Job description
We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate with MR image analysis skills to join us to assist with a Medical Research Council funded project. The £3.5 million programme grant, titled “Neurodevelopment from the Fetus to Childhood in Individuals with Congenital Heart Disease Assessed using MRI”, will increase our understanding of altered brain development and neurodevelopmental impairments in individuals with CHD.  
 
This role will involve analysis of diffusion MRI, fMRI, volumetrics and other quantitative MR data in the fetal, newborn and paediatric brain. The post holder should have experience in developing and applying imaging analysis tools.
This post will be offered on  a fixed-term contract for 3 years 
This is a full-time post

Key responsibilities
 
Analysis & Research:   
•         Develop and undertake high quality research 
•         Analyse and interpret quantitative MR data and draw conclusions from the outcomes 
•         Manage specific pieces of activity to an agreed timeline and within a specific budget including literature reviews, data collection and analysis, report writing. 
•         Work independently to frame, analyse and solve research questions in line with the project aims 
•         Work with other members of the project team to write up research work for publication 
•         Continually update knowledge and understanding of the field and translate knowledge of advances in image analysis 
•         Contribute to the preparation of research proposals and seek opportunities for further career development through fellowship and grant opportunities and help other team members to do the same
•         Contribute to the dissemination of scientific results by means of writing or contributing to papers for publication, presenting orally and in poster form at internal and external meetings, seminars and conferences 
 
Communication:
•         Communicate with multidisciplinary teams of mathematicians, computer scientists, biologists, physiologists and clinicians within the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, other Schools and as part of collaborations with external institutions 
•         Work to enhance interdisciplinary progress by fostering productive relationships with clinical collaborators 
•         Communicate information of a complex nature both orally and in writing in regular meetings 
•         Assist in organising regular project planning meetings with research teams in addition to attending group meetings organised by others 
•         Keep colleagues informed of developments in the recent literature 
 
Decision Making, Planning and Problem Solving:
•         Contribute to collaborative decision making with colleagues within research teams  
•         Assist staff compiling regulatory documentation by providing necessary data 
•         Develop and disseminate guidelines resulting from problem resolution 
•         Plan and act independently to take forward assigned projects and discuss these with the research teams 
•         Work independently with only low-level supervision 
•         Assist and advise junior researchers and students in the planning and execution of their research 
 
Service Delivery:
•         Adopt systems of work as required by the Local Rules 
•         Maintain record and input data as required by the project 
 
Team Work, Teaching & Learning Support:
•         Contribute to the teaching programmes in the department and undertake student supervision as required 
•         Work with colleagues on joint projects as required 
•         Write or contribute to publications and disseminate research findings using appropriate media 
•         Collaborate with academic and industrial colleagues on areas of shared research interest 
•         Develop contacts internally and externally, building networks and relationships to ensure effective collaboration 
•         Attend and contribute to relevant meetings 
 
Sensory/Physical Demands & Work Environment: 
•         Be aware of the risks in the work environment and their potential impact on own work and that of others  
 
Pastoral Care:
•         To contribute to the supervising and coaching of visiting scientists and postgraduate students 
•         To support and be considerate of, other members of the team. 
 
 
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  
 
Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  
 
1.       BSc/MSc in relevant subject 
2.       PhD awarded in related subject* 
3.       Knowledge of, and expertise in, diffusion MRI pre-processing and analysis 
4.       Familiarity with neuroimaging tools (for example MRtrix, ANTs, DTK, FSL) 
5.       Proven programming and scripting skills 
6.       Expertise and knowledge of relevant computer programming languages 
7.       Experience of writing and presenting research data 
8.       Demonstrated aptitude for research 
9.       Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team 
10.   Ability to work without close supervision, plan and prioritise workload 
11.   Teaching ability and the ability to train research staff and students 
12.   Flexible approach to hours of work and duties  
 
Desirable criteria
 
1.       Familiarity with MR scanning technology, methodology and their clinical application  
2.       Knowledge of graph theory and its applications in brain network analysis  
3.       Development of statistical and/or machine learning methods for 3D imaging data for applications such as segmentation, registration 
4.       Experience with functional MRI pre-processing and analysis 
5.       Previous experience processing neonatal and/or paediatric MRI 
 
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 
 
Further information
 
This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearance.