Fully funded PhD Position at ISEY - Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth

Overview

Organisation/Company: UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

Research Field: Educational sciences

Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2) • First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application Deadline: 12 May 2026 - 00:00 (UTC)

Country: United Kingdom

Type of Contract: Other

Job Status: Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Location: Stratford Campus

Salary: Funding covers tuition fees (approx £5-8k per year) and a tax free living allowance for 3 years (approx £22-£24k per year if studying full time).

Post Type: Full Time

Closing Date: Tuesday 12 May 2026

Reference: PHD001-26

A funded PhD position is available to work on a project exploring the impact of indoor and outdoor learning environments on children’s language and communication, and how AI can be used to analyse speech and language in this type of research. The project will build on ISEY’s previous research which found that overall noise levels in a class of 4-5 year olds were lower when matched activities were conducted outside (even on urban school grounds) compared to inside their usual classroom. The study found that the outdoor environment also supported the attention and prosocial behaviour of children who struggled indoors.

Responsibilities

• Use child wearables and AI tools and techniques to measure and test how indoor and outdoor environments affect the frequency, duration and complexity of children’s spontaneous speech and intra-group communication.
• Operate within ISEY and contribute to a wider team of researchers, with opportunities to shape project focus and design.
• Disseminate findings to teachers and early years practitioners as part of training and development services offered by ISEY.
• Assist in translating research for educator-facing publications, attend early years events, and conduct training sessions (support provided).

Qualifications / Experience

• Experience of working with children and an interest in educational practices, speech and language development, and outdoor learning is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with programming and data analysis tools is preferable as the PhD will involve advanced quantitative data analysis; support will be provided in this area.

The PhD will start in September 2026. Funding covers tuition fees (approx. £5-8k per year) and a tax free living allowance for 3 years (approx £22-£24k per year if studying full time).

Regrettably for financial reasons we can only support UK or naturalised EU applicants.

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