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PhD Project: Early Language Experience and Infant Attention-Network Development

Project 2238 · University of Birmingham · School of Psychology

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Save this opportunity and prepare around its actual requirements. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at the original source.

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Country or region
United Kingdom
Application deadline
2026-11-23 (confirm the exact time with the source)
Funding
Competitive BBSRC-funded MIBTP studentship. The international-student cap is 30% of the MIBTP network cohort, not a project-specific allocation or individual award probability. Successful international awardees receive full tuition. £21,805 is a 2026/27 stipend benchmark, not a confirmed 2027/28 rate. Visa/IHS are student-paid; individual award terms, family-recruitment reimbursement, OPM support and training-year travel/accommodation remain to be confirmed.

The research opportunity

PhD Project: Early Language Experience and Infant Attention-Network Development

Project

This University of Birmingham Psychology PhD studies infants aged 9–14 months growing up in monolingual or bilingual environments. It asks how early language experience relates to attention-network development and whether those networks predict behavioural flexibility. Professor Andrea Krott is primary supervisor; Dr Barbara Pomiechowska is second supervisor. Project and supervisor details

Doctoral work and evidence limits

Infants will complete eye-tracked rule-switching tasks to measure attentional orienting and updating when environmental conditions change. Resting-state neural activity will be recorded with optically pumped magnetometer MEG (OPM-MEG). The doctoral work includes characterising network development, comparing language-exposure trajectories and testing network–behaviour relationships. The advert does not specify visit frequency, sample size, language pairs, cross-sectional versus repeated-measure design or an analysis model.

The background citations need clarification: the identified Arredondo et al. (2022) study concerns attention cueing at six and ten months, while Comishen et al. (2019) is behavioural eye tracking in six-month-olds. Neither directly establishes the advert’s nine-month rule-switching or neural-connectivity claim. A 2024 Birmingham report documents an auditory OPM pilot in a two-month-old infant, but that does not validate the advertised 9–14-month resting-state workflow or guarantee project capacity. Recruitment, usable recordings, OPM support and a behavioural fallback remain to be confirmed.

School and training

The University of Birmingham awards the degree through the four-year, BBSRC-funded Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP), a six-university partnership of Birmingham, Warwick, Aston, Harper Adams, Coventry and Leicester. Training includes research or technical mini-projects, an away-university element, masterclasses and a professional placement; the network does not make this a joint degree. MIBTP programme

Applicant, dates and funding

Entry: October 2027. Listed deadline: 23 November 2026; the cutoff time and time zone are not stated, and current application status is unconfirmed. MIBTP normally expects a first or high 2:1 in a relevant subject. A lower 2:1 with a master’s or substantial postgraduate experience may be considered; a 2:2 is exceptional. The advert does not require personal bilingualism, a particular language pair, a particular programming language, a master’s degree or prior OPM qualification. Confirm individual English-language, reference and degree-equivalence requirements.

Apply to the exact infant-attention project on the official list. Submit a CV, academic and English-language transcripts, and answers about research-methods training; complete the EDI form after submission. MIBTP guidance allows the research-plan field to be blank and the optional personal statement to be marked N/A. Applicants may select one project per programme and make separate applications to up to five programmes; interviews are expected in late January or early February 2027. 2027 project list and application details · MIBTP eligibility and application guidance · Birmingham application portal

The international-student cap is 30% of the MIBTP network cohort, not this project’s allocation or an individual applicant’s award probability. Successful international awardees receive full tuition coverage. £21,805 is a 2026/27 stipend benchmark, not a confirmed 2027/28 rate; visa and Immigration Health Surcharge costs are student-paid. Individual award terms, family-recruitment reimbursement, OPM support and training-year travel/accommodation require confirmation. Contact a.krott@bham.ac.uk or b.pomiechowska@bham.ac.uk about the research, and uob-mibtp@contacts.bham.ac.uk about the Psychology MIBTP course, deadline time and application materials.

Research and application brief

Report generated: . This date does not confirm that recruitment remains open.

Information updated: . Recheck the original notice before applying.

Show report contents

PhD Project: Early Language Experience and Infant Attention-Network Development

How does early language experience relate to the brain networks supporting flexible attention? This project links eye-tracked rule switching with resting-state OPM-MEG in monolingual- and bilingual-exposed infants aged 9–14 months. It tests network–behaviour relationships, not a universal bilingual advantage. The project lists Professor Andrea Krott as primary supervisor and Dr Barbara Pomiechowska as secondary supervisor, with the degree awarded by the University of Birmingham. Official infant attention MIBTP project

The project information lists October 2027 entry and a deadline of 23 November 2026. The cutoff time and time zone are not stated, and current application status is unconfirmed. Successful MIBTP awardees receive full international tuition coverage; the older-adult project with Swaab on the same supervisor page is a different opportunity. Birmingham MIBTP 2027 exact projects and application

