Research Assistant/Associate in Neuroscience

Salary:

Research Assistant: £32,546 to £34,132 per annum

Research Associate: £35,116 to £45,413 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: 16 June 2025

The Role

We are seeking a Research Assistant/Associate in Neuroscience to develop and validate new precision neurotechnologies for therapeutic control of brain state. You will be working on a project funded by the UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency led by Newcastle University in collaboration with Imperial College London and Oxford University. You will be using state-of-the-art high-density multi-channel electrode arrays for precision read/write interfacing with cortical circuits. You will develop and test closed-loop stimulation approaches to achieve controllable brain state transitions. You will test the therapeutic efficacy of these technique for reducing seizure frequency and severity in a variety of preclinical epilepsy models as well as other applications for neurological disorders.

This position is available on a full time (37 hours per week), fixed term basis, to start immediately for a period of 3 years. 

For informal enquiries contact: Prof Andrew Jackson, andrew.jackson@ncl.ac.uk

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences, please click here. 

Find out more about our Research Institutes, please click here.

To apply, please attach your CV and a cover letter that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria for the position, as outlined in the Person Specification of the Job Description. Any requested additional documents required as part of your application, should be included within the same file as your cover letter. The total file size must not exceed 10MB.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities

•    Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value' 
•    Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements 
•    Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
•    Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding 
•    Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
•    Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
•    Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
•    Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
•    May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants 
•    Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
•    May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
•    Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
•    Contribute to progress updates for the research funder

The Person 
Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
•    Detailed subject knowledge (PI to describe subject knowledge required) in the area of research 
•    Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects 
•    High level of analytical and problem-solving capability 
•    Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others 
•    Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment 
•    Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications
•    Experience of using in vivo electrophysiological techniques in awake, behaving rodents and non-human primates
•    Strong commitment to Reduction, Replacement and Refinement (3Rs) and animal welfare
•    MATLAB programming skills

Desirable
•    Experience of working under Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Collegiate
•    Open-minded
•    Conscientious and meticulous to detail

Qualifications

•    A PhD (or close to completion a PhD) ideally in Neuroscience or a related field.  Those nearing completion of a PhD will be offered the role as Research Assistant and those with a PhD will be offered the role as Research Associate.
•    Holds a Home Office Personal Licence (minimum AB authority) or willingness to hold one

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: 28211