PhD Studentship: Enhanced Eyewitness Identification – Predicting and Optimising ID Accuracy Through Behavioural Analysis University of Birmingham in United Kingdom

[Centre-UB studentships cover tuition fees, a maintenance stipend, support for research training, as well as research activity support grants. Up to 30% of international applicants can be recruited per UKRI funding rules.]

The University of Birmingham, in partnership with the Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) and Promat, invites applications for a fully funded PhD studentship starting October 2026. This interdisciplinary project aims to revolutionise eyewitness identification procedures by integrating cognitive psychology, immersive technology, and artificial intelligence. Despite advances in psychological science, police lineups have changed little in over a century, often relying on static photographs that fail to replicate real-world conditions such as poor lighting, variable viewpoints, and disguises.

The successful candidate will design and conduct behavioural experiments using a mock witness paradigm, allowing participants to adjust lineup conditions to better match their memory of events. The project will investigate whether these adaptive, memory-congruent environments improve identification accuracy compared to traditional methods, and will analyse how witnesses explore faces under these conditions. A key innovation is the use of AI and computational modelling: the student will analyse eye movements, exploration patterns, and verbal reports to develop models predicting identification reliability. Training will be provided in designing interpretable, legally robust AI systems, including attention-based deep learning and reinforcement learning models that adapt in real time to witness behaviour.

Collaboration with Promat, the UK's leading provider of police lineup software, offers the student direct experience with operational systems and industry constraints, ensuring the research has real-world impact and deployment potential. Joint supervision from the Schools of Psychology and Computer Science provides strong interdisciplinary support and bridges academic research with industry innovation.

Applicants should hold a 1st class or 2:1 degree in Psychology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Data Science, or a related field. An MSc is desirable but not essential. Experience in coding (Python, R, Matlab), behavioural experimentation, statistics, or machine learning is advantageous, but comprehensive training will be provided. Interest in human perception, AI ethics, or forensic science is encouraged. The studentship covers tuition fees, a maintenance stipend, research training support, and activity grants. Due to UKRI funding rules, up to 30% of the cohort may be international students. For further details, visit the Centre-UB website or contact Professor Heather Flowe at [email protected]. The application deadline is February 17, 2026.