Research Scholarship: Innovative technologies for children with autism: virtual reality for real-world learning

The University of Southampton is offering a doctoral scholarship to pursue research that builds upon the European-funded, multidisciplinary COSPATIAL project: Communication and Social Participation: Collaborative Technologies for Interaction and learning. The project focuses on the development of collaborative technologies to support social and communication skills for children and young people on the autism spectrum. The research will be led by Dr Sarah Parsons in the Southampton Education School and co-supervised by Dr. Mike Wald in Electronics and Computer Science.

This innovative field of research lies at the intersection of education and learning,developmental psychology and computer science in terms of how technologies are created (features of software and hardware; methodologies for participatory or user-centred design), what technologies look like (features of presentation and representation e.g. does 3-D imagery and navigation matter for learning?); and how these features support the learning and cognition of children on the autism spectrum (e.g. what do children understand about the links between virtual and real worlds?). This intersection also leads to wider questions regarding the use of technology to support social skills curricula in schools and how the inclusion of children and young people on the autism spectrum in mainstream contexts can be supported.

The University of Southampton Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences is offering a PGR Scholarship to a suitably qualified candidate with an open and enquiring mind and a willingness to work in an inter-disciplinary context. Candidates must have a Masters degree (or have equivalent post-graduate research/study experience). The Scholarship of £7,000 per annum is tenable for a maximum of three years full-time (or £3,500 for a maximum of six years part-time) from October 2011 and is renewed on an annual basis subject to satisfactory progress.

Details of how to apply via our online application form can be found at: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgstudy/howdoiapplypg.html

As with all students applying for entry to the PhD, applicants are asked to provide a research proposal outlining their ideas for research. They may also make contact with Dr Sarah Parsons (email: S.J.Parsons@soton.ac.uk / tel: 023 8059 2977) to discuss the research proposal. For more general enquiries about PhD programmes,please contact our postgraduate office soepgadm@soton.ac.uk

The closing date for applications if Friday June 17th