13179 - Postdoctoral Research Associate (Psychology/Neuroscience)

University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in Scotland is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join a research project focusing on the role of poetry in young people's literacy engagement. The successful candidate will lead experiments in psychology/neuroscience, contributing to academic outputs and community engagement. A relevant PhD is essential, along with experience in conducting empirical research. The position offers competitive pay and flexible working options.

Qualifications

• A PhD (completed or submitted) in relevant disciplines.
• Experience in designing, programming, and analyzing experiments.
• Knowledge in psychology/neuroscience of language.

Responsibilities

• Design and program experiments related to the project.
• Supervise data collection and carry out analyses.
• Collaborate with project partners and engage with young communities.

Skills

Experience in empirical psychology/neuroimaging experiments

Knowledge of psychology/neuroscience of language

Strong initiative and independence

Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

PhD in Neuroscience, Psychology, or related discipline

Job description

Overview

Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum

CAHSS / School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 5 January 2026 – 30 November 2029

The Opportunity

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (Psychology/Neuroscience) to be a core member of a new research project “Rewriting wor(l)ds: A transdisciplinary and participatory investigation of how poetry can support young people’s literacy engagement and wellbeing”. The project is funded by the UKRI and led by UKRI Future Leaders Fellow Dr Patrick Errington.

The project draws together multiple methods and will be guided by a community coproduction to investigate the role of creative engagement with poetry in supporting poetry literacy and wellbeing for young people. A key workstream of this project involves the use of several neuroimaging and cognitive psychology methods (including fMRI and fNIRS) to examine the mechanisms and aesthetic experience of reading poetic language under various task conditions, particularly for young people (ages 12–18). This work will contribute toward the wider research and to academic and public outputs, including creation of a mobile app-based intervention to enhance young people’s poetry engagement and investigate its long-term benefits.

Responsibilities

The post holder will be the central member of the psychology/neuroscience workstream, working closely with Project Lead Dr Errington and with Psychology Research co-Lead Prof. Dan Mirman to design and programme experiments, carry out and/or supervise data collection, develop and conduct analyses, co-author papers/conference presentations, and translate findings both to inform and guide the other workstreams and for wider audiences. In carrying out the role, the post holder will be part of an interdisciplinary team of literacy and literary studies researchers and will be encouraged to both learn and share techniques, methods, and skills with them. The post holder will also collaborate with project partners and engage with young person communities around the UK.

Working Arrangements

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working, however some, semi-regular on-campus work will be required.

Salary

The salary for this post is £41,064 to £48,822 per annum.

Your skills and attributes for success

• A PhD (completed or submitted) in Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognitive Science, or related discipline.
• Experience of carrying out all stages of empirical psychology/neuroimaging experiments, including designing and programming experiments, data collection and analysis, developing analysis pipelines, and writing up results.
• Knowledge of and interest in the psychology/neuroscience of language.
• Strong initiative and independence in managing a research workload.
• Interest in collaborating, sharing skills and knowledge, and learning from a highly interdisciplinary research team.