Research Assistant/Associate – human movement science/biomedical engineering

Job title:

Research Assistant/Associate – human movement science/biomedical engineering

Company

Newcastle University

Job description

Salary:Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annumResearch Associate: £33,966 per annumNewcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent . 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: 23 June 2024The RoleThis is a full-time, 25 months fixed term Research Assistant/Associate position and provides an exciting opportunity for an early career scientist who is interested in human movement, wearable technology and digital outcomes.You will be expected to work in an interdisciplinary group who has an established international reputation in gait analysis and wearable technology analytics.The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biomedical Science, Movement Science or related field (a PhD is essential for the Research Associate position), experience of delivering instrumented gait and balance assessments; proficient and independent signal processing, statistical and computational skills, and ability to work independently and as part of a team. The successful candidate will be integrated within the .This post will involve contributing to two projects which are led by the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research (PI: Dr Ng) and in collaboration the BAM Research Group at Newcastle University and Tubingen University, Germany. The project will investigate the utility of using wearable technology for monitoring mobility in the real-world in patients with POLG-related mitochondrial disease and Friedreich’s ataxia. The overall aim of these projects is to determine which mobility outcomes are important to measure for quantifying disease progression.You will be expected to conduct traditional laboratory-based research assessments with participants as well as collect real-world mobility data using wearable sensors. You will be responsible for conducting participant assessments, liaising with collaborators, processing and analysing mobility data, working with novel and traditional gait analysis tools (e.g. instrumented mat, etc.) and publish/ present key findings from the project.For enquiries about the role, please contact Dr. Lisa Alcock ( ).About Us: ‘ are based at the Clinical Ageing Research Unit (CARU) a translational clinical research platform jointly run and managed by Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and also at .Weblinks:Brain and Movement Research Team:Clinical Ageing Research Unit:Biomedical Research Centre – Digital Health, Ageing Innovation and Inclusion theme:The Catalyst:The Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial research:Translational and Clinical Research Institute:The role requires an enhanced DBS check.Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of the line manager, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial ‘added value’
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The PersonKnowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge of clinical gait analysis and/or movement science in the area of research
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications
• Experience conducting research with older adults and/or patient groups
• Expertise working with wearable sensor data and relevant analytics
• Database and project management skills
• Knowledge of statistical techniques

Desirable

• Experience with movement analysis and signal processing (especially as applied to locomotion/ gait)
• Expertise in developing novel algorithms, but also understanding, optimising and applying developed algorithms for extraction of digital mobility outcomes (e.g. gait outcomes)
• Good knowledge of and experience using Matlab or equivalent programming languages (e.g. Octave, Python, etc.)
• Experience working/ conducting research with patients with rare disease
• Good information technology and computing skills and experience with cloud computing platforms

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Capacity for original thought

Qualifications

• Good honors degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in Biomedical Engineering, Movement Science or related field (Research Assistant)
• A PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Movement Science or related field (Research Associate)

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 award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a 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: 27241

Expected salary

£31396 – 32982 per year

Location

Newcastle

Job date

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 22:15:07 GMT

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