Work with us

Want to come work with us? We are currently recruiting one research technician and two PhD students! Find more details on each position below.

Research Technician

Location: University of Stirling

Closing date: 5 April 2026

About the position

This post holder will be responsible for managing the technical development of a web-based battery of measures of curiosity for children. The post holder will work with the project team to implement specified tasks and surveys into a unified web-based platform for data collection in schools, public spaces, and the lab and to develop the data architecture for the battery and produce the pipelines for wrangling and cleaning the data ready for analysis.

The finalised battery will be made available open source for other researchers and educators and resulting data should be shareable. A key part of the role will be documentation of the measures and the resulting data in line with Open Science practices, including preparation of preregistration documents. The post holder will develop training materials for the end users of the battery including researchers and educators. Additionally, the post holder may contribute to research activities such as data collection and data analysis.

The post holder will be an integral member of the dynamic research team at Stirling and Lancaster Universities and contribute to a line of studies assessing curiosity and its effects in primary school age children. The post holder will have opportunities to develop new skills, collaborations, and research ideas within the role.

The University of Stirling has an Agile Working Framework that will enable post holder to work flexibly to deliver the project objectives.

PhD - Curiosity and Learning in Children

Location: University of Stirling

Closing date: 20 April 2026

Curiosity and Learning in Children

About the project

While the importance of curiosity in development is often assumed, systematic research into its value for children's academic and well-being outcomes is lacking. This is largely due to the paucity of reliable measures of curiosity in childhood incorporating different theoretical perspectives. In the Curiosity Battery project, researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Stirling are developing a set of tasks and questionnaires that capture several aspects of primary school children’s curiosity. Two PhD projects, one hosted at Lancaster University (see here for details) and one at the University of Stirling, will investigate how these different dimensions of curiosity are related to children’s wellbeing and school achievement respectively.

This PhD student will develop a set of studies to test the predictive validity of the Curiosity Battery across learning and academic achievement domains – identified as important outcomes of children’s curiosity (e.g., Von Stumm et al., 2011). The PhD studentship will allow for a deeper investigation of the mechanisms involved in the development of related constructs including intrinsic motivation, engagement with, value of, and enjoyment of learning. The student will have substantial agency and ownership over their project: they will develop the research questions, design the studies, and choose the appropriate measures under the supervision and guidance of the supervisory team.

About the University of Stirling and the School of Psychology

The student will undertake their PhD programme within the School of Psychology at the University of Stirling. The School has a thriving community of doctoral students, with regular research talks, away days, and local conferences to share and discuss their research. Exceptional training for doctoral students is provided both within the Division and through the University of Stirling’s Institute for Advanced Study, towards which the University of Stirling recently made a large capital investment. There is an active research culture within Psychology and the student will be embedded within the Cognition Research Group, benefiting from resources such as the Lifespan Lab. Psychology is strongly committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion – evidenced by a Bronze Athena SWAN award in 2021 and provision of training and mentorship for staff and students to ensure the best practice and support is available to all.

About the applicant

The PhD candidate must have a first or upper second-class Undergraduate honours degree and preferably a Masters in a discipline relevant to the project. While we expect that this project would suit graduates from a psychology background, we are happy to receive applications from a wide range of backgrounds that have potential to enhance the project. A demonstrable understanding and passion for psychological research is essential. Experience working with infants and/or children is highly desirable, but not essential. The successful PhD candidate will need to gain PVG Membership.

How to apply:

Applications must be submitted by email to Dr Lily FitzGibbon (lily.fitzgibbon@stir.ac.uk) by the 20th of April 2026. Interview date will be set in early May 2026.

A list of the materials you will need is below:

Academic CV along with names and contact details of two referees who will be contacted directly. At least one of the references must be academic.
An academic writing sample (for example, a UG or MSc dissertation, a coursework essay, or a peer reviewed journal article)
A personal statement/cover letter (up to two pages) which demonstrates the applicant’s motivation and readiness for undertaking a PhD and for this PhD project.

Studentship start date: October 1, 2026

For informal enquiries about the project please contact Dr Lily FitzGibbon (lily.fitzgibbon@stir.ac.uk).

