Research Assistant (Part Time, Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant (part-time 4 days a week) to support Professor Mark Johnson, Head of Psychology and Dr Sarah Lloyd-Fox. This exciting role is embedded within the research team of the Perinatal Imaging in Partnership with Families (PIPKIN) Study (https://www.pipkinstudy.com), which is investigating fetal behaviours, early brain development, cognitive functioning and behaviour across pregnancy and early postnatal life in the context of the infant's social world and their environment.
The Research Assistant will provide a critical foundation for the team by providing a high level of research assistance at the hospital, home and research lab study sessions and administrative support for team members in order to ensure smooth running and success of the project. The post will be based in Central Cambridge in the Department of Psychology at the Downing Site.
This is a wide-ranging position, which would suit a self-motivated individual who is experienced in working in a diverse team and able to perform effectively under multiple demands.
Applicants should be educated to first degree level, have experience of working with infants and/or children, ideally within a scientific research setting. This post will allow the candidate to develop their skills in a range of areas including creating positive working relationships with families across pregnancy, parenting and early life; data collection across a range of research tools (i.e. fNIRS, EEG, ultrasound, NBAS, naturalistic home environment recordings); and data curation and analysis.
Excellent organisational and IT skills, ability to work independently and the ability to prioritise tasks effectively are essential, as is meticulous attention to detail.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 18 months in the first instance with the possibility of a 12 month extension depending on funding.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (enhanced with children and adults' barred lists).
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For informal inquiries, please contact Dr. Sarah Lloyd-Fox at sl868@cam.ac.uk and/or Noelia Corral Ferre at pipkincoordinator@psychol.cam.ac.uk
Closing Date: Wednesday 19th April at 12 Midnight
Interviews: 2nd May and/0r 3rd May 2023
Please quote reference PJ35980 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Associate (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate position to study the role of GABAergic mechanisms in visual perceptual learning, based in the laboratories of Professor Jeff Dalley (Department of Psychology) and Dr Steve Sawiak (Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience) at the University of Cambridge.
The successful candidate will investigate how GABAergic signalling in the visual cortex contributes to the speed and accuracy of visual discrimination learning. The project will investigate the relationship between GABA release, assessed using ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging, and behavioural performance on a touchscreen based visual discrimination and detection task. Mechanistic insights will be informed using pharmacological interventions to selectively increase or decrease the availability of GABA in the extracellular compartment. GABA-targeting compounds will be delivered locally in the visual cortex using state-of-the-art drug-delivery devices developed in Cambridge (Prof. Malliaras, Department of Engineering).
Applicants should have completed a PhD in neuroscience, biology, experimental psychology, bioengineering, or other relevant disciplines. We are looking for someone with previous experience in behavioural neuroscience and psychopharmacology in rodents, with strong data analysis skills (e.g. Matlab or Python). Experience with magnetic resonance imaging would be desirable, but is not essential.
The research position is available from May 2023 for an initial 2-year period with the possibility of an extension for up to a further 3 years.
In addition to the covering letter, CV, and contact details of 2 referees, applicants are asked to provide a brief statement (500 words) describing the questions and approach they consider important for the study of the role of cortical inhibition in visual learning and their future career ambitions.
The research activity is at the core of a new Wellcome Trust-funded Collaborative Award, which brings together a cross-disciplinary team of international experts to investigate the role of GABAergic inhibition in regulating brain network dynamics for adaptive behaviour. The work programme bridges work across species (mice, humans) and scales (local circuits, global networks) to uncover the network and neurochemical mechanisms that support learning and brain plasticity. The work capitalises on cutting-edge methodological developments in our team: a) human and animal ultra-high-field MR spectroscopy and functional brain imaging (Emir lab, Purdue; Kourtzi and Sawiak lab, Cambridge), b) neuroengineering tools including optical GABA sensors (Looger lab: UCSD) and electrophoretic drug delivery devices (Malliaras lab, Cambridge), cellular imaging, optogenetics, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology (Dalley, Paulsen, Poort labs, Cambridge; Rusakov lab: UCL).
This international collaborative network provides unique opportunities for cross-disciplinary training in innovative methodologies at the interface of animal and human neuroscience, neurotechnology and computational science. Successful applicants will be integrated in a diverse collaborative team and will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and retreats across the network as well as exchange visits across labs to facilitate cross-disciplinary training and collaborative working.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For informal inquiries, please contact Professor Jeff Dalley at jwd20@cam.ac.uk and/or Professor Steve Sawiak at sys80@cam.ac.uk
Closing Date: Monday 27th March at 12 Midnight
Interviews: Early December
Please quote reference PJ35739 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
PA to HoD and DA
We are looking for an experienced PA to support the Head of Department and the Departmental Administrator in the Department of Psychology, based in historic central Cambridge. We offer a welcoming, friendly work environment where you will feel valued, encouraged to develop and supported to achieve your full potential.
The Department of Psychology is a large teaching and research Department in the School of Biological Sciences with approximately 30 Academics, 150 members of staff and 100 postgraduate students.
You will provide a comprehensive PA service to the Head of Department and the Departmental Administrator to support the efficient and effective management of their time and work. You will ensure the successful management of collaborative/administrative projects involving a range of university departments and external institutions, by putting in place all requisite processes and procedures. You will also prepare for and attend meetings, record the minutes and act on administrative tasks that may arise out of committee meetings. You will oversee department visitor applications, and organise and manage events and seminars for the department. This is an interesting and varied role, which includes some HR administration duties in conjunction with the HR team, as well as event management and occasional cover for reception.
