Senior Research Associate in Microstimulation

University of Bristol Law School; Bristol; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Bristol is seeking a Senior Research Associate to join their Engineering Mathematics and Technology team. The ideal candidate will have a PhD and strong knowledge of microneurography, responsible for conducting experiments to bridge artificial and biological touch. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and is fixed until November 2026, with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Experience performing microneurography experiments.
• Demonstrated publication record.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Design experimental setup for microstimulation.
• Run microneurography experiments on human participants.
• Investigate tactile discrimination capabilities.

Skills

Microneurography

Research presentation

Communication

Education

PhD

Job description

The role

This role is a 1 year senior research associate position based at the University of Bristol`s School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology. You will be part of an EPSRC New Investigator Award project investigating "Bridging artificial and biological touch through microstimulation", alongside Dr. Benjamin Ward-Cherrier, Dr. Jim Dunham, Dr. Rochelle Ackerley and Dr George Brayshaw.

We are looking for a skilled and motivated independent microneurographer to run microstimulation experiments on human participants to enable them to feel sensations from an artificial touch sensor, bridging the gap between artificial and biological touch.

What will you be doing?

As part of this role, you will be designing an experimental setup for microstimulation in the median nerve at the wrist in collaboration with a Research Associate with expertise in Electronic Engineering.

Your main responsibility will be running microneurography and microstimulation experiments with the developed setup to investigate tactile discrimination capabilities and the long-term potential of single-afferent tactile stimulation for prosthetic systems.

You should apply if

You should apply if you are:

• Knowledgeable of microneurography and have experience performing microneurography experiments
• A PhD holder with a publication record commensurate to your experience
• Self-motivated; able to work independently and under pressure
• Able to integrate into a research group and work well in a team
• A highly effective written and oral communicator

A GCP certification is desirable, but not required for this position (it can be completed once you have started the role). Any experience in presenting research to different audiences, such as at academic conferences or outreach events would also be considered a positive.

Additional information

For informal queries please contact: Benjamin Ward-Cherrier, [e-mail]

To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineering.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/category/engineering-includes-me/

Contract type: Open ended with fixed funding until 3/11/2026

Work pattern: Full time

Grade: J

Salary: £43,482 - £50,253 per annum

School/Unit: Engineering Mathematics and Technology

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday 21st September.

Interview dates will be confirmed in due course.

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives - particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.