Research Fellow

About us

The Child Vision Lab is based at the Institute of Ophthalmology and the Department of Experimental Psychology, both within UCL’s Faculty of Brain Sciences. Through a strong partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital (MEH), serving the largest ophthalmic patient population in the Western world, UCL is at the forefront of global vision research and a pioneer in therapeutic innovation. Located in the heart of London, UCL offers a vibrant and collaborative research community, access to world-class scientific resources, state-of-the-art facilities, and exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

About the role

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with strong computational skills and an interest in visual development, sight loss, and neural plasticity for a Wellcome-funded project. The project will investigate how early vision loss, followed by sight-restoring treatments, affects brain development and function, using advanced behavioural testing and neuroimaging approaches, such as child-, and patient-friendly EEG, MRI, OPM-MEG, fNIRS, psychophysics, eye tracking, and clinical assessments. Findings will directly inform the development of new treatments for children with blinding eye diseases and advance our understanding of human brain plasticity and development.

The position is available for one year in the first instance starting in March 2025.

Salary is offered at £43,124 - £45,372. The appointment at grade 7 (Research Fellow) is dependent upon the candidate having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B salary with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

A DBS clearance will be required for this position.

For information about the application process, please contact

About you

The successful candidate should hold or be nearing completion of a PhD in (cognitive) neuroscience, psychology, vision science, or a related discipline with a strong academic record.
Key requirements for the role include strong analytical and programming skills and experience in human behavioural testing or neuroimaging; experience with infants or young children is preferred but not essential. We seek a candidate with a rigorous scientific approach, excellent communication skills, and a dedication to fostering a positive, inclusive, and collaborative environment.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

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