Funding Notes

This full time studentship provides funding for home fees (£5,238) and a stipend set at the minimum UKRI annual award for 2026/27 (£21,805 p.a)

Length of award is 3 years FTE or 36 months; due to the Leverhulme Trust’s funding limitations, only full-time doctoral candidates may apply.

The closing date for applications is 11.59pm GMT on 20th April 2026

Start date will be October 2026.

PhD - Curiosity and Wellbeing in Children

Location: Lancaster University

Closing date: 20 April 2026

Curiosity and Wellbeing in Children

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship to study curiosity and wellbeing in school children in the Department of Psychology, Lancaster University funded by the Leverhulme Trust as part of the Curiosity Battery research project.

Supervisory team

Dr Marina Bazhydai (Lancaster), Dr Lily FitzGibbon (Stirling), Dr Amy Atkinson (Lancaster)

PhD project description

While the importance of curiosity in development is often assumed, systematic research into its value for children's academic and well-being outcomes is lacking. This is largely due to the paucity of reliable measures of curiosity in childhood incorporating different theoretical perspectives. In the Curiosity Battery project, researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Stirling are developing a set of tasks and questionnaires that capture several aspects of primary school children’s curiosity. Two PhD projects, one hosted at Lancaster University and one at the University of Stirling, will investigate how these different dimensions of curiosity are related to children’s wellbeing and school achievement respectively.

This PhD student will develop a set of studies to test the predictive validity of the Curiosity Battery on several outcomes of interest broadly across the psychological well-being domain, such as positive affect, emotion regulation, coping with stress, resilience, life satisfaction, as well as creativity and flourishing. The student will have substantial agency and ownership over their project: they will develop the research questions, design the studies, and choose the appropriate measures under the supervision and guidance of the supervisory team.

The PhD project will begin with a systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between curiosity and wellbeing in adults and children. This will help the student identify key outcome measures and relevant related constructs. The primary study will be a prospective longitudinal study conducted over the period of one year, determining whether the facets of curiosity captured by the Curiosity Battery predict well-being. Schools will be purposively sampled to capture a range of socio-economic backgrounds, so that the role of social inequality in the experience and outcomes of curiosity can be explored.

We anticipate at least two PhD chapters to be formed from this longitudinal study, the first exploring relationships at baseline, and the second exploring longitudinal relationships over the course of the study. Further, experimental studies to probe these constructs in a rigorously controlled environment would supplement the questionnaire-based investigations using the Curiosity Battery. Overall, the PhD student will undertake both theoretical and empirical work, as well as advance the field of curiosity research methodologically.

About Lancaster University and Department of Psychology

The student will undertake their PhD programme at the Lancaster University’s Department of Psychology. They will benefit from access to the state-of-the-art research facilities, support of staff technicians, and the infrastructure of the well-established PhD programme, featuring regular research development opportunities, research seminars, writing workshops, and conferences.

The PhD student will join a multidisciplinary team of highly driven researchers from Psychology, including in the developmental, cognitive, and neuroscience areas. The Psychology Department has a very active research culture, including permanent academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students. The department is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena Swan Silver Award.

The student will further benefit from strong connections established by the supervisor’s Active Learning Lab (https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/all) with local Lancaster and Morecambe area schools to facilitate research related recruitment from diverse populations. The Lancaster Infant and Child Development Lab (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/infant-and-child-development-lab/) is a purpose-built developmental research facility with a high profile in the community, evidenced by the number of returning parents of children aged from infancy through adolescence, the followers on social media, and the number of web hits.

Application details

Funding details

This full-time studentship provides funding for UK home fees for 3 years (36 months) and a tax-free studentship stipend set at the minimum UKRI annual award for 2026/27 (£21,805 p.a.), subject to satisfactory progress. Due to the Leverhulme Trust’s funding requirements, only UK based and full-time doctoral candidates may apply. Unfortunately, international students will not be considered for this position. A budget for research related expenses, training and attending conferences will also be provided.

How to apply (note there are 2 elements to the process)

Please apply though the official University process. Instructions for applying through the University can be found at the Lancaster University Admission Portal. Please also submit your application materials via this Qualtrics form, which is specific to this PhD opportunity.

Applications must be submitted by the 20th of April 2026. Interview date will be set in early May 2026.