Developmental Neuroscience PhD: Wearable MEG for Attention and Action

Developmental Neuroscience PhD: Wearable MEG for Attention and Action

Quick Decision

Strong but verify fit. This is a defined developmental cognitive-neuroscience project combining child-friendly wearable OPM-MEG, visual frequency tagging, response tasks and predictive modelling. Its strongest fit is for an applicant interested in attention and action across development who can show quantitative reasoning, careful experimental work and readiness to work with children and adults. Dr Kyungmin An’s child OPM-MEG programme and Dr Carmel Mevorach’s attention-control work are closely aligned. Birmingham’s 2027 MIBTP award is listed with a £21,805 tax-free stipend at the 2026/27 rate and full tuition coverage including the international fee difference. Apply by 23 November 2026; official pages give no cutoff time or timezone. Resolve the conflicting instructions about contacting the supervisor, and confirm award duration and the 2027/28 stipend before accepting. Project outline, Birmingham MIBTP 2027 information, MIBTP application page

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

Response speed and accuracy fluctuate even when a person performs the same task. Behaviour alone cannot reveal whether a fast response reflects stronger visual attention, greater readiness to act, or a combination of those processes. The project asks how visual attention and motor preparation contribute independently and jointly to reaction time and errors, and how those relationships change from childhood through adolescence into adulthood. It is a mechanistic study of attention and action variation, not an advertised clinical intervention or a study of diagnosed ADHD. Project outline

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The stated participant groups are children and adolescents aged 8–16 and adults aged 18–30. Participants will complete tasks with frequent button-press responses and occasional response withholding. Visual stimuli at different flicker frequencies provide frequency-tagged visual signals; the project will examine pre-cue visual responses alongside movement-related beta rhythms. The plan also names eye tracking, attention and movement localisers, and adult and child pilots to check that measurements work as intended. Sample sizes, exact flicker rates, recruitment plans and the OPM hardware configuration are not published, so those details should not be assumed. Project outline

The analysis will use multilevel statistical models to compare explanations of behavioural variability, estimate unique and shared contributions of visual and motor signals to reaction times and errors, and test age effects. Models will be evaluated on held-out data, including participants not used for model fitting. Useful interview topics include how the team will prevent participant-level leakage between training and test data, quantify motion and age-related measurement effects, and interpret prediction as association rather than proof of causation. These are methodological questions suggested by the design, not additional advertised tasks. The project lists training in neuroimaging, scientific programming and quantitative analysis, and direct work with children and adults. Project outline

The project page says a later extension to neurodiverse participants may be considered after the measurement framework is validated. That is a possible future direction, not a promised recruitment group or thesis aim. The current age groups and tasks should remain the basis for an application. Project outline

Field Evidence and Feasibility

Recent developmental OPM-MEG work has measured age-related periodic and aperiodic resting-state power from early childhood into adulthood. A separate study reported face-sensitive responses and connectivity in 45 children aged 3–5. These findings support the feasibility of age-related and child task recordings, but neither establishes feasibility for this project’s age groups, tasks or equipment. Development of resting-state power with OPMs, OPM-MEG face processing in young children

The paediatric MEG literature also cautions against treating the method as turnkey. A 2024 review describes OPM-MEG as an early-stage platform, with no settled paediatric system design and continuing technical challenges; age-related head size and signal-to-noise differences can complicate comparisons. An early-life OPM study describes close-to-scalp and naturalistic recording potential while discussing cap tolerance, movement and cable handling. Its newborn set-up is not the equipment or age range advertised here. Paediatric MEG review, Early-life OPM-MEG methods

School, Programme and Field Context

The official project record says the degree is registered at the University of Birmingham, through the School of Psychology’s 181D PhD in School of Psychology MIBTP route, with October 2027 entry. Dr An is primary supervisor and Dr Mevorach secondary supervisor. The project is attached to MIBTP’s neuroscience and behaviour theme. MIBTP is a BBSRC-funded training partnership across six universities; this does not imply a joint degree or second registration. Project outline, Birmingham MIBTP 2027 information, MIBTP application page

Birmingham’s School of Psychology describes research spanning neuroscience, brain health, development, cognition and mental health. The Centre for Human Brain Health reports an interdisciplinary community, technical and operational staff, and brain-imaging facilities. The Centre for Developmental Science brings together lifespan research and lists both supervisors. These pages establish a relevant environment, but do not confirm reserved access to the specific OPM-MEG system, technical-support allocation or local recruitment capacity for this studentship. School of Psychology, Centre for Human Brain Health, Centre for Developmental Science

For broader subject context, Birmingham reports that 54% of its REF 2021 submission to Unit of Assessment 4, Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, was rated 4* and 40% 3*. This is a broad unit-level research-quality signal, not a ranking of the School, supervisors or project. The published MIBTP training schedule includes programming and statistics, a three-month placement at a partner institution, bioinformatics and modelling training, and career-development events. That is the currently published 2025 schedule; ask whether it applies to the 2027 cohort. The project page does not state funded duration, so do not infer it solely from the training schedule. Birmingham REF 2021 results, MIBTP training programme, University Doctoral School

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Supervisor Research Directions

Dr An is an Assistant Professor in Psychology and a member of the Centre for Human Brain Health. Her profile centres on child development and developmental disorders, using EEG, MEG and optically pumped magnetometers to study brain activity and rhythms. Dr Mevorach is an Associate Professor in Psychology, accepts PhD students, and studies attention control and distractor suppression, including individual differences and neurodevelopmental conditions. This combination aligns with the project’s developmental and attention strands. The supervisor page describes regular research-data and progress discussions; ask how the two supervisors divide scientific and day-to-day guidance for this project. Dr Kyungmin An profile, Dr Carmel Mevorach profile, Project outline

Recent Important Publications

• Yeom, Choi and An (2026), “A novel transformer architecture for EEG decoding and neuroscientific analysis.” The paper presents Analformer, combining fixed wavelet features with Transformer-based EEG decoding and using model attention to explore task-related channel relationships. It is relevant to predictive modelling and interpretation. The evaluation is EEG/BCI-focused; the authors note that generalisation to other tasks and datasets needs further validation, and attention weights should not be treated as established physiological connectivity. Scientific Reports paper
• Smullen et al. with Mevorach (2025), “White matter properties in fronto-parietal tracts predict maladaptive functional activation and deficient response inhibition in ADHD.” Using diffusion MRI, fMRI and Go/No-go behaviour, the study links structural features of frontoparietal tracts with inhibitory-task activation and performance. It supports the co-supervisor’s work on response inhibition and brain–behaviour relationships, but uses a modest sample and a different imaging method and population. Scientific Reports paper
• Bravo Balsa, Abu-Akel and Mevorach (2024), “Dynamic functional connectivity in the right temporoparietal junction captures variations in male autistic trait expression.” Across exploratory and replication adult samples, the study reports associations between dynamic right-TPJ connectivity and autistic-trait expression in resting-state fMRI. It is useful context for attention-related brain dynamics and individual differences, but does not test children, OPM-MEG or the proposed response task. PubMed record
• Smullen et al. with Mevorach (2025), “Pre-sleep arousal as a possible mechanism driving sleep problems in relation to ADHD traits.” This work links presleep arousal with ADHD traits and insomnia symptoms in two datasets, with cognitive arousal more consistently mediating the association. It shows broader attention-related research activity but is not direct evidence for the advertised methods. Scientific Reports paper

Lab, Resources, and Collaboration Environment

The named setting includes the Centre for Human Brain Health’s imaging facilities and technical community, the Centre for Developmental Science’s lifespan expertise and MIBTP’s partner network. These sources support an interdisciplinary environment, but do not identify the exact OPM system’s availability, calibration workflow, technician hours, eye-tracking configuration or access priority. Those details matter because the project depends on child recordings and cross-age comparisons. Ask what equipment and staff time are committed, how child recruitment is organised, and whether the partner placement complements or interrupts data collection. Centre for Human Brain Health, Centre for Developmental Science, MIBTP training programme

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The Birmingham MIBTP page says the 2027 application window closes 23 November 2026. Neither the Birmingham nor MIBTP page specifies a closing time or timezone. The listed stipend is £21,805 per year, tax-free, at the 2026/27 UKRI rate. Birmingham states its MIBTP studentships cover all tuition fees, including the international fee difference. The 2027/28 stipend and this award’s funded duration are not stated on the project page and should be confirmed in the offer. MIBTP says up to 30% of awards may go to international students; that is a programme-wide ceiling, not a guarantee of an international award. Birmingham MIBTP 2027 information, MIBTP eligibility and application, MIBTP FAQs

The University’s budget table is based on a 50-week academic session. It estimates essential costs at £185 per week in self-catered halls or £174 in a private house, plus £110 per week in variable costs. That is about £14,750 or £14,200 for 50 weeks, respectively. Compared with the published annual stipend, the simple difference is about £7,055–£7,605 before start-up costs, visa/relocation expenses, dependants or spending beyond listed categories. Treat this as a rough comparison: actual rent, contract length and personal costs vary, and the 2027/28 stipend may change. University postgraduate living-cost estimates

