sent on behalf of Dr Emma Gowen.
PhD in “Characterising motor impairments in autism using computational techniques”. Applications are invited for this fully-funded PhD position (fees and salary) in the lab of Dr Emma Gowen in
the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester
Deadline: 26th Nov 2014
Start date: September 2015
Duration: 4 years
Eligibility: Candidates must be nationals of the UK or other EU country
This project will apply computational and statistical methods to motion tracking data in order to determine the nature of motor impairments in autistic individuals. Autism
is a life-long developmental condition that affects how a person communicates and interacts with people. In addition to these social symptoms, autistic individuals have altered motor control
such as less accurate eye-hand coordination and abnormal gait patterns causing considerable problems with daily living and social skills. Despite this impact, motor problems are poorly characterised. In this project, computational and statistical methods
(e.g. feature extraction, machine learning) will be applied to movement data recorded from autistic and non-autistic people in order to address the following questions: Can motor ability differentiate between autistic and non- autistic groups? Can motor ability
be used as a diagnostic marker for autism? Are there different subgroups of motor impairment present in the autistic population?
For more details of the project please visit: