Postdoctoral Research Associate, Psychology

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Postdoctoral Research Associate, Psychology

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Offer DescriptionThe RoleA 36-month fixed-term full time Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position is available at the Department of Psychology at Durham University. The successful candidate will join the research project Flexibility of predictive processing in scene viewing and representation. This project is led by Dr Sara Spotorno and funded by the Leverhulme Trust.This project investigates how we use knowledge acquired from life experience (schemas) to predict what we should see and where we should see it in real-world scene (images of everyday environments). More specifically, it examines to what extent and how predictions about scenes can be updated when schemas are not useful for or are even interfering with the current task. To this purpose, it uses high precision eye-tracking to analyse the time course of attentional selection during scene viewing. The successful applicant will have primary responsibility for developing the experimental materials (carefully controlled scene images), programming the eye-tracking experiments, recruiting participants, collecting and analysing the eye-tracking data. They will also have the responsibility to write the studies up for publication and present the results at national and international scientific conferences. The project is, therefore, ideally suited for someone who is organised, is a clear communicator with excellent writing skills and has a solid experimental psychology training basis, although a background in cognitive neuroscience or computer science with experimental research experience may be appropriate as well. There is a technical aspect to the project in the production and evaluation of the experimental materials, so the person should have an aptitude for technical work. Moreover, there may be scope for the candidate to contribute to the project’s development. Therefore, a combination of rigour and creativity in experimental design would be highly valued.This is a great opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project which has a clear theoretical focus and interdisciplinary implications, as it will provide fundamental insights into how we explore, interpret and integrate new information from our visual surroundings into our experience. The PDRA will have access to outstanding resources including equipment, dedicated technical support, and travel funding for conferences and collaboration.The successful candidate will have a strong academic track record, including experience in designing, carrying out, analysing and interpreting high quality quantitative research on human perception and/or cognition. Experience with any of the following topics and approaches will be a strong advantage:

• Real-world visual scene processing, including an understanding of algorithms that can be applied to scenes (e.g., visual salience algorithms).
• Eye tracking (especially using Eye Link eye trackers).
• Advanced statistical analysis skills, especially Linear Mixed Effect Models or Bayesian Models.
• Advance knowledge of experiment programming software, especially Matlab, Experimental Builder, PsychoPy, Python.
• Advanced knowledge of software for eye-tracking data extraction and analysis, esp. Matlab and R.

However, we do not necessarily expect candidates to have experience in all of these, and we can provide training as needed on those which are unfamiliar.Key responsibilities:

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To review the relevant literature and maintain an up-to-date understanding of it.
• To prepare the experimental materials (carefully controlled scene images).
• To programme eye-tracking experiments for data collection in the laboratory.
• To extract and analyse eye-tracking and behavioural data.
• To persona;;y collect data from adult populations in the laboratory.
• To work with the Principal Investigator, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in supervision of students and Research Assistants.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.

This post is fixed term for 36 months. The funding is available from the 1st July 2025, with the possibility of an earlier start if preffered, for this fixed term only.The post-holder is employed to work on a research project led by the Principal Investigator. 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 by 1st July 2025.Where to apply WebsiteRequirementsAdditional InformationWork Location(s)Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute DURHAM UNIVERSITY Country United Kingdom City Durham, United Kingdom GeofieldContact CityDurham, United KingdomSTATUS: EXPIREDShare this page

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Location

Durham

Job date

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 02:01:18 GMT

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