UMONS opens PhD on math anxiety

Université de Mons has opened a doctoral opportunity tied to research on mathematics anxiety in children and adolescents, according to university doctoral information pages and recent UMONS research materials. (web.umons.ac.be) The project centers on pupils aged 10 to 15 and sits at the intersection of cognitive-emotional psychology and classroom practice, based on the description circulated in social media and the university’s broader doctoral framework. (orbi.umons.ac.be) The timing matters because the application deadline is October 2, 2026, giving prospective candidates less than a month to prepare materials. UMONS says doctoral admissions are handled by the relevant faculty, while its PhD College and research administration support doctoral training across multidisciplinary institutes. (web.umons.ac.be) ### Why is a PhD on math anxiety drawing attention? Math anxiety is already an active research topic at UMONS. A 2026 poster by Sarah Urbain, Jean‑François Maes, Amandine Leboutte and Erika Wauthia at the university’s Education and Learning Sciences Department said mathematics anxiety “selectively disrupts proactive inhibitory control in adolescents.” (web.umons.ac.be) That wording points to a project that is not only about disliking math. The UMONS poster describes mathematics anxiety as feelings of tension and apprehension in math-related situations and frames it as a phenomenon tied to attention and inhibitory control, not just low achievement. (web.umons.ac.be) ### What exactly would the doctoral work cover? The opening is aimed at students interested in 10- to 15-year-olds, a period that spans late childhood into adolescence, when school demands and self-perception around mathematics can intensify. The project combines cognitive and emotional mechanisms with education methods, according to the circulated vacancy description. (orbi.umons.ac.be) UMONS presents its doctorates as multidisciplinary by design. The university says PhD researchers work within research institutes that bring together different perspectives, and its research structure includes more than 600 doctoral students across over 100 services. (orbi.umons.ac.be) ### Who is this position really suited for? The strongest fit appears to be candidates with training that crosses psychology, education, child development or learning sciences. The recent UMONS math-anxiety poster came from the Education and Learning Sciences Department, suggesting the work is anchored in education research rather than pure mathematics. (orbi.umons.ac.be) A related UMONS repository entry on motivational and emotional factors in mathematics learning said self-efficacy was positively linked to performance and negatively linked to anxiety and perceived difficulty. That gives applicants a sense of the research environment: the work is likely to focus on how emotions, beliefs and cognitive control shape learning in school settings. (web.umons.ac.be) ### Is this a lab-based psychology project or a classroom-facing education project? The available material suggests both. The UMONS poster uses cognitive terms such as inhibitory control and attentional bias, while the vacancy description links those mechanisms to educational methods and applied interventions for school-age students. (orbi.umons.ac.be) That combination is consistent with how UMONS describes doctoral study more broadly. The university says PhD candidates are embedded in multidisciplinary institutes and supported through cross-disciplinary training, rather than confined to a single narrow track. (orbi.umons.ac.be) ### What should applicants do next? October 2, 2026 is the date applicants need to work toward. UMONS says doctoral admissions are managed by the relevant faculty, and the university provides doctoral registration materials and guidance through its admissions and PhD pages. (orbi.umons.ac.be) Mons-based applicants and international candidates alike will need to identify the faculty handling the file and prepare a standard doctoral application through UMONS channels. The next concrete step is the October 2 deadline, followed by faculty-level processing of doctoral admissions at the university. (web.umons.ac.be 1) (web.umons.ac.be 2)