Research Fellow

About us

The Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology undertakes world-leading research and teaching in mind, behaviour, and language. It brings together researchers in a range of disciplines such as developmental psychology, clinical psychology, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, health, education, communication, medicine, behaviour and development. The post will be based in the Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit (DRRU). Our lab investigates how childhood adversity affects brain development, cognition, and mental health. Using experimental, neuroimaging, and intervention studies, we explore risk and resilience factors to inform prevention and treatment strategies, fostering a deeper understanding of mental health across the lifespan.

About the role

The post-holder will support Professor Eamon McCrory in delivering research outputs advancing the understanding of the mechanisms implicated in mental health vulnerability following childhood trauma, including leading on the publication of a wide range of research outputs. They will have the opportunity to conduct research across several areas, including drawing on neurocognitive data from existing longitudinal neuroimaging studies; developing novel online experimental paradigms; and analysing data from publicly available cohort data.

The position is funded from May 2025 until April 2028. Salary is offered at £43,374- £46,796 per annum (inclusive of London allowance). 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.

About you

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Fellow to join our enthusiastic and dynamic team in advancing research at the intersection of mental health, cognitive neuroscience, and childhood adversity. The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a related field and possess a strong theoretical background in experimental mental health or cognitive mechanisms relevant to mental health. They will have experience in developing and implementing experimental tasks, conducting intervention studies, and working with children and young people.

The candidate will be required to have a DBS clearance check to carry out the role.

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.

Customer advert reference: B02-08345

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