Research Associate (Kornysheva Lab RA 1) - School of Psychology - 104756 -

at  University of Birmingham

POSITION DETAILS

School of Psychology
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,296 to £34,866 with potential progression once in post to £39,105
Grade: 6
Part Time (18.75 working hours per week)
Fixed Term contract up to 4 years
Closing date: 3rd November 2024

BACKGROUND

We are seeking a part-time (0.5 FTE) postgraduate research associate (RA) to join the Skilled Action and Memory lab (https://sites.google.com/site/kkornysheva), led by Katja Kornysheva, Associate Professor at the Centre for Human Brain Health and the School of Psychology, University of Birmingham. This position is part of a project funded by a UKRI Future Leadership Fellowship award (£2.2M), “Dissecting the Neural Code for Skilled Action Planning and Coordination” for 4 years, with a grant extension of up to 3 years pending UKRI approval.
The lab studies the neural control of skilled movements and aims to develop non-invasive neurotechnology to assist and improve movement control in individuals with movement disorders. This research project will be conducted in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of postdocs, research associates, and PhD students, as well as external collaborators at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Imperial College London and University of Oxford, with a generous travel budget for research visits, training and conferences.
This 4-year part-time RA position is available from 1st December 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. Salary will be at grade 6. Staff are eligible for the PhD staff fee
concession to enrol in a PhD under the supervision of Katja Kornysheva and a second academic supervisor at the University of Birmingham during the time of employment.
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/academic-support/registry/pgr/staff-fee-concession.aspx
This RA scientist will assist with participant recruitment, data collection, ethics and documentation, and helping with administrative tasks related to running the grant. The
focus will be on assisting participants recruitment and on operating neuroimaging equipment at the Centre for Human Brain Health (e.g. MRI, MEG, EEG). Local operator training will be provided as required by the CHBH.
The projects in the lab related to the UKRI FLF will utilise multimodal neuroimaging (concurrent EEG-MEG, EEG-fMRI, EEG) and measurements of muscle activity and motor behaviour (e.g., EMG, force tracking), and a non-invasive stimulation (temporal interference stimulation; tTIS). The fundamental outcomes of this project will be relevant for the basic understanding of the neural control of skilled movements, as well as the development of brain stimulation protocols and brain-computer-interface (BCI) applications to boost performance in the context of neurorehabilitation.
The successful candidate will have a BSc and MSc in cognitive neuroscience, experimental / biological psychology, neuroscience, sport and exercise science or a related discipline. They will have the ability to act on their own initiative, excellent office and quantitative skills and experience with running of the experiments in the lab.
Experience with EEG, MEG and fMRI is desirable but not necessary, as training will be provided in the lab, at the CHBH and through collaborations (e.g. EPFL research visits).
We encourage candidates from diverse range of backgrounds who have an interest in research on the neural basis of skill learning, motor control and memory to apply.

• Assist in the setup and implementation of experiments, including participant recruitment, data collection, and ethics application and documentation
• Undertake local operator training for neuroimaging equipment and assist other lab members in acquiring similar skills
• Operate equipment (e.g., MRI, MEG, EEG) at the Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH) to aid in data acquisition.
• Assist with data analysis and reporting
• Document experimental procedures and results and assist in preparing reports or presentations for lab meetings and publications.
• Assist in budgetary monitoring and management, including reporting
• Assist with stakeholder engagement, developing and maintaining regular contact with internal and external stakeholders to understand requirements, including on social media channels (e.g. LinkedIn)
• Work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team of postdocs, PhD students, and external collaborators to advance research goals.
• Participate in and assist with research visits, training sessions, and conferences with external collaborators
• Co-supervise research students in the lab (BSc and MSc projects thematically aligned with the research project)