PhD: Enhancing digital behaviour change programs using deep learning models of emotional expression
Project summary:
Achieving sustainable health behaviour change is complex, often influenced by ambivalence (simultaneous desires for and against change) and hesitancy (ranging from full acceptance to complete refusal of new behaviours). In traditional face-to-face healthcare, clinicians detect these states through speech patterns and non-verbal cues. However, in digital health (eHealth) interventions, where physical interactions are limited, assessing ambivalence and hesitancy remains a significant challenge. Advances in machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) now allow for the processing of multimodal data—including voice and facial expressions—opening the door to developing innovative tools based on automatic expression recognition (AER).
The AER project will generate new annotated data and algorithms for the expression of ambivalence and hesitancy. Ultimately, these could be integrated into digital health interventions to identify people’s ambivalence and hesitancy towards their goals.
Position summary:
The individual who is selected for this position will be expected to work with study PI’s, Drs. Simon Bacon (Concordia), Eric Granger (ETS), and Kim Lavoie (UQAM), in delivering the project, in delivering the project. The PhD student will be able to work on a variety of research-related aspects of the study including:
- Delivery of testing protocol
- Recruitment of participants
- Post-testing data processing, annotation, and analyses
- Development of deep learning-based algorithms
- Participating in knowledge user engagement activities
Required Qualifications
- A Master’s degree in a related discipline (e.g., Kinesiology, Computer Science, Psychology, Engineering) if applying to Concordia, or a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology if applying to UQAM
- Prior experience conducting research in at least one of the following areas
- Applied psychological assessments
- Multimodal data capture
- Deep learning models
- Effective oral and written communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated research productivity (e.g., conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, master’s thesis, honours thesis)
- Ability to work autonomously and take a lead role on projects under supervision of principal investigators
Preference will be given to candidates with:
- Experience using integrated stakeholder engagement strategies
- Openness to learn new methods and techniques in an applied clinical setting
- Experience with student mentoring and supervision
- Ability to communicate (orally) in both English and French (note French language skills are not required, just preferred)
Provincial, national and international candidates are encouraged to apply
Start date, Duration, Stipend, and Location
The PhD can start in September 2026 (though there is also the possibility of starting during the summer of 2026); funding has already been received.
The funding package consists of a minimum 4-year stipend (consistent with Fonds de Recherche du Quebec funding levels) plus conference / training funding. For out of province and international candidates there are also tuition waivers potentially available.
The successful candidate will be registered either at Concordia University in the Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology (www.concordia.ca) or at UQAM (www.uqam.ca) in the Department of Psychology; the actual work would be conducted at the CIUSSS-NIM, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montreal (https://rechercheciusssnim.ca/). Please note that the language of instruction is English at Concordia and French at UQAM.
To apply, please forward the following:
- A complete curriculum vitae, including summary of GPA’s, a full publication list (including hyperlinks where possible) and email contact details for two referees
- A letter of motivation and statement of research accomplishments and future research goals, which should be no longer than 2 pages.
- At least one written example of a research focused output, e.g., research article, honours thesis, class-based research paper.
How to apply:
- The complete application package must be emailed to: apply@mbmc-cmcm.ca. Please include “PhD AER” in the subject line.
- Queries about the application should be sent to either Dr. Lavoie (lavoie.kim@uqam.ca) or Dr. Bacon (simon.bacon@concordia.ca).
- The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday November 28, 2025, 5 pm ET. Interviews will be conducted in December 2025 and January 2026. The successful candidate will need to apply to the University by the official application deadline.