Postdoctoral Research Fellow

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Department of Psychology
Location:  Egham
Salary:  £39,233 to £46,397 per annum - including London Allowance
Fixed Term
Post Type:  Full Time
Closing Date:  23.59 hours GMT on Wednesday 31 January 2024
Reference:  1223-527

Applications are invited for the post of Wellcome Trust funded Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology [full-time post, available from 20 February 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter for a fixed term of 1 year, with the possibility of extension].

The position is formally within the SoCCR Lab (Social Computation and Cognitive Representation Lab) directed by Dr. Joseph M Barnby, which develops and tests computational and formal theories of social interaction in health and disorder. The fellow will also be working closely with the three Co-Is: Drs Alex Pike and Catia Oliveira (University of York) and Dr Lei Zhang (University of Birmingham). 

Dr Barnby’s group currently consists of two PhD students and two DClinPsy students.  The post holder will be a member of this lab with responsibility for the provision of computational support for a Wellcome Trust-funded project, “Hypatia: Health Modelling Made Simple”. The position offers an exciting opportunity to develop and use state-of-the-art methods to build a free browser-based solution to allow simulation and fitting of common computational models, with the final milestone of 12 months to have a working beta version. The role will primarily involve software engineering/programming the Hypatia site, retaining a core knowledge of computational modelling as it relates to health care, neuroscience, and psychology, and liaising with project consultants to develop the UX/UI, backend support, and aesthetics of the platform. There is significant opportunity for skill development, including gaining experience of industry liaison, translational neuroscience, and computational modelling expertise.

The project team will consist of a dedicated postdoctoral researcher and research assistant. The team will also present to and be guided by an advisory board, which includes Prof. Peter Dayan (Tuebingen), Dr Emma Černis (University of Birmingham), Dr Rick Adams (UCL), Prof Eric-Jan Wagenmakers (Amsterdam; JASP team), and Dr Jenny Murphy (Royal Holloway).

The postholder would join a thriving research-intensive department (ranked 3rd in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience in REF2021, source: Times Higher Education). Royal Holloway has a dedicated computer cluster and a strong computational community. 

Essential criteria for the post include:

• A PhD in psychology, statistics, cognitive neuroscience, computer science or similar (we are happy to consider candidates in the final year of their PhD, who are working towards submission).
• Strong track record in using computational modelling for theoretical or experimental work, including model simulation, recovery, fitting, and development
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to research on computational modelling of decision making and social inference.
• Excellent skills in computational modelling, with a strong grasp of at least one open-source programming language (Python, R, JavaScript, C++).
• High level of efficiency and good attention to detail in commenting code and using team-based sharing solution such as Github (very essential), Notion and Overleaf.
• The ability to work independently and largely unsupervised, as well as in a collegiate manner with team members 
• Excellent communication skills, in both writing and speaking. The job involves working with a number of industry and academic partners so the fellow must be able to present information effectively.

Desirable criteria include:

• A first-authored paper in a relevant international peer-reviewed journal/ preprint
• Experience/knowledge of standardised assessments of digital health, mental health, social skills, and/ or cognition
• Experience working with industry partners.
• Experience of and enthusiasm for open science practices

We recognise that it is very unlikely that candidates will meet all desirable criteria, and strongly encourage candidates to apply if they meet the essential criteria and some of the desirable criteria.

This is a full-time post, available from 20th February 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter for a fixed term of 1 year, with the possibility of extension following a successful final milestone. 

The physical post is based in Egham, Surrey where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London. We are happy to consider requests for flexible or remote working options.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact the PI Dr. Joseph M Barnby on [email protected] . 

To view further details of this post, including essential and desirable criteria, and to apply please visit https://jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk . For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: [email protected]  

Please quote the reference: 1223-527

Closing Date:   23:59, 31st January 2024  

Interview Date: TBC

The College is committed to equality and diversity, and encourages applications from all sections of the community.

The university has adopted hybrid working for some roles therefore some remote working may be possible for this role.

Royal Holloway is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and encourages applications from all people regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, parental status, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or trans status or history. More information on our structures and initiatives around EDI, including information on staff diversity networks, can be found on our Equality and Diversity Intranet page .