Research Assistant/Associate in Quantum Modelling

Salary: Research Assistant: £33,951 - £35,608 per annum

             Research Associate £36,636 - £46,049 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: 22 May 2026

The Role

We are excited to launch this new opportunity for a Research Associate/Research Assistant in Quantum Modelling to join us in the Quantum Group in the School of Computing. You will join a diverse community of colleagues based in our state-of-the-art Urban Sciences Building, in the Newcastle Helix Campus, 10 mins walk from Newcastle Central Station. You’ll be working with Dr Jonte Hance, Head of the Quantum Group and an emerging leader in quantum foundations and quantum information, and Dr Barbara-Anne Robertson (School of Psychology), a behavioural neuroscientist focussed on understanding emotional memory. The position is funded under Dr Robertson and Dr Hance’s UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode Grant Quantum Emotions: Using the Quantum Formalism to explain temporal order effects in memory for emotional events. This project involves applying the quantum formalism to model experimental observations of human emotional memory performance and the neural systems that support it, to better understand both systems. You will work closely with internal collaborators, external project partners (including at Nagoya University, Ritsumeikan University, and the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, in Japan, and Linnaeus University, in Sweden), and new and developing external collaborators.

We are particularly keen to hear from those with a passion for collaboration and the ability to interact and engage with a diverse network of specialists. We are ideally looking for candidates who have experience in either quantum measurement theory or tensor network methods, but are still very keen to hear from candidates without expertise in either of these areas, so long as they have experience in the broad area of quantum information science and technology, and an interest in quantum foundations and psychology more specifically.

The role is currently funded for two years, but we will be hoping to obtain funding to extend the position further. We are happy to consider flexible and/or part-time working for the role. We are ideally looking for a candidate who has either already been awarded their PhD, or who is in their final year of a PhD programme, and would be set to submit their thesis prior to starting the role. In the latter case, due to institutional requirements the position would be at Research Assistant level until the PhD was awarded.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat: Researcher Development | Our Research | Newcastle University. We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, and peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

As a UKRI-funded role, the successful applicant may be eligible for the Endorsed Funder Route of the Global Talent Visa, costs for which can be funded from the grant.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you’d like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact jonte.hance@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs.

To apply, please submit an application, including CV and cover letter, via Application Portal]. The Cover Letter should include examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the Job Description (due to institutional policy, whether you get invited to interview is based on how well you match these criteria).

Interviews will be held [at least one week after close of applications] – if you are unsuccessful in getting an interview, we will let you know at this point. After interviews, we will be in contact to let interviewed candidates know the results of their application as soon as possible. The candidate could then start as soon as [two weeks after interviews] and would ideally start no later than October 2026.

The post is full time, fixed term for 2 years.

Key Accountabilities

Including (but not limited to):

• Conduct research around quantum information science and technologies broadly defined, based on specific research directions set in discussion with Dr Robertson and Dr Hance
• Build internal and external contacts and participate in networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Prepare 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(s)
• Help with the supervision of final year undergraduate research projects and postgraduate research students and where appropriate PhD students and Research Assistants
• Work with support staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the School(s)
• 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 broader organisational and management processes and to co-ordinate the work of other colleagues where necessary

The Person

 Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of research in quantum information science and technologies (broadly defined)
• Interest and enthusiasm for quantum foundations and psychology
• Experience with the publication of work in peer reviewed journals and/or presentation of findings at conferences/workshops/research seminars
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others

Desirable

• Experience of research in quantum foundations
• Experience of research in psychology
• Experience with the preparation of grant applications for submission to funder (e.g., Fellowship applications, support for wider grant application by previous PI/supervisor, etc).
• Experience in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students (e.g., in support of formal supervision by previous PI/supervisor)

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Ability to work well as part of a team or collaborators
•    Ability to rapidly acquire new skills
•    Enthusiastic, well-motivated and hard working
•    Good attention to detail
•    Commitment to continued professional development

Qualifications

• Possess (or be in the final year of working towards) a PhD in a relevant subject (e.g., physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics)

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 Gold 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: 29278