Research work and unresolved problem

Attention becomes more flexible during infancy as cortical networks develop. The project asks whether language experience relates to network development and whether those networks predict behavioural flexibility. Infants will perform rule-switching tasks, measured with eye tracking, to examine orienting and updating when environmental contingencies change. Resting-state neural activity will be recorded with optically pumped magnetometer MEG (OPM-MEG). The official objectives are to characterise developmental network changes, compare language-exposure trajectories and test network–behaviour relationships. Official infant attention MIBTP project

The background discusses the first two years, but the actual advertised sample is 9–14 months; it does not promise following every infant for two years. Exact visit frequency, cross-sectional versus repeated-measure structure, language pairs and sample size remain unspecified. Do not substitute task-fMRI, a language intervention or a clinical diagnostic study. A difference between language groups is not automatically better attention or evidence that bilingual exposure causes it. Official infant attention MIBTP project Arredondo et al. 2022 infant attentional orienting Comishen et al. 2019 selective attention

Critical feasibility questions concern recruitment across comparable language histories, usable infant recordings, movement/arousal differences, developmental timing and whether resting-state network measures predict independent eye-tracking outcomes. Families' education/social circumstances and language mixing can complicate a monolingual/bilingual split. Ask about exposure measurement, retention/exclusion rates, analysis support, allocated OPM time and a behavioural fallback. OPM's infant-friendly potential does not eliminate data-quality or model-interpretation uncertainty. Pomiechowska et al. 2024 label induced categories EEG Arredondo et al. 2022 infant attentional orienting CHBH OPM lab CHBH 2024 infant OPM pilot report Birmingham Babylab family participation

The advert's background citations need clarification. The identifiable Arredondo et al., 2022 abstract describes 152 infants at six and ten months, with 31 in a longitudinal subset, using attentional cueing; it does not directly establish the advert's nine-month rule-switching claim. Comishen et al., 2019 is behavioural eye tracking in six-month-olds, not a neural-connectivity imaging study. These imprecisions do not change the official doctoral tasks, but justify requesting the intended references rather than repeating an unsupported mechanistic premise. Arredondo et al. 2022 infant attentional orienting Comishen et al. 2019 selective attention

School, subject and doctoral training

Birmingham awards the doctorate, based in Psychology, CHBH and the Centre for Developmental Science, with the BabyLab supporting infant research. MIBTP provides six-university quantitative bioscience training, not an automatic joint degree. QS World University Rankings 2027: 68th overall is institutional context, not a developmental-psychology subject rank. More relevant evidence combines Krott's language/cognition expertise, Pomiechowska's infant experiments and the BabyLab/quantum-neuroscience collaboration. MIBTP current programme Birmingham official university rankings Andrea Krott current official profile Barbara Pomiechowska current official profile Centre for Developmental Science

The OPM facility page includes old 2020/21 future-tense wording, so it cannot alone establish current readiness. A 2024 CHBH report documents a two-month-old infant auditory pilot led by Pomiechowska and Kowalczyk. That supports actual institutional capability while remaining different from a validated 9–14-month resting-state/connectivity workflow or guaranteed project capacity. The BabyLab has a family participation registry and child-friendly research arrangements; neither implies a sufficient bilingual cohort or this project's approval. CHBH OPM lab CHBH 2024 infant OPM pilot report Birmingham Babylab family participation

MIBTP is four years, including research/technical mini-projects, an away-university element, masterclasses and professional placement in its training structure. The generic Psychology page's three-year/September heading does not replace October 2027 MIBTP terms. Psychology describes probation, a nine-month report/mini-viva, annual review and a thesis up to 50,000 words plus viva; confirm the MIBTP-aligned dates, training-year travel/accommodation and time available for infant recruitment. University doctoral support adds transferable skills, wellbeing and careers guidance. MIBTP current programme MIBTP programme FAQ Birmingham Doctoral Programme Birmingham Psychology PhD programme

Supervisors and recent research evidence

Krott is Professor of Psychology of Language/Deputy Head of School, updating the advert's “Dr” label. Her work connects language experience, attention and social cognition. Her MIBTP statement describes early theoretical/technical guidance, collaborative goals and later independence; weekly design/analysis meetings and less frequent testing/writing meetings sit alongside an “at least fortnightly” summary. Agree the real timetable and shared-task rota. These are self-described expectations, not independently verified student outcomes. Official infant attention MIBTP project Andrea Krott current official profile

Pomiechowska is Assistant Professor and BabyLab lead, with a Birkbeck doctorate and previous CEU research. Her official profile specifically lists infant-friendly EEG, OPM-MEG, fNIRS, eye tracking and behaviour; these show relevant expertise without adding every method to this project. Ask who supports recording/analysis daily and how the two supervisors divide language-experience and developmental-neuroscience work. Barbara Pomiechowska current official profile CHBH 2024 infant OPM pilot report

The three supervisor papers below provide results-and-discussion-level context; they do not directly validate this project’s infant network hypothesis.

