Research Assistant/Associate: in Remote EEG Monitoring for PwID

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £36,024 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . 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: 29 March 2024

The Role

Reporting to Prof Edward Meinert, this is an exciting opportunity to undertake research at the intersection of digital health, software engineering and clinical health research.

You will be responsible for leading the day-to-day execution of a funded project investigating remote EEG monitoring for people with intellectual disability and autism. Day-to-day activities will include project management, conducting literature reviews, establishing ethical approval and preparing a study protocol, delivering questionnaires, conducting semi structured interviews, analysing quantitative and qualitative data (with statistical and thematic analyses), preparing papers for publication and supporting applications for further funding.

You will be supported and supervised by Prof Meinert and his staff and will also have the opportunity to be involved in other research being conducted in the lab.

People with intellectual disabilities (PwID) are understudied and under-supported in epilepsy research and care. This is despite having higher rates of epilepsy and negative outcomes (such as SUDEP, premature mortality, and misdiagnosis) than the general population. A key issue is that PwID cannot always communicate their experiences and behavioural, psychological and physiological events can be misinterpreted by carers and clinicians. Antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed off-label to manage challenging behaviour in PwID, but can reduce seizure threshold, making increased seizure activity more likely. There is a lack of evidence for how long-term EEG data could help identify whether challenging behaviours are associated with seizure activity and inform clinical decision-making.

Building on previous co-production work with PwID, family members, and carers, the aim of this study is to determine whether a long-term, subcutaneous EEG monitoring device can be tolerated and used as a seizure detection tool to improve clinical care, quality of life, and challenging behaviour for PwID and epilepsy.

This post is fixed term until 01.10.2024 with potential to extend.

For informal enquiries contact: [email protected]

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles .  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, 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
• Will need to work with the support staff 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 Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work well as part of an interdisciplinary team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in digital or clinical 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
• Ability to contribute to and develop innovative research proposals and attract research income
• Ability to prioritise a varied workload and work under pressure to meet deadlines while maintaining a high level of accuracy
• Ability to manage own academic research, project manage activities, and support and manage junior research staff

Desirable

• Developing track record of published research at the appropriate level
• Experience of raising research funds through making grant applications
• Knowledge of qualitative data collection methods and analyses (semi-structured interviewing and thematic analysis)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Intellectual agility for the solving of problems
• Willingness to actively participate in all stages of a research project, in a role depending on project needs
• Ability to work independently and use initiative

Desirable

• Ability to remain resilient, flexible and work with conflicting priorities

Qualifications

• A PhD in a relevant area is required for appointment at Research Associate level (or Master’s degree for appointment at Research Assistant if candidate is writing up PhD)

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 Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are aDisability Confident 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: 26578