Research Associate

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Research Associate

We are seeking to recruit a post-doctoral Research Associate position to be based in Cardiff.  We are seeking someone with the relevant background and technical skills in human vision science or a related discipline.
How does an active observer deal with a continuously changing retinal image?  Does the brain gradually build up a stable allocentric representation of space?  Is an egocentric representation updated whenever one moves?  Is the image on the retina first segregated into components that are the result of self-movement and ones that are not?  We hypothesise that the answer depends on the temporal and action requirements of the task.  In an ongoing collaborative project, we are testing this hypothesis through use of a diverse series of tasks that present a range of challenges to the moving observer.  To do so, we are combining complementary expertise from Psychology, Movement Sciences, and Computing from Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom and bringing together researchers who represent a range of theoretical perspectives.  We are making use of range of techniques ranging from innovative experimental paradigms that exploit recent technological advances such as virtual reality combined with simultaneous motion tracking to traditional psychophysics.
For informal enquiries please contact Professor Simon Rushton - [email protected]
Period of appointment:  until 26th March 2022.  There is a strong possibility that this will be extended for a further period subject to funder approval.  The post is expected to start by 26th September 2021.
Salary  £34,304 - £40,927 per annum (Grade 6).  It is not expected that we will appoint above starting salary of £34,304 per annum, point 30.
Date advert posted: Friday, 10 September 2021

Closing Date: Monday, 27 September 2021

This post has previously been advertised to employees of Cardiff University only.  We now invite external applications.

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: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/our-research-environment/integrity-and-ethics/responsible-research-assessment”

Job Description

Main function 
To conduct research within area of Active Vision and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University, carrying out research leading to the publishing of work in high-quality journals. To pursue excellence in research.
Main Duties and Responsibilities 
Research 

• To conduct research within the field of Active Vision on the ESRC/ORA project The Active Observer and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University by publishing in national academic journals and conferences. 
• To work with collaborators in Germany and the Netherlands via Zoom/Teams, email and shared documents, and through joint meetings in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.   To work in the collaborators’ labs, and to host and support collaborators in our labs to perform research. 
• To program stimuli and configure experimental equipment. 
• To collect and analyse project data. 
• To review and synthesise existing research literature within the field 
• To draft papers for publication and materials for presentations 
• To present work at local, national and international meetings 
• To document and archive work in line with RCUK and university standards and expectations. 
• To prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate 
• To undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project, including the planning and organisation of the project, applications for ethical approval, documentation, and organisation of data.  
• To participate in School research seminars and engage with cross school research groups. 

Other 

• To engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile. 
• To develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research including research funding proposals 
• To contribute to the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate studies. 
• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance. 
• To participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world 
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria 

Qualifications and Education 

Postgraduate degree at PhD level in human vision science or related subject area or relevant industrial experience. 

Knowledge. Skills and Experience  

Established expertise and proven portfolio of research and/or relevant industrial experience within one or more of the following research fields: 

• Perceptual psychology 
• Vision science 
• Psychophysics 
• Human movement science 

Ability to program visual stimuli in Python, C, Matlab or equivalent language 

Ability to set up experimental apparatus and develop experimental methods 

Demonstrable ability to publish in international journals relevant to human vision 

Demonstrable ability to present work to national and/or international audiences 

Communication and Team Working  

Demonstrable ability to work productively with research collaborators 

Other 

Proven ability to work without close supervision, and to strict deadlines 

Desirable Criteria  

Experience of Psychopy or Psychtoolbox, Vizard, Unity, or Opengl. 

Experience of motion capture / position tracking equipment and data. 

Experience in computational modelling 

Experience in collecting human behavioural data 

Demonstrable ability to be successful in competitive research funding 

Evidence of collaborations with industry. 

Proven ability to adapt to the changing requirements of the Higher Education community. 

Evidence of ability to participate in and develop both internal and external networks and utilise them to enhance the research activities of the School. 

A willingness to take responsibility for academically related administration. 

Additional Information

Evidencing Criteria - It is School of Psychology’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. In the application, candidates should provide evidence that they meet ALL the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.
Please ensure when submitting this document/attaching it to your application profile you name it with the vacancy reference number.
If candidates do not provide written evidence of meeting all the essential criteria then their application will not be progressed.
Applications must include a cover letter containing  

a statement of motivation and research interests as well as an outline of how each of the essential criteria are met  

a up to 3 research outputs that represent the rigour of your previous research. 

 
 
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.