Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Psychology

Fixed Term, 24 months, full-time

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join a research project on Social Norms.

The project will involve psychologists, economists, and computer scientists at Royal Holloway in order to understand how social norms develop and sustain themselves.  The psychological component of the project will explain and illustrate how people learn norms and make inferences about normative behaviours in social environments.

This is a project funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The successful candidate will spend part of their time working directly on the project but will also have the opportunity to pursue their other research interests.

The successful candidate will work closely with the PI, Professor David Levine (Economics), and the research team including: Professor Ryan McKay (Psychology), Dr Gabriele Bellucci (Psychology), Professor Michael Mandler (Economics), Professor Francesco Feri (Economics) and Professor Kostas Stathis (Computer Science). They are expected to engage as a full member of the research team. Specific tasks will involve designing and running experiments, applying computational models (for behavioural predictions and data analysis), and contributing to writing up the results.

The project has both theoretical and empirical focusses along with subject experiments.

The successful candidate will possess as many as possible of the following:

1. PhD (or near completion of) in relevant subject area (e.g., psychology, cognitive neuroscience, political science, economics, computer science, mathematics / statistics).
2. Experience of designing and running psychology studies with human subjects (online and/or in-lab);
3. Experience in using key statistical and/or stimulus presentation software, e.g., Python, R, Javascript;
4. Strong statistical skills;
5. Experience/expertise with computational modelling of behaviour.
6. Demonstrated enthusiasm for open science research practices;
7. Experience with constructing research funding proposals;
8. Ability to keep accurate records, strong communication skills, experience with interacting with research users and with researchers from related disciplines, and ability to work independently under regular supervision as well as within a team setting.
9. Most of all, the successful candidate will have a great enthusiasm to conduct research on this topic.

The post is based in the psychology department at Royal Holloway in Egham, Surrey, where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London. Meetings with the team will take place at Royal Holloway. It is expected that the successful candidate will work at least part of the time on campus, though some remote working may be possible for this role.

Further details:   

Job Description & Person Specification    

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

For informal enquiries about the post please email Professor Ryan McKay at Ryan.McKay@rhul.ac.uk

Right to work: Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Please quote the reference: 0924-258

Closing Date: 23:59, 8 October 2024

Interview Date: TBC

The College is committed to equality and diversity, and encourages applications from all sections of the community. More information on our structures and initiatives around EDI, including information on staff diversity networks, can be found on our Equality and Diversity Intranet page.

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