Psychology and cognitive neuroscience of habit formation and change in older people

Are you looking for an exciting PhD opportunity in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience to commence in 2023?

UniSC's Thompson Institute is seeking a highly motivated, passionate and competitive candidate to undertake a PhD program within a funded research stream of the Healthy Brain Ageing research program.

This research is funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council, and involves a collaboration between the University of the Sunshine Coast, the University of Amsterdam, and UNSW. This research will involve investigating how people’s ability to form and change their habits changes as they age, the psychological and cognitive drivers of this ability, and the associated underlying brain structures and function. The research involves psychological, cognitive and behavioural measures, as well as MRI.

This research will help shed light on the mechanisms that drive behaviour during ageing, and ultimately help understand how to support people to change their habits for healthy brain ageing.

The candidate’s attributes:

Applications are invited from outstanding and enthusiastic graduates with a relevant background in psychology, biomedical science or neuroscience:

• A First Class Honours degree, Masters degree or equivalent
• Interest in healthy brain ageing
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Analytical thinking, data analysis and critical problem-solving skills
• Excellent time management skills and ability to work independently
• Fluency in written and oral English

The selected candidate will be encouraged and assisted to apply for a scholarship from the University of Sunshine Coast for a January 2023 start.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Sophie Andrews.