You will have a proactive and flexible approach to your work and will have relevant PA/administrative experience. You will have excellent IT skills and exceptional written, verbal and organisational skills. You will be able to use your own initiative as well as having the ability to work both independently and as part of a friendly and supportive team.
What we Offer:
The University salary structure includes automatic service-related pay progression in many of its grades and an annual cost of living increase. In addition to this, employees are rewarded for outstanding contribution through a number of regular pay progression schemes. Staff also benefit from a generous annual leave entitlement.
The University offers employees a wide range of competitive benefits, from health care cash plans to childcare, a cycle to work scheme, to shopping and insurance discounts.
University-led initiatives in the areas of equality, diversity and wellbeing include staff and students networks. These include the Women's Staff Network, the Disabled Staff Network, the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network, Parents and Carers and the LGBT+ Network. We also hold a wide range of Equality and Diversity events on a regular basis.
Wellbeing at Cambridge is a University-wide initiative aiming at supporting and maximising the health and wellbeing of staff. It encompasses a network of Wellbeing Advocates, who provide guidance and general signposting about wellbeing issues, including mental or physical health and Dignity @ Work concerns.
The University offer a range of family-friendly policies, including maternity, adoption and shared parental leave. In addition, workplace nurseries, childcare vouchers, a childcare salary sacrifice scheme and a high-quality holiday play scheme are available to help support University employees with caring responsibilities
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Informal enquiries are welcomed. Please contact Jo Simmonds: jms311@cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PJ35639 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Associate in AI Brain Sciences (Fixed Term)
A post-doctoral Research Associate position in AI for Brain Sciences is available to work with Prof Zoe Kourtzi at the Adaptive Brain Lab (https://www.abg.psychol.cam.ac.uk).
The position will focus on developing and translating AI-guided tools for a) understanding brain processes underlying cognition in health and disease, b) early detection of brain and mental health disorders to inform clinical practice (healthcare, clinical trials).
The research will involve working on research cohort and clinical data, developing and applying machine learning models to synthesise biological (brain imaging, genetic) and cognitive, epidemiological data, validating AI-guided tools in clinical data, translating these tools for adoption in healthcare and industry settings.
The research activity is at the core of a Wellcome Trust funded Innovator Award that brings together multidisciplinary experts in neuroscience (Prof Zoe Kourtzi, Adaptive Brain Lab), machine learning (Prof Carola Schönlieb, Department of Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge Image Analysis (CIA) Group), clinical practice (Dr Tim Rittman, Clinical Neuroscience), clinical informatics (Prof Guy Williams, Clinical Neuroscience) with healthcare innovation (Eastern AHSN) and pharmaceutical industry partners (AstraZeneca). Our work on early prediction of dementia has already gathered significant media interest (e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57934589) and has potential to deliver transformative applications in clinical practice.
The successful applicant will receive multi-disciplinary research training at the interface between machine learning, neuroscience, and clinical translation. They will work with teams at the Alan Turing Institute (https://www.turing.ac.uk), the EDoN Initiative (https://edon-initiative.org) spearheaded by Alzheimer's Research UK, b) the Data Science and Neuroscience teams at AstraZeneca.
Applicants should have a PhD (or submitted at time of appointment) together with a strong academic track record, in a relevant area (e.g., Neuroscience, Data Science, Biostatistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Medicine). Programming skills are highly desirable and experience with machine learning, data science, computational neuroscience, biostatistics, or clinical neuroscience are highly beneficial. Above all, they will demonstrate enthusiasm to contribute new knowledge, openness to learn new approaches and willingness to contribute to a multidisciplinary team across sectors (academia, healthcare industry.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
For informal inquiries, please contact Professor Zoe Kourtzi at zk240@cam.ac.uk
Closing Date: Sunday 26th March 2023 at 12 Midnight
Interviews: TBC
Please quote reference PJ35633 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Teaching Associate in Experimental Psychology, Statistics and Research Design(Part Time, Fixed Term)
We are seeking an enthusiastic person to join the Department of Psychology as a Teaching Associate. The purpose of the role is to support and maintain the University's national and international reputation for excellence in teaching. The successful candidate will demonstrate a willingness to contribute to undergraduate education within the Department of Psychology and an ability to teach effectively at undergraduate level.
Reporting to the Director of Undergraduate Education, the post-holder will support the Department of Psychology's teaching in Developmental Psychology and Statistics. The post-holder will work in collaboration with relevant Course Organisers and the Deputy Head of Department for Teaching, conducting developmental lectures for undergraduate students, teach statistics, and contribute to marking of Part I examinations. The role will involve liaising with lecturers, students and administrative staff.
It is essential that the post-holder has a background in Developmental Psychology, has competence and confidence in programing, and is able to teach R. The candidate should demonstrate a commitment to teaching and will ideally have experience of teaching at university level. It is essential that the post-holder is self-motivated, can work independently as well as part of a team, and has good organisational and communication skills.
The position is funded for 2 years part-time, with the possibility to extend. Ideally, the successful candidate will be able to take up the post of Teaching Associate on April the 25th, or as soon as possible thereafter. The interview date is projected to be the week beginning the 20th of March, and will involve a short skills-based test.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Informal enquiries about the role and relevant skills and experience are welcomed, and should be directed to Dr Lee de-Wit (lhd26@cam.ac.uk).
Please quote reference PJ34888 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
