LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Job Description
Research Assistant or Research Grade: 6/7 – see advert text
Fellow
Deparment: Language & Cognition, Location: Bloomsbury campus,
UCL Psychology & Language London (Hybrid working considered)
Sciences
Reports to
Dr. Saloni Krishnan
Context
This post is offered as a Grade 6 Research Assistant or Grade 7 Research Fellow
UCL (www.ucl.ac.uk), based in Bloomsbury, is a welcoming, inclusive university situated at
the heart of one of the world’s greatest cities. UCL is a top-ranked university in the UK for
research in psychology, psychiatry & neuroscience. The post will be based within the Division
of Psychology and Language Sciences (www.ucl.ac.uk/pals) in the Faculty of Brain Sciences.
The Division consists of several research departments, one of which is the Department of
Language and Cognition.
The postholder will join this vibrant, collaborative research community offering opportunities
for skill development and collaborations. They will be a part of the N-CoDe Lab (Neuroscience
of Communication Development Lab), which focuses on cognitive and neural mechanisms in
developmental conditions affecting communication.
Main purpose of the job
To provide research support for the MRC-funded project “Reward and motivation
mechanisms supporting language learning: a cross-syndrome investigation of
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and autism”, collaborating with other members of
the team to deliver research objectives. Work will include designing and programming
experiments focusing on language learning and reward, collecting behavioural and MRI data
from children (including neurodivergent children), data analysis, and writing up experimental
results.
To be appointed at Research Fellow level, the postholder will need to have a PhD (or be very
close to completing one) and relevant research experience. They will be expected to provide
scientific leadership through data analysis/ writing, as well as manage the project on a day-
to-day basis.
HR USE ONLY: Position no:
HERA no:
Duties and responsibilities
▪ To lead on recruitment for behavioural and MRI studies for the project, liaising with
children and their families, stakeholders and charities. This will involve scheduling
study visits.
▪ To assist with behavioural and MRI/fMRI data collection for the study, which will
involve testing children, including autistic children and children with DLD. This will
involving work weekends, evenings or school holidays (leave may be taken in lieu).
▪ To assist with programming experiments and preparing study materials.
▪ To contribute to project management under the direction of the Principal Investigator,
including data management, and compiling reports/minutes for project meetings
▪ To analyse the results of behavioural and MRI experiments using suitable
statistical methodologies.
▪ To contribute to the writing, submission and revision of papers to be submitted to
appropriate conferences and peer reviewed journals, collaborating with others as
appropriate
▪ To contribute to the overall activities of the research team.
▪ To carry out any other duties within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as
requested by the Principal Investigator
▪ Follow and actively promote the UCL Ways of Working.
▪ The post-holder will actively follow UCL policies including Equal Opportunities and
Race Equality policies.
▪ The post-holder will maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health &
Safety Regulations, and an awareness of and adherence to divisional and UCL
Green Awareness guidelines.
▪ This job description may be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation
with the post holder.
Person Specification
Note to job applicant: copy and paste the following criteria into your “Statement in support of your
application” and describe underneath each criteria how you meet it, giving examples. You will be
scored on how you meet each criteria.
To be appointed at Grade 6 you will need
Essential Criteria Assessment method
(Application form/
Interview / Practical
Test)
Qualifications, experience and knowledge
An undergraduate degree (First class or Upper Second) in psychology, speech Application
and language therapy or a closely-related discipline.
Intellectual curiosity about language learning and DLD, demonstrated through Application and
knowledge of relevant research Interview
Experience collecting and analysing neuroimaging (e.g. MRI/ fNIRS/EEG) data Application/ Interview
Experience with data processing and/or analysis (ideally in R) Application/ Interview
Basic knowledge of the ethical considerations that are important when working Application
with children
A satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check due to regulated Post-interview
activity involving children (working with children in local schools)
Ability and willingness to work weekends, evenings or school holidays, due to Application
nature of testing with children (leave may be taken in lieu)
Skills and abilities
Ability to manage participant recruitment for experimental studies Application and
Interview
Experience setting up experiments in cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics or Application and
similar field Interview
Effective written and oral communication skills, especially to manage recruitment Application and
of children and presentation of research results Interview
Experience with data collection and data handling Application and
Interview
Ability to conduct basic statistical analysis Application and
Interview
Enthusiasm for open science practices Application and
Interview
UCL Ways of Working
Planning effectively so that work is delivered and others are not delayed. Application and
Interview
Being practical and able to problem-solve. Application and
Interview
Taking responsibility for your work. Application
Demonstrating interest in personal development. Application and
Interview
Desirable Criteria
Experience working with children (especially neurodivergent children), ideally in a Application/ Interview
research capacity
To be appointed at Grade 7 you will need to demonstrate all of the above and also:
Essential Criteria Assessment method
(Application form/
Interview / Practical
Test)
Qualifications, experience and knowledge
PhD in Psychology or Cognitive Neuroscience. The PhD thesis should be Application
submitted before the start date of the advertised position.
Advanced knowledge of methods and research on speech and language learning Application/ Interview
Experience in recruitment and testing of human research participants in cognitive Application/ Interview
neuroscience experiments (e.g., fMRI)
In-depth knowledge of research methods and statistical procedures relevant to the Application/ Interview
role (especially neuroimaging analyses)
Track record of academic dissemination activities (i.e. first authorship of published Application/ Interview
articles, conference proceedings, conference talks).
Desirable Criteria
Experience working with children (especially neurodivergent children), ideally in a Application / Interview
research capacity
