UNIQ+ research internships now open for 2025
Applications are now open for the University’s 2025 UNIQ+ postgraduate research internships.
UNIQ+ research internships are designed to provide students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds who are ordinarily resident in the UK with the opportunity to experience postgraduate study. UNIQ+ gives students the chance to experience life as a graduate research student at Oxford, gaining skills and experience that we hope will enhance both their CV and any future postgraduate applications. During the seven-week programme, which will run from Monday 7 July to Thursday 21 August 2025, students will undertake a research project, attend training and information sessions, and have the opportunity to take part in social events.
The Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics is offering the following project.
Perceptual Asymmetries in the Interface between Phonology and Morphology
Supervisor
Dr Hilary Wynne
Description
How do language users process complex words (such as “unwell”) when reading or listening? Do they break them down into smaller (constituent) parts, thus recognising the meaning of “well” and that the prefix “un-” negates it (ie ‘not well’), or do they simply access the meaning of the whole word irrespective of its internal complexity; ie recognising that “unwell” means something like sick?
Using psycholinguistic (behavioural, eyetracking) and neurolinguistic (EEG) methodologies, we will investigate the processing of these complex linguistic structures in native and non-native speakers of English.
Outcomes
You will be trained in speech analysis software (Praat), experimental design, stimuli selection, experimental techniques, equipment usage, and analysis of data from behavioural experiments (lexical decision/priming). You will also have the opportunity to observe and potentially contribute to a number of experiments going on in the lab (eg electroencephalography/EEG and eye-tracking) during your stay as well as speech recognition projects.
At the end of the project you will present your findings back to the group in an internal meeting. If any aspect of your analysis is included in a future publication, you may be included as a named co-author on that paper.
Entry requirements
You should have, or be studying, a degree in or related to Linguistics or Psychology at an undergraduate level. You should be comfortable using MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of MATLAB and R is not necessary but useful. Familiarity with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) would be advantageous. You will be a self-starter with the ability to work independently.
Applications close at 12:00 midday UK time on Wednesday 19 February 2025. For full eligibility criteria, the full list of projects available, and to apply, visit: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/access/uniq-plus/about
