Impact of spatial navigation on hippocampal development and stress regulation: an interdisciplinary project on smartphone use and mental health
Primary Supervisor: Dr Frederike Beyer
Co-supervisor(s): Dr Guifen Chen
Studentship Funding: Awaiting CSC Funding Decision
Application Deadline: 28th January 2026
PhD Programme: PhD Psychology
Project Overview
The hippocampus is a highly plastic brain area, which is involved in spatial navigation, memory, and stress regulation. Ample research has shown that in older people, activities involving spatial navigation can have a positive impact on hippocampal function. However, how navigational experiences affect the adolescent hippocampus is scarcely studied. As we increasingly outsource spatial navigation to GPS-based devices, it is crucial to understand how a lack of navigational challenge in early life affects hippocampal function and thereby stress regulation. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project will investigate how spatial navigation experiences shaped by smartphone reliance impact hippocampal structure and function, and how these neural changes, in turn, affect mental health, particularly stress regulation. Using existing cohort MRI datasets, the PhD student will first compare hippocampal structure and connectivity between cohorts who grew up pre- and post-widespread availability of smartphones. Subsequently, they will study the impact of enhancing spatial navigation experience on hippocampal function, stress regulation and mental health in adolescents using human behavioural tasks and physiological measures. They will also investigate the underlying mechanisms by which early life navigational challenges influence hippocampal development and stress resilience in adulthood using mouse models.
Research Environment
The PhD student will work in the Social Neuroscience lab of Dr Frederike Beyer (https://www.seresearch.qmul.ac.uk/cbb/people/fbeyer/), as well as the rodent neuroscience lab of Dr Guifen Chen (https://www.seresearch.qmul.ac.uk/cbb/people/gchen /). Through this project, they will develop a unique, interdisciplinary research skills portfolio. The student will be trained in cognitive neuroscience (analysis of human MRI data), experimental psychology, experimental and translational work in rodents (such as rodent behaviour, in vivo electrophysical recording, virtual reality techniques etc).
The student will be part of the Centre for Brain and Behaviour PhD community, with regular lab meetings and seminars, as well as skills-based workshops on academic writing, presentation and dissemination, as well as careers support.
Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.
Keywords: hippocampus; stress regulation; spatial navigation; cognitive neuroscience.
Funding & Eligibility
Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must:
- Be applying for CSC funding.
- Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport.
- Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details.
- Apply to QMUL by 28th January 2026. Late applications will not be considered.
- Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.
CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Entry Requirements
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, Neuroscience.
Knowledge of experimental research with human participants, advanced statistics, neuroimaging data analysis, or working with animal models would be highly advantageous but are not required.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 1st March 2026. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme
Please find further details on our English Language requirements page.
How to Apply
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 28th January 2026 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
Your CV
Personal Statement
Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate
Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
References
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Frederike Beyer
Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.
Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
Apply online