Wellcome Trust LEAP Research Associate

A position exists for a talented Research Associate to join a fast-paced and dynamic Wellcome Trust LEAP 1kD project on early brain and cognitive development. This interdisciplinary research programme will develop lab-based and portable scalable tools - including dyadic-EEG, eye-tracking, motion-tracking, speech and video analytics - for the measurement of the effects of social interaction on infants' developing cognition and executive function. You will join a dynamic and friendly international consortium, based at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and working closely with Associate Prof. Victoria Leong in the Baby-LINC lab at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and Prof. Zoe Kourtzi Cambridge, (UK), and contribute to scientific operations across the two or more international study sites.

The primary responsibility of the Research Associate will be to develop a deep phenotyping computational model of multimodal dyadic sociometric measurements (Leong & Schilbach, 2019; Leong, 2022) collected during parent-child social interactions, in order to predict child executive function (EF). The datasets to be modelled will feature sociometric variables extracted from dyadic electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) measurements, dyadic eye-tracking of maternal and infant pattern of eye gaze, dyadic motion and posture of mother and infant, and speech metrics.

You will also write or contribute to publications or disseminate research findings using other appropriate media. You will help to keep accurate records of project activities, deliverables and milestones, and provide pro-active and effective trouble-shooting for any problems that arise.

The role holder will also assist in the supervision and training of more junior staff and research project students, participate in networking activities, and support the general administrative running of the project.

The successful candidate will have PhD (or be close to completing)  in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering or related fields or an equivalent qualification.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 July 2023 in the first instance.

Informal inquiries can be made by contacting Victoria Leong (victorialeong@ntu.edu.sg) or Ellen Ashmore (coordinator@c2d3.cam.ac.uk).

The closing date is Tuesday 11th April 2023, and the interviews are likely to be in the week commencing with 17 April 2023.

You will need to indicate the contact details of two referees on the online application form and upload a full curriculum vitae. Please ensure that your referees are aware that they will be contacted by the Mathematics HR Office Administrator to request that they upload a reference for you to our Web Recruitment System; and please encourage them to do so promptly.

Please quote reference LE35510 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We particularly welcome applications from women and /or candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our Department.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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