Phd by Research

Introduction

A PhD is the basic entry point into academic research and teaching. It is also a wonderful opportunity to conduct a substantial world class research project of your own over a period of three years. The School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham offers an ideal academic environment for pursuing a higher degree by research, either full-time or part-time. Postgraduate students undertake an extended programme of experimental research in psychology with two members of our academic staff as supervisors (one primary supervisor and one secondary supervisor). The PhD culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis – a substantial book describing the work you have undertaken.

A PhD typically lasts either 3 or 4 years, and can take a variety of formats:

1+3 (a 1 year MSc followed by 3 years as a PhD student). This is the most common forma of PhDs currently in the School of Psychology. The MSc would typically be our MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, or the MSc in Psychological Research Methods)
+3 PhD (a straight 3 year PhD). This is typically only offered to students already holding a relevant Masters qualification or with particular sources of funding.
4 year PhD. This differs from the 1+3 in having more flexibility in the training components than our current MSc courses, but does not result in the additional Masters qualification after the first year. We have two options for 4 year PhDs, one is known as 'New Route' whereby the student takes courses over two years.

Although the PhD degree is assessed mainly by research (in the form of a written thesis and viva voce examination), progression also involves satisfactory completion of taught courses. This requires attendance at research training modules, both within the School and through the Graduate School. This formal training element is designed not only to provide students with the necessary skills in research, but also to equip them with transferable skills in writing, oral presentation and the use of information technology. The formal training element can be tailored to the needs of individual students.
There are currently about 70 students registered for research degrees, and we expect to see further expansion. To promote the research atmosphere there are two Psychology Research Seminars each week (one for talks given by researchers from Nottingham, and one for talks by visiting external speakers), and there are additional research seminars and reading groups arranged by individual research groups.
As well as conducting world-class research, PhD students are encouraged to disseminate their finding in journal articles and conference presentations. Towards the end of their first year of research PhD students present their findings and future plans at a Postgraduate Poster Evening. In the second year of research PhD students give a 20 minute talk at the Postgraduate Conference. In their final year of research PhD students give a 30 minute talk about their research findings as part of the school’s internal Research Seminar Series. Funding is also available for PhD students to present their research at national and international conferences over the course of their studies.
PhD students are members of the Student-Staff Consultative Committee and may attend the unreserved part of School Meetings. Within the School, the weekly Psychology Research Seminars include a social element, and the PG representatives organise regular social events for postgraduate students. There are also (depending on numbers) School football and cricket teams which postgraduates are encouraged to join. The University also has an active Postgraduate Association, which organises a range of additional social and sporting activities.

Research Facilities

There are excellent lab facilities and equipment available for research, supported by well-staffed mechanical and electrical workshops and by other technical and administrative services. There are dedicated experimental labs for research in neuroscience, fitted with ERP and TMS facilities. There is also an impressive selection of fMRI scanners on campus that postgraduate students can have access to where appropriate for their research. There are dedicated laboratories for human communication, human-computer interaction, social interaction, child development. There is an extensive library of test materials, and a wide range of monitoring equipment including video apparatus for the recording and analysis of behaviour, and the school has a wide selection of eye-tracking equipment. There is an observation studio with a one-way mirror and an anechoic chamber. The school also has an instrumented car fitted with an eye-tracker, and is currently constructing a full-motion driving simulator. The school has laboratories for work in physiological, psychophysical and computational investigation of the visual system. It also has access for laboratories for the study of animal behaviour through the physiological laboratories located in the University Biomedical Services Unit which is just 5 minutes walk away in the Queen's Medical Centre.

The School maintains a network (LAN) of Apple Macs and Windows based PCs, with access to file servers, laser printers, and the campus wide University computing network. All are preloaded with standard software such as MS Office, scientific software such as SPSS and more advanced scientific packages such as Matlab, R and Labview. The George Green Science Library is five minutes walk away, and has excellent holdings in psychology books and journals. It also provides access to bibliographic search systems such as PsycINFO, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, EMBASE and ERIC.

Research Areas and Supervisors

We welcome applications for research in any of our research areas . Please contact the supervisors directly for further details, contact details are given in the staff directory .

School of Psychology

University Park
The University of Nottingham
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5361
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 5324
email: psychology-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk

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