Research Associate

Salary: £33,348 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: 09 June 2023

The Role 

This is an exciting opportunity to join the brand-new Neural Circuits Laboratory. You will help set up the laboratory and have access to state-of-the-art research facilities and work in a dynamic multidisciplinary team. You will work on a project funded by an Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Grant, which aims to understand the organizing principles of monoaminergic neuromodulatory systems, such as histamine, in mouse and human cortical circuits and how this goes awry in brain disorders.

You will have extensive experience in academic research and collaborative projects, possess good communication skills and a passion for mentoring junior scientists. You will benefit from having access to a wide range of Continuing Professional Development courses, some of which are professionally accredited, amongst other employee benefits.

You should hold a PhD in Neuroscience and will have experience in whole-cell slice electrophysiology, extracellular recordings, pharmacology, immunohistochemistry and computational modelling.

The Neural Circuits Laboratory seeks to understand the mechanisms through which neuromodulators operate and utilize this knowledge to build computational models of how the brain implements learning.

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/srikanthramaswamy/
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/fellowship-schemes/srikanth-ramaswamy/

The position is offered on a full-time fixed-term basis for 12 months. Starting dates, flexible and/or blended working can be negotiated.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Dr Srikanth Ramaswamy via email srikanth.ramaswamy@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

• Contribution to the research programme of the School/Institute under the clear guidance of a member of an academic staff or Principal Investigator
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may
  •  affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the
  • planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities
• Ensure that personal knowledge in relevant fields of study is kept up to date
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Maintain academic standards and freedom, and work in accordance with university policies (e.g. equal opportunities, health and safety policies)
• Possible supervision and demonstration duties within undergraduate laboratories and example classes or in teaching small seminar classes
• Undertake relevant training and development activities to develop capacity for taking on wider responsibilities
• Develop, with advice, an awareness of own professional development needs and a personal development strategy

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• An excellent record of academic achievement (in line with level of seniority)
• A high level of subject knowledge in the neurophysiology of cortical circuits
• Excellent analytical (quantitative/mathematical) skills, including ability to program in tNEURON, Matlab and/or Python environments
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly, both orally and through the written word
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

Desirable

• Possess a Home Office personal licence (or have held such a licence recently, such that it could be reinstated)
• Experience of electrophysiological recordings from cortical and subcortical areas.
• Strong analytical skills, including ability to program analysis scripts in the Matlab environment
• Publication record in the in neuromodulation and neurophysiology

Attributes and Behaviour

• Collegiate
• Open minded
• Conscientious with meticulous attention to detail

Qualifications

• A PhD in Neuroscience is required

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.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 25549