INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY - Research Fellow - School of Psychology - 98275 - Grade 7

INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

Position Details

School of Psychology
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,406 to £40,927, with potential progression once in post to £43,434
As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7.33, salary £37,467
Grade 7
Full Time/FTC until August 2024
Closing date: 22nd October 2021

Background

How do different subtypes of childhood maltreatment relate to various forms of impulsivity to increase risk for psychopathology? We are looking for a full-time postdoctoral research fellow to help us answer this question. 

The successful candidate will be based at the Centre for Human Brain Health within the School of Psychology, which is one of the strongest and most active psychology departments in the country. The Research Fellow will work on an exciting new grant funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on the impact of childhood maltreatment on state and trait measures of impulsivity (https://tinyurl.com/3tswn56e). You will work with Dr Stephane De Brito (Centre for Human Brain Health) and Professor Peter Tino (School of Computer Science). The project will combine both new cross-sectional and already collected prospective longitudinal data that will be analysed with univariate and multivariate (i.e. machine learning) methods. 

We are keen to work with an experienced, skilled and passionate candidate with a background in developmental psychopathology and advanced statistical methods. Candidates with enthusiasm for supporting and developing students and Research Assistants are particularly encouraged to apply.

Summary of Role

The successful candidate will lead our research project on the impact of childhood maltreatment on state and trait measures of impulsivity. They will complete an empirical programme, engage with internal and external collaborators and ensure findings are shared with the academic community and the general public. 

Main Duties / Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
•    Develop and conduct behavioural experiments in the laboratory and online if needed
• Contribute and manage overall recruitment efforts of participants and families through liaison with external sources of recruitment (e.g., social services, schools, etc.).
•    Analyse and interpret experimental and correlational data, using univariate and multivariate methods.
•    Apply theoretical knowledge to develop new intellectual understanding of the association between maltreatment, impulsivity and psychopathology.
•    Prepare and disseminate research outputs for academic publications, national and international conferences, research seminars etc.
•    Help with supervision of and provide guidance to students assisting with research-related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to project
•    Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
•    Contribute to public engagement activities under supervision of project leader
•    Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines

Person Specification
Skills and Experience:
•    MA, MSc or similar in Experimental Psychology, Developmental Psychopathology, or closely related field
•    PhD in an area related to developmental psychopathology; PhD finished or at least thesis submitted by starting date of post
•    High level analytical capability
•    Ability to communicate complex information clearly (including proficiency in English language)
•    Knowledge of theories and models of developmental psychopathology.
•    Background in experimental psychology, including extensive experience with experimental design and statistical analysis.
•    Programming skills (e.g., Matlab, R, Python etc.) and experience with programming psychological experiments (using E-Prime, Matlab, Presentation, Psychotoolbox, PsychoPy etc.) for use in laboratory and online.
•    Experience of recruiting and working with children and adolescents or clinical populations would be advantageous.
•    Excellent academic writing and presentation skills; ideally academic publication record.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.