Pomiechowska et al., 2024: combining kind and quantity

The PNAS study uses looking behaviour in 60 twelve-month-old Hungarian monolingual infants across three experiments to examine combining kind and quantity concepts. Pomiechowska leads analysis, software, administration, visualisation and drafting. The contribution initials “A.K.” refer to Ágnes Melinda Kovács, not Andrea Krott. Exclusions, unknown long-term label memory and unresolved representational mechanisms limit interpretation; this is not bilingual attention or OPM evidence. Pomiechowska et al. 2024 combinatorial thought in infants

Pomiechowska et al., 2024: label-induced categories

The Proceedings B study finds EEG category-oddball responses after labelling arbitrary object groups in nine-month-olds, including a replication. Pomiechowska contributes conception, investigation, methods, analysis, validation and drafting; Parise also has substantial methodological/analysis contributions. The symbolic format/mechanism remains unresolved, groups are small and the study was not preregistered. It shows infant neurocognitive expertise, not a resting-state bilingual network result. Pomiechowska et al. 2024 label induced categories EEG

Agostini, Apperly and Krott: 2024 online, 2025 issue

The study follows 99 initially monolingual schoolchildren over 24 weeks. Bilingual-school exposure relates to creative fluency/flexibility changes, while weekly-language outcomes are less conclusive; executive-function mediation was not established. Schools were not randomised and curriculum/enrichment and final proficiency remain possible explanations. Krott is last co-author, Agostini corresponding author; an individual contribution statement was not located. The age/task difference prevents using this as infant-attention proof. Agostini Apperly Krott 2024 school language creativity

Funding and living costs

Birmingham MIBTP explicitly covers all tuition for successful international awardees. The international-student cap is 30% of the MIBTP network cohort; it is not a project-specific allocation or an individual applicant’s award probability. £21,805/year is the 2026/27 stipend benchmark, not a confirmed 2027/28 award. Research/training costs and laptop use are not personal income, and visa/IHS remain student costs. Confirm family recruitment/reimbursement budgets, OPM technical support and training-year accommodation/travel. Birmingham MIBTP 2027 exact projects and application MIBTP 2027 application and eligibility MIBTP current programme UKRI student funding support

The university's 2025/26 weekly examples are £241–253 privately housed or £268–280 in halls, including listed rent/bills, food, care, phone and study costs. For 52 weeks: £12,532–13,156 or £13,936–14,560, before transport, social spending and clothing. They are not 2027 quotations; do not add rent twice. Any nominal balance against the 2026 stipend is before exclusions, inflation, immigration and rotation costs, not guaranteed savings. Birmingham current living-budget guidance

Applicant fit and preparation

MIBTP normally seeks a first or high 2:1 in a relevant subject; lower 2:1 plus a master's/substantial postgraduate experience may be considered and 2:2 is exceptional. No personal bilingualism, specific language pair, programming language, master's or pre-existing OPM qualification is mandated by the advert. Confirm English/reference conditions and quantitative/non-Psychology degree eligibility. Useful preparation is reproducible analysis, careful developmental measurement and explaining what gaze or resting-state data can and cannot establish. MIBTP 2027 application and eligibility Birmingham Psychology PhD programme

A preparation example can explain which records were usable, why others were excluded, whether missingness related to group or performance, and how interpretation depended on analytical choices. Completing a visit is not the same as obtaining a complete analysable record. Family communication, flexible scheduling and respect for participation choices matter alongside reproducibility. These are feasibility and training questions, not a requirement to arrive with a complete infant-imaging protocol.

Career and transferable skills

This suits people comfortable with infant/family interaction, scheduling, incomplete data and uncertain interpretation alongside computational work. Skills connect to developmental neuroscience, behavioural analysis and research methods; MIBTP placements, careers support and individual lab alumni illustrate options, not a placement rate, guaranteed employer or clinical qualification. MIBTP programme FAQ Doctoral researcher career support Birmingham Babylab family participation Krott language learning bilingualism lab people

Next actions and questions

Contact a.krott@bham.ac.uk and b.pomiechowska@bham.ac.uk about intended references, first-year tasks, infant recruitment and OPM readiness. Use uob-mibtp@contacts.bham.ac.uk for Psychology MIBTP, cutoff time and documents. Follow the exact infant title on the official 2027 list; provide mandatory CV, academic evidence/English transcripts, methods-training answers and EDI after portal submission. Proposal fields may be blank and the optional statement marked N/A under MIBTP guidance. One project per programme, up to five programmes via separate applications; interviews are expected late January/early February 2027. Obtain 2027 funding, resource and checkpoint commitments before accepting. Official infant attention MIBTP project Birmingham MIBTP 2027 exact projects and application MIBTP 2027 application and eligibility

Evidence and Sources

The project description attributes its estimate that more than 60% of the world’s children grow up in multilingual environments to UNESCO (2024); the available material does not independently verify that figure. Arredondo et al. (2022) is represented by the abstract describing six- and ten-month-old infants and attention cueing; Comishen et al. (2019) is a behavioural eye-tracking study of six-month-olds, not neural-connectivity imaging. The three supervisor papers provide results-and-discussion-level context, with contribution statements incomplete where noted. The OPM facility page includes 2020/21 wording and the cited 2024 pilot involved a two-month-old infant; these dated sources do not demonstrate 2027 capacity or validate the advertised 9–14-month resting-state protocol.

Sources

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