明星八卦

We have open PhD projects to investigate a specific type of concentration meditation (also called focused attention meditation).

We would like to understand the immediate effects of a single meditation sitting (by novices or experts; of different durations; compared to other meditation techniques) and the effects of different training methods (e.g. daily 10 min versus 2 times per week 35 min).

We are interested in effects on mood (e.g., do people feel better/worse; including physiological measures of arousal such as heart rate variability), cognition (e.g., do they perform better/worse in cognitive tasks), and the brain (utilising EEG, fNIRS, or fMRI). We are also interested in whether the meditation experience can be modulated by brain stimulation (TMS; tDCS, tACS).

These topics are indicative, feel free to propose a related question not listed here.

Supervisor's interests

I am a psychologist working in the area of cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In the past, I have mostly worked in the area of multitasking, but recently I have moved to investigate the beneficial effects of nature experience and meditation.

明星八卦 offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: /research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. 明星八卦 alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.