Research Assistant, Centre for Human Developmental Science, Psychology

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Research Assistant, Centre for Human Developmental Science, Psychology.

Cardiff University School of Psychology is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic Research Assistant to join a multidisciplinary team investigating the characteristics and support needs of children with Special Guardianship Orders. This post is to support a new project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, ‘Special Guardianship Families: Experiences and Support Needs.’

The Assistant will join the Neurodevelopment Assessment Unit (NDAU) Team
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/neurodevelopment-assessment-unit/about-us and will be based in the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS; https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/research-units/centre-for-human-developmental-science ) in the internationally renowned School of Psychology at Cardiff University, which has a strong tradition of supporting research careers in psychology. The post will be primarily based at CUCHDS (Dr. Amy Paine, Professor Katherine Shelton) but the postholder will also work at the Social Science Research Park (sbarc|spark) (Lorna Stabler, Dr. Nell Warner).

The Assistant will provide day-to-day support for the running of the project, including working closely with the wider research team. Supporting recruitment, conducting parent interviews and child assessments, data management and record keeping will all be key tasks, for which training will be provided. Assessments will primarily lead to the use of quantitative analysis.

We are looking to recruit a motivated individual with a BSc degree in Psychology who has experience working with children and families. Applicants must have excellent organisational, communication, and research skills, and an ability to successfully work as part of a team. The post would suit an individual who would like to develop their experience working in a multidisciplinary team at the intersection of developmental psychology and social care.

This post is full-time, 35 hours a week, available from 1st August 2024 and is fixed-term for 18 months to the 31st January 2026

It is anticipated interviews will be held in April (date to be confirmed)

Salary:  £32,332 to £34,980 per annum (Grade 5).  It is not expected to appoint above the first point of the scale £32,332 per annum.

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Amy Paine [email protected] .

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (including bank holidays), blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Date advert posted: Tuesday, 5 March 2024

Closing date: Tuesday, 2 April 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at:  Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University

Job Description

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• To undertake research with parents, children, and teachers at the Neurodevelopment Assessment Unit (NDAU) in the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science (CUCHDS)
• Assisting with recruitment and liaising with schoolteachers to complete child referrals into the NDAU
• Data entry and cleaning, and multivariate analysis
• To maintain and update area of specialist knowledge, researching and critically appraising relevant literature within the area.
• To contribute and support research funding bids as required

Other

• To participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world
• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• To ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• To abide by the University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

A degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent experience

Experience working with children, young people, and their families in clinical and/or research contexts

Knowledge of research methods and techniques within developmental psychology

Proven ability to analyse complex information and summarise appropriately

Ability to demonstrate the capability and drive to succeed in securing research funding

Proven communication skills, including presentation to various audiences

Excellent organisational and team-working skills

Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation, and teamworking at work

Ability to work flexibly where required

Desirable Criteria

• Postgraduate degree at MSc or PhD level (or nearing completion / submission) in a related subject area or relevant industrial experience
• Evidence of collaborations with stakeholders in research.
• Proven ability to work without close supervision
• Proven ability to adapt to the changing requirements of the Higher Education community.

The applicant will need to have a clear Enhanced DBS check.

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria
It is Cardiff University's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for shortlisting. Therefore, candidates must evidence they meet ALL the essential criteria and, where relevant, the desirable.

As part of the application process, you are asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined in the person specification. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide for each criterion.

 When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure you name it with the vacancy reference number: 18309BR.

Your application will be at risk of not being progressed if you do not evidence you have met all essential criteria. The school welcomes the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

Please note that these are also the criteria shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g. a skills test).

Additional Information

Cardiff School of Psychology
We are recognised internationally for sustained excellence in research, impact and research-led teaching. We are a large School with over 50 academic staff, over 600 undergraduates and 150 postgraduate students. In the last assessment the School attained the highest rating of ‘excellent’ for its teaching from the HEFCW Teaching Quality Assessment Panel.
Many individuals in the School are leading figures in their research areas. In the last Research Excellence Framework we entered as a unit of over 80 staff with our colleagues in Psychological medicine. We were placed 2nd in our topic area across the UK. We have state of the art laboratories and experimental expertise across the range of psychology, and are currently building one of the largest and best equipped imaging centres in Europe (see: sites.cubric.cardiff.ac.uk).
Our collective aim is to understand the psychological and biological foundations of behaviour at both individual and group levels. The research undertaken in the School ranges from 'synapse to society', and includes normal behaviour in development and adulthood, the breakdown of cognition after stress, trauma and in neurological and/or genetic conditions, as well as key psychological issues of broad importance to society, such as prejudice, reproductive health and understanding risk. The School also contributes to cross-disciplinary University Research Institutes in Neuroscience and Mental Health, Sustainable Places, and Energy Systems Research.

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
The School of Social Sciences is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research and teaching across a range of subject areas, including Social Policy, Sociology, Criminology, Education, Social Psychology, and Social Work.

We deliver a substantial programme of research, both fundamental and strategic, funded by ESRC, AHRC, MRC, charitable foundations, the European Union, Central Government departments and agencies and voluntary associations.  In the 2021 UK Research Excellence Framework the School was returned to two sub panels, Sociology and Education. We were placed in the top ten in each sub panel by grade point average, joint first for impact in Education and fourth overall for research power in Sociology.

The School hosts a number of research centres and institutes, including the University’s  Police Studies Institute (UPSI), now part of the University’s Crime & Security Research Institute; the Wales Institute for Economic Research & Data (WISERD); the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE); the Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer); the Cardiff Unit for Research and Evaluation in Medical and Dental Education (CUREMeDE); and the Seafarers’ International Research Centre (SIRC). Many of the School’s research centres are housed in the University’s Social Science Research Park (SPARK) – a world first, and part of the University’s wider Innovation Campus.

The School of Social Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award that recognises good employment practice and a commitment to develop the careers of women working in academia. Cardiff University is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We actively encourage women to apply. We will also always consider proposals for flexible working or job share opportunities.

Job Category

Academic - Research