Research Associate

Job description:

Are you passionate about memory, cognitive ageing, and statistical modelling? Do you want to explore how strategies can enhance memory in older adults? Join us as a Research Associate in our large and diverse School of Psychology at the University of Sheffield.

As a key member of the Cognitive Ability & Plasticity Lab, led by Professor Claudia von Bastian, you will contribute to an innovative experience-sampling study examining the relationship between intra- and interindividual variation in visual working memory and spontaneous strategy use in younger and older adults. This position is part of the ESRC-funded project “Strategy Training to support healthy cognitive ageing: Behavioural, neuroimaging and real-world investigations”. You will collaborate closely with Dr Richard Allen (University of Leeds) and Professor Louise Brown Nicholls (PI, University of Strathclyde), alongside Professor Melanie Burke (University of Leeds) and Professor Mario Parra Rodriguez (University of Strathclyde).

In this role, you will lead the day-to-day management of the study, including recruitment of younger and older adult participants, data collection, and advanced statistical analysis. Your responsibilities will also include finalising protocols, developing research materials, drafting research proposals, pre-registrations, and ethics applications. Disseminating findings through academic publications, conference presentations, and outreach activities will be a key part of your role. You will engage with interdisciplinary collaborators and non-academic stakeholders, with opportunities for research visits to partner institutions.

We are seeking a candidate with a PhD (or near completion) in Psychology or a closely related field. You should have significant experience in recruiting and testing participants, ideally including older adults and/or longitudinal studies. Expertise in advanced statistical modelling, such as multilevel modelling, and proficiency in relevant software like R or Python is essential. Strong organisational skills are required to manage this complex research project and to support junior colleagues. Experience with programming, such as JavaScript, for cognitive experiments and data collection online and in the lab will be an advantage.

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to be part of a dynamic research environment in the School of Psychology at the University of Sheffield. You will collaborate with a team of world-leading experts to contribute to cutting-edge research at the forefront of cognitive ageing and plasticity research, while advancing your career in cognitive psychology by developing your expertise at the intersection between experimental and differential psychology. There will be opportunities for international networking and conference participation.

The School of Psychology at the University of Sheffield is among the largest in the UK and has been consistently ranked as one of the outstanding research departments in all seven UK Research Assessment Exercises to date. Over 90% of our department’s research was classed as internationally excellent or world leading in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

We are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities which benefit the individual and University.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.

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