Understanding the mastery of multiple languages and dialects

MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development

Lead Researcher: Prof. Paola Escudero

About the project

This PhD project is part of a funded ARC Discovery Project entitled Understanding the mastery of multiple languages and dialects. Summary of the Discovery project: This project will provide a unifying theory of how subsequent languages are acquired after mastering two languages or dialects. Expected outcomes include a deep understanding of how multilingual and multidialect mastery proceeds, how these are represented in the brain, and how they manifest in communicative contexts.

The PhD candidate will conduct targeted experimental studies to test the projects computational model on multilingual speakers. They will conduct psycholinguistic and/or neurolinguistic studies using techniques such as eye-tracking or EEG. They will also conduct online testing for 250 sessions. The candidate should have experience conducting online or laboratory-based experiments and be familiar with psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic factors that play a role in language learning and processing in multilinguals.

Primary supervision will be provided by Professor Paola Escudero Lead CI of the ARC Discovery project, with external co-supervision by co-CI A/Prof Chloe Diskin-Holdaway and PI Xiaoluan Liu.

What does the scholarship provide?

Domestic candidates will receive a tax-free stipend of $33,512(AUD) per annum for up to 3 years to support living costs, supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset.
Support for conference attendance, fieldwork and additional costs as approved by School/Institute.

Eligibility criteria

We welcome applicants with a background in psycholinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, empirical linguistics, with demonstrated skills in setting up and conducting online and/or laboratory based experimenst and skills in statistical analysis.

The successful applicant should:

hold qualifications and experience equal to one of the following (i) an Australian First Class Bachelor (Honours) degree, (ii) coursework Masters with at least 25% research component, (iii) Research Masters degree, or (iv) equivalent overseas qualifications.
Demonstrate strong academic performance in Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Cognitive Neuroscience, Empirical Linguistics.
Ability to set up, conduct and analyse experiments in a variety of platforms, including knowledge of statistical analysis for complex data sets..
Have an understanding of the importance of psycholinguistic data in testing theoretical and computational models.
Have the ability to conduct experiments using eye-tracking, EEG and/or online techniques and be willing to learn to learn new techniques for conducting empirical experiments to collect linguistic data.
Be enthusiastic and highly motivated to undertake further study at an advanced level.

How to apply

Review the project’s eligibility criteria. You will need to provide in your application a document which explains how you satisfy the projects eligibility criteria.
Contact the lead researcher listed to discuss your eligibility, the project’s requirements and your intention to apply. You should email them to introduce yourself, describe your qualifications and experience, and express your interest in their research project. If they are interested, you may want to arrange a phone call, video call or meeting to discuss your application. You will need to request a letter of support from the lead researcher to support your application for the scholarship.
Submit an online application for the project by logging into the Online Portal and selecting 'Project Scholarship'. Note: You do not need to submit an application for Doctor of Philosophy or Research Scholarship.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not conform to the above requirements will not be considered.

For questions and advice about the research project, please contact Prof. Paola Escudero: paola.escudero@westernsydney.edu.au

For questions and advice about the scholarship application process, please submit your scholarship enquiry:

Currently enrolled WSU HDR candidate, please submit your enquiry here
Not currently enrolled WSU HDR candidate, please submit your enquiry here

Applications close 31 August 2025