Birmingham’s application guidance requires an online application, full academic history and transcripts, a CV, a response about research-methods training and a separate ED&I form. It says a research proposal is not required for this Psychology route (a blank upload is acceptable if the portal requires one), a personal statement is optional, and English evidence may follow the initial application if it becomes an offer condition. It encourages supervisor contact but says it is not mandatory. The project-specific outline, however, asks applicants to email the supervisor with a CV, transcript and a published paper before applying. Because these instructions differ, confirm with the MIBTP team or supervisor which step is expected. The deadline date is confirmed, but no time or timezone is published. Birmingham MIBTP application guidance, Project outline, MIBTP application page

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

The project page does not specify a required degree subject, class, prior OPM-MEG experience or formal programming threshold. MIBTP welcomes theoretical backgrounds such as mathematics, physics, psychology and computer science as well as experimental backgrounds such as biology and biomedicine. It says candidates are assessed across academic, research and non-academic experience. Applicants should check the programme’s full eligibility rules rather than infer a threshold from the project outline. MIBTP FAQs, MIBTP application and eligibility, Project outline

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

The project specifically names training in scientific programming, quantitative analysis and neuroimaging, and involves research with children and adults. Evidence of coding, statistics, task-based experimental design, EEG/MEG or related signal analysis, data quality work and participant-facing research would strengthen an application, but these are preparation suggestions rather than published minimum requirements. A useful portfolio item would show experience handling repeated observations, uncertainty, age or individual differences and out-of-sample evaluation. Applicants without OPM-MEG experience can explain adjacent skills and a concrete plan to learn the platform. Project outline, Dr Kyungmin An profile

The work also requires developmentally appropriate procedures, clear communication and ethical care with minors. Applicants can describe experience with child research, consent/assent, safeguarding, accessibility or participant support; if they lack it, they can explain how they would prepare. Do not present a future neurodiverse extension as a current deliverable. Project outline, Centre for Developmental Science

Career Context

The project may build transferable skills for academic developmental/cognitive neuroscience, EEG/MEG research support, neuroimaging methods, quantitative data science and neurotechnology research. The published MIBTP outline includes a partner research placement and career-development events, while Birmingham’s Doctoral School advertises researcher-focused career guidance and employer engagement. These supports do not guarantee a sector placement or a job after graduation. MIBTP training programme, University Doctoral School

The Government Office for Science describes the UK as having a competitive neuroscience research and innovation sector and strengths in AI, but also says moving neurotechnology from laboratory research to clinical or commercial use remains slow and difficult. This is sector context, not evidence of a specific shortage of OPM-MEG jobs or a guaranteed industry pathway. No reliable occupation-level forecast for developmental OPM-MEG careers was identified. Government Office for Science neurotechnology assessment

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Confirm the contact requirement: should the applicant email Dr An with a CV, transcript and published paper, given that the project outline requests this while the programme-wide page says contact is encouraged but not mandatory?
• Verify full academic and residency eligibility for a 2027 Birmingham MIBTP award, including how international applicants are selected within the programme-wide allocation limit.
• Prepare the CV, transcript with module-level grades, research-methods answer and ED&I form. Birmingham guidance says to submit a separate application for each project; confirm the latest rule if applying to more than one.
• Use the application portal’s exact closing time and timezone if it becomes available; only the date 23 November 2026 is stated in the available information.

At Interview

• What are the intended sample sizes and recruitment sources for each age group, and how will the project manage motion, eye movements, fatigue and child assent?
• Which OPM-MEG system and visual-frequency-tagging/eye-tracking arrangement are available, and what calibration, technical support and training are planned?
• How will models compare candidate explanations, separate unique/shared signal information, and validate on participants held out from all model-fitting steps?
• How will the three-month partner placement be scheduled relative to child recruitment and data collection?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Confirm the funded duration, stipend amount and payment schedule from 2027/28 onward, and that international tuition fees are covered for the full award period.
• Confirm Birmingham registration, progression or annual review conditions, and the expected start date.
• Obtain a realistic budget for accommodation, immigration/relocation expenses and the full study period, including costs not in the University’s 50-week estimate.

Evidence and Sources

Project and Programme

• MIBTP project and supervisor outline
• Birmingham MIBTP 2027 information and application guidance
• MIBTP application and eligibility
• MIBTP application FAQs
• MIBTP training programme
• Psychology PhD at Birmingham
• Birmingham School of Psychology
• Centre for Human Brain Health
• Centre for Developmental Science
• Birmingham Doctoral School
• Birmingham REF 2021 results

Supervisors and Publications

• Dr Kyungmin An profile
• Dr Carmel Mevorach profile
• Analformer EEG-decoding paper
• Frontoparietal white matter and response-inhibition paper
• Dynamic right-TPJ connectivity paper
• Presleep arousal and ADHD-trait paper

Field, Costs and Career Context

• Developmental OPM-MEG resting-state study
• Paediatric MEG review
• OPM-MEG face processing in young children
• Early-life wearable OPM-MEG study
• Postgraduate living-cost estimates
• Government Office for Science: neurotechnology assessment