Research Associate

Location

Newcastle upon Tyne | United Kingdom

Job description

Salary: £33,966 to £36,024 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 01 April 2024

T

The Role

We are recruiting a Research Associate to work on a three-year ESRC-funded project awarded to Laurence White and Julie Morris.

The project will examine how, in spoken interactions, listeners make predictions about speech timing to facilitate both their comprehension and their coordination of turn-taking. See the ECLS website for more information about the team and the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, including our Speech and Language Sciences subject area.

The postholder, who should have a PhD in a relevant discipline, will be responsible for the setting up and running of speech perception experiments in the laboratory and online, and the processing and statistical analysis of experimental data. They will also be actively involved in writing and dissemination of research outcomes, taking a leading role where appropriate, and in engagement beyond academic audiences via workshops and other activities. In the later part of the project, they will collaborate with another researcher to run and analyse perception studies with people with aphasia.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment. We would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible working, including a combination of working on campus and remotely, and flexibility around start and finish times, appropriate to the needs of the role.

The role is full time and fixed for 3 years.

Informal enquiries are welcome. Please contact Laurence White,  [email protected] to discuss the role.

To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and letter of application outlining specific examples around how you meet the requirements set out in ‘The Person’ section below.

Interviews will take place week commencing 22nd April.

Key Accountabilities

• Organising data collection, including setting up, implementation and analysis of speech perception studies run in the laboratory and online
• Conducting research-related administration to ensure ethical research procedures and security of data management
• Developing and maintaining knowledge of relevant research findings and experimental and analytical techniques
• Collaboratively working to prepare research outcomes for submission to high-quality refereed journals and presentation at national and international conferences
• Collaboratively working on the organisation of workshops for research planning and dissemination
• Working flexibly at an appropriate stage with an additional researcher dedicated to the project
• Undertaking appropriate training and career enhancement activities, including the development of skills relevant to wider academic responsibilities, e.g., undergraduate project supervision

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Theoretical knowledge related to speech and language sciences, in particular relating to speech perception, and ability to maintain knowledge of ongoing research developments in relevant fields
• Knowledge of experimental designs and techniques in behavioural science
• Experience in the acquisition of psychological research data from adult participants in face-to-face and/or online data collection. Skills in programming software appropriate to running speech perception experiments online and in the laboratory are highly desirable
• Data analysis skills, including the use of quantitative statistical techniques (preferably with experience of using R)
• Experience in the interpretation of research data and results
• Strong attention to detail in data processing, and in written and verbal communication, and the ability to communicate complex information clearly

Attributes and Behaviour

• Application of knowledge and insight to analyse and interpret research data
• Intellectual agility for understanding and resolution of unfamiliar problems
• Systematic approach to project planning, time-management, organisation and prioritisation, with the ability to set and update realistic goals
• Effective and self-motivated working to deadlines, in consultation with the project team
• Effective, collegial contributions to project work as a part of an interdisciplinary team, and engagement with the wider university research community
• Commitment to personal career development appropriate to the expectations and opportunities of a postdoctoral research position

Qualifications

• PhD in relevant discipline (e.g., psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, speech and language therapy)

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26820

Job tags

Salary