The neural dynamics of egocentric action observation

The studentship builds on the fact that humans are incredibly skilled at inferring the intentions that guide other people’s actions. But at this point it remains unclear how these inferences are accomplished by the brain or whether a computer could implement them. To overcome this lacuna, this project aims to combine contemporary approaches in cognitive neuroscience and computer vision to study the basic mechanisms of skilful action observation. This research promises to advance models of action recognition that can inform the development of intelligent technologies.
The project is suitable for students interested in receiving a combination of training in cognitive neuroscience and computer vision. There will be opportunities for the student to guide the project in a direction of their choosing. The successful candidate will be based at the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. The School is one of the strongest in the UK. In the 2014 research excellence framework, it was one of the UK’s top ten universities for its world-leading research in psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience. In addition, the successful candidate will be closely associated with the university’s Department for Computer Science and the Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC).
Applicants need to have a first or upper second-class (i.e., 2.1) honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject area, such as Computer Science, Psychology, Biology, Physics or a related discipline. Basic skills in computer programming and mathematical modelling will be required to analyse the relevant data. In addition, prior experience with collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is preferred.
How to apply: Please make an online application for this project at http://www.bris.ac.uk/pg-howtoapply. Please select on the Programme Choice page. You will be prompted to enter details of this EPSRC-studentship in the Funding and Research Details sections of the form.