PhD Studentship: What is the Impact of AI-Adaptive Sensory Environments on Child Behaviour and Cognition?

Background and Proposed Work

AI-assisted technologies are being developed to allow real-time adjustments of sensory environments for children and young people with sensory sensitivities. However, the mechanisms by which these could support educational engagement and cognitive development are not well understood.

This project will combine cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology, psychophysiological measurement and AI-informed algorithms to test whether sensory adaptive cognitive paradigms promote learning and engagement. The core question is whether cognitive tasks that use AI to adapt to children’s arousal level and consequently alter the immediate sensory environment are advantageous for cognitive outcomes.

The PhD candidate will lead on developing the VR-arousal adaptive system, and testing how real-time task adaptation to sensory arousal impacts engagement and performance in pre-school children (~4-6 years) with varying levels of sensory sensitivities.

Candidate Requirements

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who is interested in child development and the role of sensory sensitives on learning and well-being. Candidates are required to have a high 2:1 (≥65 pass mark) or 1st class undergraduate degree in a psychology, neuroscience or computer science, along with a MSc which included a substantial research component using quantitative data analysis and statistics. The candidate should also have an understanding of theories of the mechanisms and consequences of over/under arousal. Candidates should have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, and be able to work both independently but also be part of and contribute to a broader research team.

Given the nature of the project, the candidate should have good programming skills (e.g., in Matlab, Unity) and experience collecting data in child populations. We are willing to consider candidates who have either, rather than both, of these two crucial criteria if well justified in the cover letter.

Applicants should provide a CV and a cover letter via the Birkbeck PhD Psychology application portal (indicate on the application you are applying for the AI-Informed Sensory PhD with supervisor Carter Leno). The cover letter should detail why they think this topic is important, give one or more brief examples of how they picture key hypotheses could be tested, and why they are a suitable candidate to complete the project.

This studentship covers PhD tuition fees at home level and provides a tax-free living stipend (comparable to UKRI levels for 2026). The PhD will commence in October 2026.