<!--anchor--> <!--anchor--> Research Assistant in Cognitive Neuroscience INTERNAL ONLY <!--anchor-->

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

This post provides an exciting opportunity to become part of AIMS-2-TRIALS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) Team. LEAP is the first European longitudinal multi-site, multi-disciplinary brain imaging and behaviour project in over 700 individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions, typical development or mild intellectual disability. The overarching goal of LEAP is to identify biomarkers that help us to create individual profiles for each autistic person to tailor different therapies to different needs and predict a person’s developmental outcome.

The successful candidate will work under the direction of Dr Eva Loth and members of the LEAP study team. The post will enable the successful candidate to gain a variety of clinical and developmental cognitive neuroscience research experiences. This includes experience with the administration of at least some of the following: cognitive tests, eye-tracking, EEG, and/ or MRI.LEAP was created as part of the EU-AIMS Consortium in 2014 and is being continued under the auspices of AIMS-2-TRIALS

https://www.aims-2-trials.eu/

. Participants were first recruited between at the age of 6-30 years from 2014-2016. They were followed up a second time between 2016 and 2018. From October 2021 the cohort is being reassessed a third time. At each time point, the  study involves comprehensive clinical characterisation of each participant, including clinical observations and a range of parent/ self-report questionnaires to measure core and associated mental health features, or quality of life,  cognitive assessments,  eye-tracking, EEG assessments,  neuroimaging (structural and functional MRI) , the  collection of biosamples for microbiome and neuroinflammatory analyses, and assessment of life events and stressful experiences that may impact developmental changes.

The post is ideally suited to someone with a keen interest in neurodevelopmental research, and experience of working with individuals with autism or related neurodevelopmental conditions.

The post may require working on weekends.

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 6 months 1 day per week.

This is a part-time post.

• To re-invite families who previously participated in LEAP to participate in this follow-up wave of the study and liaise with a linked research team recruiting individuals with epilepsy (without and without autism) to the study. 
• To assist the team in carrying out eye-tracking, EEG and MRI assessments  
• To enter data
• To work supportively with families to ensure the smooth running of their visits to the IoPPN.  

BSc in a clinical research-based field of relevance to autism (e.g., psychology, cognitive neuroscience) 

Advanced knowledge of autism and/ or related neurodevelopmental conditions; 

Advanced knowledge of cognitive development and/ or cognitive neuroscience approaches;   

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; 

Essential criteria  

1.       Experience working with autistic individuals in a clinical, school or research setting; 

2.       Advanced knowledge of autism and/ or related neurodevelopmental conditions; 

3.       Advanced knowledge of cognitive development and/ or cognitive neuroscience approaches;   

4.       Thoroughly computer literate and experienced in the use of Microsoft applications  

5.       Experience of participant recruitment, particularly for clinical or longitudinal studies 

6.       Willingness and ability to work out of office hours, usually on Saturdays, to accommodate participant assessments with volunteers that are not available during the week. 

Desirable criteria

1.       Previous experience with EEG, eye-tracking  

2.       Previous experience with cognitive assessments 

3.       Previous experience with clinical assessments