Postdoctoral Research Associate (Part Time, Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position to help direct and conduct research in a team of scientists under the leadership of Prof Duncan Astle.

This is a fixed-term part-time post (0.2FTE) ideal for someone working in industry or with industry experience. This is because we want to bring in expertise with data processing and machine learning pipelines, and their application to large-scale datasets. We also want to bridge more explicitly between our work in academia with current practice and priorities in industry.

Within the team we use a variety of different computational modelling techniques, including recurrent and generative models. We are also in the process of developing different toolboxes to make these techniques more available across both our group and globally. This new part-time post will bring expertise in standardising and making these pipelines accessible, to standards similar to that which we would see in industrial applications. Within the group we typically apply these models to understanding brain development and diversity. So an interest in, or experience with, studying development would be highly beneficial.

• You should hold a PhD in a relevant field or be close to submitting your thesis.
• Experience of prior work anywhere at the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive science, neuroimaging, computational modelling and development is highly desirable for this role.
• Experience in industry, including machine learning and data science, would be particularly advantageous.
• Good interpersonal skills are important. A requirement is that you can provide clear seminars on complex issues to an interdisciplinary audience, support students and staff, and work as part of a team on collaborative projects. 

The position is an ideal springboard for scientists interested in bringing advanced methods to improve our understanding of brain development. 

Background about 4D Lab can be found here https://www.astlelab.com/ 

Informal enquiries may be directed to:

Georgie Willsher Email: georgie.willsher@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk 

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 September 2027 in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Applicants must have a PhD. Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant (Grade 5, Point 38 £34,610) moving to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon confirmation of your PhD award. 

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

Please quote reference SU48160 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.

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

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