Research Assistant/Associate in Computational Neurology

Salary:

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

Research Associate: £33,966 to £44,263 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: 04 August 2024

The Role

This is a unique opportunity for a motivated individual to join the School of Computing as a Research Assistant/Associate to work with us on an exciting research project. The project will investigate the structural and functional underpinnings of epilepsy to develop novel therapeutic approaches. The project will leverage data from a variety of modalities including EEG and MRI. 
 
You will join the CNNP lab, which is well supported with recent epilepsy funding of over £3m. The lab currently has expertise across a range of techniques and access to data from over 500 individuals with epilepsy. The lab is based in the School of Computing at the Newcastle Helix site in Newcastle City Centre, with state of the art facilities. Extensive support and mentoring is available to all team members, and a generous budget for travel and computing equipment will be provided.

We are seeking an individual who is consistently methodical in their approach to research and adept at problem solving. We are looking for someone who is naturally collaborative and focussed on producing high-quality research outputs as part of a diverse and interdisciplinary team. You should have excellent interpersonal skills, with a talent for building professional working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and explore new avenues for medical applications. You may be required to design, create and present group research findings to external stakeholders, we are therefore looking for an individual who is innovative and possesses excellent communication skills.

The appointment is offered on a full-time basis (37 hours per week) and is fixed-term, tenable for12 months.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples.

For more information about the lab, please click here

For more information about the school of Computing, please click here

Please send informal enquiries to Yujiang.wang@newcastle.ac.uk and peter.taylor@newcastle.ac.uk 

Key Accountabilities

•    To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions
•    To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator
•    To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences
•    To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals
•    To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator
•    To work with the Principal Investigator and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio
•    To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering creative or innovative solutions
•    To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration
•    To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects
•    To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate
•    To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students
•    To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect
•    To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline

The Person  

Knowledge, Skills and Experience  
•    You will have substantial technical experience in processing either neuroimaging (e.g. MRI, PET, CT) data, or neurophysiology data 

•    For applicants with an MRI background, you will have excellent advanced knowledge of software processing tools such as FSL, FreeSurfer, ANTS, MRtrix, SPM or similar
•    For applicants with an MRI background, you will be very comfortable writing original shell scripts to run neuroimaging software, without the need for a graphical interface
•    For applicants with an MRI background, you will have at least a good working knowledge of MRI physics
•    For applicants with an M/EEG background, you will have excellent advanced knowledge of signal processing of M/EEG signals from first principles
•    For applicants with an M/EEG background, you will be very comfortable writing MATLAB/Python code to analyse M/EEG data without the need for specific EEG processing toolboxes 
•    For applicants with an M/EEG background, you should have at least a good working knowledge of source-localisation
•    You will have experience of at least one of the following analysis techniques (multiple preferred): Normative modelling, dimensionality reduction techniques, machine learning/AI, dynamic model inference (e.g. state space modelling), advanced statistics 
•    Experience in conducting high quality academic research
•    Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national/international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community
•    Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career
 Desirable 
•    For applicants with an MRI background, you will have a good understanding of image processing (e.g. knowledge of registration, smoothing, segmentation,  techniques)
•    A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career 
•    Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics
•    Evidence of experience in contributing to collaborative research projects
 
Attributes and Behaviour 

•    Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings
•    Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines
•    Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to present as a representative of the lab at national and international scientific events  
•    Demonstrate strong mathematical and computational abilities
•    Demonstrate excellent programming ability in languages such as MATLAB or Python
•    Excellent communication skills across multiple disciplines
•    Excellent academic writing skills 
•    Demonstrable commitment to the values of equality and diversity in all aspects of your work. 
 Desirable

•    Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research 
•    Ability to set research goals, be self-motivated and proactive
•    A keen eye for visual presentation, software design, and in writing clear, concise, elegant code
•    Strong interest in interdisciplinary research
 
Qualifications 
 •    A PhD awarded (or nearing completion) in Computer Science, Mathematics/Statistics, Physics, Neuroscience or a project-relevant subject. 
 

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 a Disability 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: 27286