University of East London

Stratford Campus, London, United Kingdom

The University of East London (UEL) is inviting applications for a fully funded PhD position at the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY). The research project, titled “How Engagement with Complex Screen Media is Reshaping Early Cognitive Development and Attention Systems,” focuses on investigating the impact of screen media content on children’s socio-cognitive development, attention systems, learning, and self-regulation.

This interdisciplinary research project seeks to address critical questions surrounding children’s engagement with complex screen media in naturalistic home environments. The project will explore how different forms of screen content influence learning outcomes, emotional regulation, attention, and long-term information retention. The successful candidate will contribute to research involving advanced methodologies such as EEG, eye-tracking, physiological monitoring, behavioural recordings, and analysis of multi-streamed time-series data.

The PhD will be based within ISEY at the Stratford Campus and supervised by Dr Ira Marriott Haresign and Dr Pierre Labendzki under the leadership of Professor Sam Wass. The successful candidate will join a collaborative team of approximately 20 researchers working on developmental science and early childhood research initiatives. There is flexibility for the candidate to help shape specific aspects of the project, including study design, child age groups, and outcome measures.

The role also includes knowledge exchange and dissemination activities aimed at bridging research and educational practice. The candidate will engage with teachers, early years practitioners, and wider public audiences through articles, presentations, online training, and professional development activities supported by ISEY.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must possess a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in a relevant discipline
• A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred
• Suitable academic backgrounds may include psychology, education psychology, computer science, media analysis, or related disciplines
• Applicants must qualify as UK/Home students, including those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• International applicants may only apply if self-funded

Required Expertise/Skills

• Strong interest in developmental science, early childhood research, and cognitive development
• Experience working with children is highly desirable
• Familiarity with programming and quantitative data analysis tools is preferred
• Interest in auditory or visual attention, speech and language processing, arousal, and EEG research
• Experience with eye-tracking and EEG methodologies is advantageous
• Ability to analyse complex behavioural and physiological datasets
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate research for non-scientific audiences
• Capacity to work collaboratively within interdisciplinary research environments

Salary Details

• Funding covers tuition fees of approximately £5,000–£8,000 per year
• Full-time stipend at the ESRC/UKRI London rate of £22,780 per annum
• Part-time study option available at 0.6 FTE with adjusted stipend of approximately £13,668 per annum
• Funding duration of up to five years for part-time study

Application Deadline

• 5 June 2026

Application Link

More opportunities link here!