Doctoral opportunities
Research students are welcomed to our Centre as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community. Find out more about Research Degrees in Brunel. A research degree provides the opportunity to investigate a topic in depth, and contribute new knowledge to your discipline.
Find details about our Psychology, Culture and Evolution MSc.
CCE researchers are interested in supervising PhD dissertations on topics described on this website’s ‘Research areas’ section and on their individual webpages. If you are considering pursuing a PhD in any of these areas, please explore these pages in order to determine which CCE member would be most appropriate as your potential supervisor, and feel free to enquire with him or her directly about doctoral opportunities. We are particularly interested in supervising students' research in the following areas:
Interplay between psychological processes and cultural contexts
Much of the psychological literature is based on the research findings from Western cultures, and we cannot assume that such psychological findings can be generalized to people in non-Western cultures. By comparing people from different cultural contexts, my research aims to reveal culturally unique psychological tendencies and address the importance of understanding psychological processes in cultural contexts because psychological qualities that are considered as normative, functional, and desirable could vary across cultures.I supervise PhD projects that examine the interplay between individuals’ psychological processes in non-clinical populations and their cultural contexts. A PhD project I am willing to supervise typically involves a series of cross-cultural studies on cognition, emotion, motivation, and/or behaviours. Studies should be quantitative and may be in correlational and/or experimental designs with combinations of self-report and behavioural data. Studies may examine children to find out the developmental trajectory of culturally unique psychological processes. Studies may also look into certain cultural products and/or cultural practices, which are considered to be strongly associated with specific psychological processes.
Supervisor: Dr. Toshie Imada
The psychology of social media use
As social media increasingly becomes a part of everyday life for many people, there is a growing need to understand why and how people use it. My research investigates the personality traits, motives, and cultural influences that drive Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat use, the content that people generate through social media (e.g., topics addressed in status updates or tweets), and the consequences of this use for individual and relational well-being. I would like to supervise PhD projects that address the following themes: (1) predictors of the content addressed in social media posts and how others evaluate these posts; (2) social media surveillance of current and former romantic partners, and the consequences of this surveillance for the well-being of both partners; (3) cultural differences in social media use.
Supervisor: Dr Tara Marshall
Description
Supervisor
Funding
Funding for doctoral studies
A number of studentships and other research funding opportunities are available at Brunel. Please see full list on our funding page.
Choosing your supervisor
Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile graduates with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Browse the list of the members of our theme to select your potential supervisor here. You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests.
All research degrees are administered by the Postgraduate Programmes Office in Colleges. Once you have identified your area of research and a potential supervisor, please contact us by completing this form.
Current doctoral students with a CCE member as primary supervisor
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Jie Deng
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Marshall
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Cultural display rules of emotions
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Kathryn Ford
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Price
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Influences of Economic Inequality on Religiosity
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Suzanne Hill
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Imada
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Cultural Influences on Gender Inequality Within Romantic Relationships
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Jo Holmberg-Hansson
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Imada
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Risk and resilience in international, refugee, and local adolescents
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Tavis King
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Gaines
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Cross-cultural influences on internalised homophobia
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Jaye McLaughlin
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Pound
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Psychological responses to inequality
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Amy Monroe
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Price
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The evolution of moral elevation
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Vania Rolon Arevalo
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Schmitt
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The Effects of Perceived Female Sociosexuality on Sexual Morality and Religiosity
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Maria Spanoudaki
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Gaines
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A longitudinal study of Inner Well-being in Higher Education: Are one or more aspects of Inner Wellbeing reflected in individuals' academic achievement over time?
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