Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Salary between £41,374 and £48,639 per annum inclusive of London Allowance

Applications are invited for a 3-year, full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London.

This position is funded by an ESRC research grant awarded to Professor Kathy Rastle in collaboration with Professor Denis Drieghe (University of Southampton) and Dr Sami Boudelaa (United Arab Emirates University). The project investigates skilled reading in Arabic; specifically, we are interested in understanding how the routine removal of diacritical marks (glyphs representing short vowels) influences reading. In studying Arabic, we hope to move closer to a general understanding of how reading skill is acquired across different languages and writing systems.

Applicants should hold a PhD in psychology or a closely related discipline.  They must have outstanding quantitative skills, including extensive experience in the design of psychological experiments, and in data handling and statistical analysis. Experience of using eye-tracking to study sentence reading is also desirable, but not essential. Individuals who can read in Arabic may have an advantage; those candidates who are not proficient in Arabic should show commitment to learning. Finally, there is an important fieldwork component of the project, and the successful candidate would be expected to spend several weeks at a time working with Dr Boudelaa in the United Arab Emirates.

In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Training and Development opportunities
• Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution
• Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing.
• Free parking

The successful applicant will work in Professor Rastle’s lab. The post is based in Egham, Surrey where the University is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.

The post will start no later than February 9, 2026, and applicants must have submitted their PhD by that point.  For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Professor Kathy Rastle on Kathy.Rastle@rhul.ac.uk.

For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: recruitment@rhul.ac.uk.

Please quote the reference: 0925-228

Closing Date:  23:59, 7 November 2025

Interview Date: To be confirmed

The university is committed to equality and diversity, and encourages applications from all sections of the community.

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