Research Assistant

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant to join the School of Engineering and contribute to the Horizon Europe project GROWT5 – Guided Robotic-Human Orchestration with Wearables for Manufacturing. Working with Dr Alessia Noccaro and an international consortium of leading universities and industrial partners, you will support the development and evaluation of wearable technologies, tactile feedback systems, digital twins and human–robot collaboration solutions for augmenting operators in the next-generation manufacturing environments.

You will contribute to the design and testing of wearable sensory feedback devices, develop experimental protocols, collect and analyse data from human-participant studies, support the integration of wearable systems with robotic platforms, and design and implement experimental setups to test the developed augmentation technologies. The role provides an excellent opportunity to develop research skills within a large European collaborative project and is particularly suitable for candidates considering a future PhD.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A master’s degree in biomedical engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience with experimental research and prototype development.
• Programming skills in MATLAB, Python, C++, ROS or similar environments.
• Knowledge of sensors, embedded systems or mechatronic devices.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• A strong interest in wearable technologies, robotics and human-centred engineering.

Desirable experience includes:

• Wearable sensory feedback technologies and human augmentation systems.
• Embedded development using STM32 or Arduino platforms.
• CAD design and rapid prototyping.
• Signal processing, ergonomics, biomechanics or human movement analysis.
• Human-participant research.
• Evidence of research outputs, such as patents, patent applications, conference presentations.
• Knowledge of digital twin technologies for biomedical or industrial applications.
• Experience in tactile, vibrotactile or haptic feedback systems.

You will join a dynamic and supportive research environment with access to state-of-the-art robotics and human movement augmentation laboratories and opportunities for scientific publication, international collaboration and professional development.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat: Researcher Development | Our Research | Newcastle University. We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications’.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you'd like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact Alessia.noccaro@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone & can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs'

Applicants are required to submit their CV and a cover letter of 2 pages maximum where they have the chance to describe how they meet the role criteria and why they are interested in the role & in joining the School of Engineering at Newcastle University.

Interviews will be held in the first week of September 2026.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the university has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies & responsibilities expected of role holders at each level & secondly, the general qualifications & experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Find out more about the Faculty of SAgE here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/.

Contact for the post is Dr Alessia Noccaro alessia.noccaro@newcastle.ac.uk.

Duration of post is 1 October 2026 - 30 September 2029.

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