Postdoctoral Research Associate (Psychology/Neuroscience)

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.

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.

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.

Apply Before: 29/10/2025, 23:59

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