Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the Role

We are seeking an innovative, dedicated and proactive Developmental Science/Psychology Postdoctoral Researcher to join our academic team on a new cutting-edge UKRI-funded interdisciplinary research project investigating the age appropriateness of children’s animation. The Animating Minds project will bring together industry representatives with developmental cognitive neuroscientists, media theorists, creative computing and machine learning experts to develop a computational tool that predicts the neurocognitive impact of video clips on 3- to 6-year-old children.

As the lead post-doctoral research fellow at Queen Mary University of London, you will play a critical role in managing the day-to-day running of the project including co-ordinating activities of the research assistant in collaboration with Prof. Rachael Bedford. You will be responsible for project planning and developing the protocols for quantitative online and lab-based developmental studies, using eye-tracking and fNIRS to measure the direct impact of videos on children, as well as analysing the resulting data. The position is based in Centre for Brain and Behaviour (CBB), a diverse, interdisciplinary, scientific environment in the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences. Within the CBB, the state-of-the-art Child Development Lab includes EEG, fNIRS, high-speed precision eye-tracking and actigraphy. As part of the project you will work together with Co-Is and researchers across multiple UK institutions.

About You

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Developmental Science, Cognitive Neuroscience or a related field. You will be involved in quantitative and computational aspects of the project, recruiting families for online behavioural studies, testing children using lab-based eye-tracking and fNIRS, managing the study and processing experimental data. Candidates should have a track-record of journal publications, experience with developmental testing, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to prioritise and manage workload within the constraints of the overall project timeline. You will also contribute to the research profile and activities of the Centre for Brain and Behaviour (CBB) directly through the aims and objectives of the project and as an active member of the CBB community.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.