Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Job title:

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Company

University College London

Job description

About usThe UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is ranked second in the world for psychology (Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022) and UCL is the top-ranked university in the UK for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience according to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2021. Part of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, we lead the way in the fields of mind, behaviour and language.You will work with a team led by Fred Dick (UCL), Adam Tierney (Birkbeck College), and Lori Holt (Carnegie Mellon University and UT-Austin) on a set of projects investigating auditory learning, plasticity, and attention.About the roleThe Postholder will contribute to projects sponsored by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) that map the mechanisms of auditory selective attention and representation through intensive learning paradigms and neuroimaging techniques.Human communication and other listening behaviors often take place in acoustically complex, or noisy environments like schools, restaurants, and workplaces. Much of daily life requires us to select behaviorally- relevant auditory dimensions, and potentially suppress irrelevant dimensions, so that the information conveyed can be remembered and responded to appropriately. Despite the importance of auditory selective attention, its cognitive and neural mechanisms are poorly understood. For example, although auditory selective attention is widely presumed to involve both a selective enhancement of behaviorally relevant auditory dimensions, and suppression of dimensions outside this attentional focus, evidence for suppression is scant. The long-term goal of the research is to arrive at a mechanistic understanding of auditory selective attention to specific acoustic dimensions.This postdoctoral position will involve carrying out the research program described above functional and structural MRI; computational modelling is also a highly desirable extension to this work.Amongst other roles, you will:

• Design, instantiate, analyse, and interpret behavioural and MRI studies

• Co-supervised by the project PIs, you will train and mentor undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students.

• You will prepare and present findings of research activity to colleagues for review purposes.

• You will contribute and/or lead to the drafting and submitting of papers to appropriate peer-reviewed journals.

• You will prepare progress reports on research for funding bodies as required.

• You will contribute to the preparation and drafting of research bids and proposals.

A job description and person specification can be accessed below. Please click the ‘apply now’ button at the bottom of the page. Applications should include a covering letter and CV. Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B salary £35,702 – £37,548 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis. For informal queries about the position, please contact f.dick@ucl.ac.uk For information about the application process, please contact: pals.hr@ucl.ac.ukAbout youThe postholder will be expected to have:

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Psychology, or related
• Multiple years of experience in auditory cognitive neuroscience
• Documented experience in data analysis, and computational modelling
• Extensive and documented knowledge in auditory mapping techniques
• Ability to program, acquire, and analyse real-time auditory fMRI
• Strong track record in integrating across levels of scientific explanation
• Fluency in speaking and writing in English
• Statistical and programming skills (e.g., Matlab, Python, R)
• Flexibility, and an ability to learn quickly
• Documented ability to work collaboratively and productively as part of a team.
• Documented ability to work independently on multiple projects simultaneously and to meet deadlines.
• Commitment to UCL’s policy of equal opportunity and the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and students of all cultures and backgrounds.

What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.Available documents

Expected salary

£35702 – 37548 per year

Location

North West London

Job date

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:10:40 GMT

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