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Identity, emotion, and speech: Tackling current issues in voice perception research

  • Supervisors: Dr Nadine Lavan
  • Studentship Funding:
    • Name: SBBS Studentship
    • Funder: School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) at QMUL
  • Application Deadline: 23:59PM on 31st August 2025
  • Expected Start Date: Jan 2026 (Jan Entry)

Download this document for further details, eligibility criteria and how to apply. [PDF 109KB]

Project Overview

Applications are open for a 3-year funded PhD Studentship in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS) at Queen Mary University of London.

Voices carry rich information about a person’s thoughts, intentions, and emotions. Listeners can pick up on these cues and quickly form impressions about the speaker. For example, we might instantly judge whether someone sounds like an adult or a child, polite or rude, attractive or intelligent. If we’re familiar with the voice, we may even recognize exactly who it is (“That’s my friend Anna.”).

Example areas of interest and research questions include but are not limited to:

  • How are voices that do not fall under “healthy, adult human voices” (e.g., AI-generated voices, child voices, pathological voices) perceived?
  • How do people with atypical listening experiences (e.g., hearing loss, auditory verbal hallucinations) experience the voices they encounter in their lives?
  • How do different types of information shape our first impressions? For example, when and how does information from a face, the words a person says, or general contextual cues affect impressions?

If you have any questions or would like to discuss a research question that interests you before submitting an application, please get in touch with Dr Nadine Lavan (n.lavan@qmul.ac.uk) outlining your specific research interests for an informal discussion.

Keywords: Cognitive Psychology, Voice Perception, Identity Perception, First impressions, Speech perception

Research Environment

You would join the London Vocal Communication Laboratory, which is a research group jointly based at Queen Mary and UCL. In this group, we hold regular joint lab meetings, collaborate on projects, and share our expertise around all aspects of voice research and beyond.

You would also be based in the Centre for Brain and Behaviour within the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary.

Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.

Entry requirements and Criteria

Applications are invited from outstanding candidates with or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree in an area relevant to the project, such as psychology, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, forensic science, computer science or speech science. A masters degree is desirable, but not essential.

Applications should have a keen interest in studying voices and knowledge of the literature around voice perception is desirable. Similarly, experience in running behavioural experiments (e.g. in Gorilla), statistically analysing behavioural and acoustic data using PRAAT, MATLAB or R is desirable.

Find out more about our entry requirements here.

Funding

The studentship is funded by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). It will cover home tuition fees, and provide an annual tax-free maintenance allowance for 3 years at the UKRI rate (£21,237 in 2024/25). 

Please find out more about funding and eligibility via: LAVAN_QMUL SBBS Studentship Details [PDF 109KB]

Any further queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk 

How to Apply 

Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by the stated deadline for consideration. A research application is not required. Your personal statement should include:
  • Prior research experience relevant to this project
  • How your research skills and interests fit with the proposed project
  • Your motivations for pursuing this position
  • Your career aspirations
  • Any further information you think is relevant to the application

Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.

Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Nadine Lavan at n.lavan@qmul.ac.uk

Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk.

Further details can be downloaded here: LAVAN_QMUL SBBS Studentship Details [PDF 109KB]

Apply Online

References

  1. Michelini, G., Carlisi, C. O., Eaton, N. R., Elison, J. T., Haltigan, J. D., Kotov, R., Krueger, R. F., Latzman, R. D., Li, J. J., Levin-Aspenson, H. F., Salum, G. A., South, S. C., Stanton, K., Waldman, I. D., & Wilson, S. (2024). Where do neurodevelopmental conditions fit in transdiagnostic psychiatric frameworks? Incorporating a new neurodevelopmental spectrum. World Psychiatry, 23(3), 333–357. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21225
  2. Michelini, G., Gair, K., Tian, Y., Miao, J., Dougherty, L. R., Goldstein, B. L., MacNeill, L. A., Barch, D. M., Luby, J. L., Wakschlag, L. S., Klein, D. N., & Kotov, R. (2023). Do general and specific factors of preschool psychopathology predict preadolescent outcomes? A transdiagnostic hierarchical approach. Psychological Medicine, 53(12), 5405–5414. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003329172200246X
  3. Gidziela, A., Ahmadzadeh, Y. I., Michelini, G., Allegrini, A. G., Agnew-Blais, J., Lau, L. Y., Duret, M., Procopio, F., Daly, E., Ronald, A., Rimfeld, K., & Malanchini, M. (2023). A meta-analysis of genetic effects associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and co-occurring conditions. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(4), 642–656. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01530-y 
  4. Michelini, G., Perlman, G., Tian, Y., Mackin, D. M., Nelson, B. D., Klein, D. N., & Kotov, R. (2021). Multiple domains of risk factors for first onset of depression in adolescent girls. Journal of Affective Disorders, 283, 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.036
  5. Michelini, G., Kitsune, V., Vainieri, I., Hosang, G. M., Brandeis, D., Asherson, P., & Kuntsi, J. (2018). Shared and Disorder-Specific Event-Related Brain Oscillatory Markers of Attentional Dysfunction in ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. Brain Topography, 31(4), 672–689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-018-0625-z 
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