Postdoctoral Research worker – Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Job description

This post provides an exciting opportunity to become part of the analysis team of the AIMS-2-TRIALS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP). LEAP is the first European longitudinal multi-site, multi-disciplinary brain imaging and behaviour project in over 700 individuals with Autism Spectrum Conditions, typical development or mild intellectual disability. The overarching goal of LEAP is to identify biomarkers that help us to create individual profiles for each autistic person to tailor different therapies to different needs and predict a person’s developmental outcome.  
The successful candidate will work under the direction of Dr Eva Loth and Prof Declan Murphy at King’s College London. The purpose of this role is to lead on neurocognitive analyses (involving cognitive measures, eye-tracking, EEG, and/ or brain structure, function),  and to link these markers to  clinical features as well as measures of environmental risk and/ or genetics.  
LEAP was created as part of the EU-AIMS Consortium in 2014 and is being continued under the auspices of AIMS-2-TRIALS   https://www.aims-2-trials.eu/. Participants were first recruited between at the age of 6-30 years from 2014-2016. They were followed up a second time between 2016 and 2018. From October 2021 the cohort is being reassessed.  At each time point, the  study involves comprehensive clinical characterisation of each participant, including clinical observations and a range of parent/ self-report questionnaires to measure core and associated mental health features, or quality of life,  cognitive assessments,  eye-tracking, EEG assessments,  neuroimaging (structural and functional MRI) , the  collection of biosamples for microbiome and neuroinflammatory analyses, and assessment of life events and stressful experiences that may impact developmental changes. 
The post is ideally suited to someone with a keen interest in neurodevelopmental research, and experience of working with individuals with autism or related neurodevelopmental conditions. 
 

This post will be offered on an  fixed-term contract for 11 months [until 31/05/2023 end of AIMS-2-TRIALS] 

This is a full-time post

Key responsibilities

• To lead on one area of research of the postholder’s choosing, which should include either : Cognition, eye-tracking, EEG, fMRI (resting state, task-based)  
• To conduct relevant QC procedures and provide detailed documentation 
• To prepare manuscripts for publication 
• To disseminate work at national/ international conferences and AIMS-2-TRIALS meetings  
• To participate in internal in-person and virtual meetings 

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

Advanced knowledge of autism and/ or related neurodevelopmental conditions; 

Advanced knowledge of cognitive development and/ or cognitive neuroscience approaches;   

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; 

Prior experience with carrying out multidisciplinary and/ or longitudinal research; 

Experience in at least one of the following: cognitive, eye-tracking, EEG, and/ or fMRI analyses 

Experience with multi-variate analyses and “subgrouping” methods 

Experience with longitudinal modelling approaches 

Essential criteria  

1.       Experience in at least one of the following: cognitive, eye-tracking, EEG, and/ or fMRI analyses 

2.       Experience with multi-variate, “subgrouping” and/ or longitudinal modelling methods 

3.       Advanced knowledge of cognitive development and/ or cognitive neuroscience approaches;   

4.       Advanced knowledge of autism and/ or related neurodevelopmental conditions; 

5.       Advanced knowledge of clinical assessments of autism 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience with genetic analyses 
2. Experience working with autistic individuals 
3. Experience with science writing 

Subject keywords:

Neurodevelopment, autism, analyses