the vibrant lab culture of the supervisors, and the world-class research environment at the School of Psychology.
This project is available for part-time study (Home/UK students only).
Interested applicants should contact the lead supervisor to discuss the project prior to applying. You can do this by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry. Alternatively, you can search for the supervisor through the University of Aberdeen staff directory and email them directly.
ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.
We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.
All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Terms and conditions for training funding – UKRI.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
For full details and to download the application form, visit: https://biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply
Please note that you may only apply for one EASTBIO project.
1. Application submission
Submit your complete application by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026 to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.
Send your application as a single email with the subject line: “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”
2. Required documents
Your application email must include the following:
- Completed EASTBIO application form
- Academic certificates and transcripts
- Two references (one reference may be non-academic)
3. References
All references must be provided using the official EASTBIO reference form (available here).
References can be either:
- Included with your application, or
- Sent directly by referees to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk with the subject line: “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”
All references must be received by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure both references are submitted by the deadline, as we cannot request them on your behalf.
Important notes
- No research proposal is required.
- Do not include any additional documents (for example, school certificates, conference papers, or dissertations).
- Incomplete applications or those including unnecessary materials will not be considered.
- Due to workload constraints, we are unable to follow up on missing documents or process incomplete applications.
- All candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application.
- We will confirm receipt of your applications upon processing. Due to the high volume of applications, this may not be until after the deadline. We ask that you please refrain from contacting us regarding updates or to see if your application has been received.
For any questions or assistance with the application process, please contact smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.
Funding Notes
This fully funded, four-year PhD project is offered as part of a competition within the EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. The opportunity is open to both UK and international applicants, although the proportion of international students recruited through the EASTBIO DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI BBSRC.
EASTBIO studentships provide a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (estimated at £22,437 for the 2027/28 academic year), a training grant of £5,000 per year for the first three years (and £1,500 in the fourth year), and a travel and conference allowance of £230 per year.
Please note that EASTBIO is unable to fund visa costs or associated healthcare surcharges for international students.