<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-GB" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">We are inviting PhD applications via The South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc) for September 2025 entry.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Project: The influence of psychological biases on technological progress<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Supervisors: Dr. Shiri Lev-Ari (primary) and Prof. Ryan McKay (secondary)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Modern society is characterized by constant development. Technological progress is not only abundant but essential, as many fields and policies rely on further technological development to
succeed (e.g., autonomous cars, renewable energy). The rate of technological advancement, however, varies dramatically across societies and time. It is therefore crucial to understand the conditions that promote or hinder this progress. Cumulative Cultural
Evolution (CCE) – the process whereby individuals build on past innovations to create new technologies that are beyond the capability of a single individual – provides a foundational framework for studying technological advancement. However, CCE often overlooks
valuable insights from behavioral economics regarding how individuals make investment decisions. This project will integrate CCE paradigms with insights from behavioral economics to test which conditions facilitate technological advancement. It will particularly
focus on the sunk cost effect, the undue influence of past investments on future investment decisions, as a mechanism that both facilitates and hinders technological progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For more information about SEDarc studentships:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-teaching/departments-and-schools/psychology/studying-here/research-degrees/sedarc/">https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-teaching/departments-and-schools/psychology/studying-here/research-degrees/sedarc/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">If interested or for more information, please contact the primary supervisor (shiri.lev-ari AT rhul.ac.uk).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">----------------------------------------------</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Shiri Lev-Ari</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Reader, Psychology Department</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">Royal Holloway, University of London</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">website: </span><a href="https://langsocnet.psychologyresearch.co.uk/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">https://langsocnet.psychologyresearch.co.uk/</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:none;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<p>This email, its contents and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. In certain circumstances, it may also be subject to legal privilege. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted.
If you have received this email in error, please notify us and immediately and permanently delete it. Any views or opinions expressed in personal emails are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Royal Holloway, University of
London. It is your responsibility to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus free.</p>
<p></p>
</body>
</html>