Description du sujet de thèse

A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to rhythmic auditory stimuli can modulate subsequent speech processing, both in perception/comprehension and production. These effects, known as rhythmic priming effects, point to the existence of shared representations and cognitive mechanisms between speech and music, with common implementations in the human brain, making the transfer between these two domains possible. This transfer from perception to production also occurs when listening to a speaker. The phenomenon of phonetic convergence between speakers (and sometimes divergence) and alignment between dialogue partners can reflect these effects. Despite the experimental results, these phenomena are not yet explained by computational and neurobiological models of speech perception and production. In this context, the overall goal of the project is to propose an integrative formalism that helps to account for the above-mentioned effects, by proposing a neuro-computational model. The collection of new data to test the predictions made by the model could also be considered. The developed model should also be able to account for speech production in Parkinson's disease.

Contexte de travail

This 3-year position is fully funded by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The PhD student will be co-supervised by Anahita Basirat (University of Lille, https://www.univ-lille.fr) and Julien Diard (Grenoble Alpes University, https://www.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr).

Lab in Lille: https://scalab.univ-lille.fr, see Language team
Lab in Grenoble: https://lpnc.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/, see Language team

Informations complémentaires

Applicants must hold a master's degree at the beginning of the PhD. The candidate must have a background in computer science, applied mathematics or signal processing, with a strong affinity for cognitive science, or instead a background in cognitive science, with a strong affinity for mathematical modeling. The candidate must have previous experience in scientific research in a laboratory. Mastery of a scientific calculus language, or of a general-purpose programming language is required (e.g., R, Python, Matlab, etc.). Previous experience in probabilistic, dynamic systems, or connectionist modeling is a plus but is not required. Previous knowledge in the field of speech sciences or psycholinguistics/neurolinguistics is also a plus. Knowledge of French is not necessary.

Interviews are conducted as applications are received. The start date is negotiable but must be between October 2023 and January 2024. For candidates who are not in France, more information about PhD in France is available at https://www.campusfrance.org/en/FAQ-Doctorate-France-questions
Knowledge of French is a plus but not necessary.