Fully funded PhD: Children’s language, communication and engagement in outdoor environments
Unfortunately, due to financial limitations, we cannot accept international applications for this PhD
The Project
A funded PhD position is available to work on a project exploring the impact of outdoor learning environments on children’s language, communication and engagement, and how AI can be used to analyse speech, language and attention 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.
This new project will use child wearable technology and explore how different AI tools and techniques can be combined to measure and test how outdoor environments affect the frequency, duration and complexity of children’s spontaneous speech and intra-group communication as well as their attention and engagement in learning activities.
The University and ISEY
The PhD will be based at The Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY), at the Stratford Campus of The University of East London. This research institute is led by Sam Wass, and the PhD will be supervised by Gemma Goldenberg and Muhammad Ehatisham Ul Haq. The successful candidate would be working within a wider team of 20 researchers at ISEY, but would be the only researcher working on this specific project. This means there is some scope for the PhD candidate to contribute to shaping the project focus and design, including the age of children studied and the specific outcome measures.
Knowledge exchange and dissemination will be a key part of this PhD and the successful candidate will be expected to share project findings and associated research with teachers and early years practitioners, as part of the training and development services that ISEY offers. Therefore, this role is especially suitable for someone passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice and translating research for a non-scientific audience. This may involve writing articles for educator-facing publications, attending early years events and running online and face to face training, support will be given in these areas.
The applicant
The PhD candidate must have a first or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree and preferably a Masters in a discipline relevant to the project. While we expect that this project would suit graduates from a psychology background, we are happy to receive applications from a range of backgrounds that have potential to enhance the project.
A demonstrable understanding and passion for psychological research is essential and experience working with children is highly desirable.
Familiarity with programming and data analysis tools is also preferable as the PhD will involve some advanced quantitative data analysis, although support will be given in this area.
Successful applicants should have an interest in educational practices, speech and language development, and outdoor learning.
Whilst some remote work is possible, the successful candidate will need to be willing to be based at the ISEY lab, in Stratford, London for at least 50% of the time. Data will also be collected from early years/school settings in London, meaning during data collection periods you may need to be in London every day.
Please note that we are drawing all applicants’ attention to the fact that unfortunately, the funding available for this project does not cover the higher tuition fees required for international students. As a result, we are only able to consider applicants who would be classified as UK/home students (including UK nationals and those with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). If you are an international student, I’m afraid we will be unable to proceed with your application unless you are self-funding.
How to apply
Applications must be submitted by email to Dr Gemma Goldenberg (G.Goldenberg@uel.ac.uk) by the 20th of May 2026. Interviews are likely to take place in June.
Please send your CV along with the names and contact details of two referees who will be contacted directly. At least one of the references must be academic.
Please also include a personal statement/cover letter (no more than 1000 words) which demonstrates your motivation and readiness for undertaking a PhD and for this specific PhD project.
Funding details and start dates
The PhD can start in September 2026 or January 2027.
Funding covers tuition fees (approx £5-8k per year) and a stipend set at the ESRC/UKRI rate for London Universities (£22,780 p.a) if studying full time. Part time study is based on 0.6FTE and the stipend will be adjusted accordingly (£13,668), lasting for up to 5 years.
