The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here .
The Department
Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. We are currently ranked 6th in the Complete University Guide, 4th in the Guardian University League Table, and in the top 100 of Psychology Departments world-wide according to the QS World Rankings.
The department’s research falls within three groupings: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Social Psychology. The Department is committed to creating and maintaining a research and teaching environment that spans the entire breadth of Psychology.
The Department is well equipped for research in most areas including facilities for fMRI, TMS, EEG, eye tracking, as well as the analysis of visuomotor action and psychophysical performance. The Department also has a motion capture lab, an echo-attenuated chamber and a suite of observation labs.
In 2022, the Department received its third Athena SWAN Silver Award recognising our commitment to advancing women’s careers in STEM academia and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the Department.
The Role
A fixed-term full time post-doctoral Research Associate position, ending July 2025, is available at the Department of Psychology at Durham University, UK. The successful candidate will join a research project led by Professor Markus Hausmann. The project aims to understand how contextual factors influence attention and perception. Specifically, we aim to investigate the attentional and perceptual biases that represent a genuine distortion in the mental representation of objects and space beyond their physical properties. This call is explicitly aimed at researchers with a background in (neuro)cognitive psychology and its associated techniques. The specific project can be adjusted to the methodological expertise of the successful candidate but will also likely expand the candidate’s methodological repertoire. The successful candidate will work alongside a collaborative and dynamic team addressing complementary research questions. Methodological experience with programming PC-based experiments and/or one (or more) (neuro)cognitive technique are desirable.
Responsibilities:
This post is fixed term until the end of July 2025, as the funding is available for this fixed period only.
The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post as soon as possible.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
Contact Information
Department contact for academic-related enquiries
For informal enquiries please contact Professor Markus Hausmann (markus.hausmann@durham.ac.uk). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application
If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk
Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).
University contact for general queries about the recruitment process
If you have any queries about the recruitment process please contact the recruitment team at e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk .
How to Apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
Next Steps
The assessment for the post will include the submitted application documents as outlined above. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment (date to be confirmed). The interview will include a short presentation of the candidate’s research to date.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria:
Qualifications
1. A PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a related subject.
Experience
2. Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
3. Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
4. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.
Skills
5. Specialist knowledge in the relevant discipline: Background of theoretical and empirical research in Experimental Psychology and/or Cognitive Neuroscience.
6. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
7. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Desirable Criteria:
Experience
8. Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.
9. A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career.
10. Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.
11. Experience of overseeing students with respect to the development of their practical/research skills e.g. acting as a demonstrator; supervising student projects/practicals.
12. Advanced expertise in research methods and statistics.
Skills
13. Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research.
14. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
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