Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences.

The Department

Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

Currently the department's research falls within four groupings: Developmental Science; Learning, Memory and Cognition, Perception, Action and Awareness; Quantitative Social Psychology.

The department is well equipped for research in most areas including facilities for fMRI, TMS, tDCS, EEG/ERP, eye movement tracking, biophysiological recording as well as the analysis of visuomotor action and psychophysical performance. The department also has a motion capture lab, an echo-attenuated chamber and a suite of observation labs. The department benefits from full IT and mechanical research support from award winning departmental technicians.

We offer a prestigious undergraduate programme as well as a suite of masters programmes including Behavioural Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychopathology, and Research Methods. Each year we admit around 180 single honours undergraduates, 50 masters and a number of PhD students.

In 2017 the department again received an Athena SWAN Silver Award recognising our commitment to advancing women's careers in STEMM academia and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the department

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Neuropsychology with a particular emphasis on neurodegenerative disease. The research project aims to explore whether computer-based tests of attention and memory administered in people's own homes can differentiate between people with Parkinson's disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. The project is funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust and is a collaboration between Durham University and the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The successful applicant will be responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the project. Their primary job will be the recruitment and testing people with Parkinson's disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and age-matched controls. Delivery of the project will require regular liaisons with the NHS project partners in Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Newcastle, and Gateshead, contacting and arranging appointments with prospective participants, explaining the project to prospective participants, and frequent travel to locations spread across the North East of England. The successful candidate will be responsible for collecting and storing data, data analysis, communicating the results of the project via presentation at scientific conferences and academic journal articles, and science-communication activities for non-academic audiences. The project will involve working in the science labs in the Department of Psychology and travelling to test participants in their own homes.

We would normally have some participants who are resident in a care home setting and attendance in such a setting requires double vaccination (unless there are health reasons for not doing so). It is therefore desirable that candidates could attend care homes.

This post is fixed term for 3 years.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:
* A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;

Next Steps

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment.