Research Fellow in Child Development

Psychological Sciences

Location: Guildford
Salary: £44,414 to £47,047 per annum
Post Type Full Time
Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Wednesday 18 October 2023
Reference: 036823-R

Applications are invited for a full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow B position in the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, Guildford, starting on the 1st November 2023.

The post-holder will be working on a 4-year ESRC-funded project with Dr Chris Askew (University of Surrey), Prof Andy Field and Dr Kathryn Lester (University of Sussex). The project is investigating risk and resilience factors in the vicarious learning and reduction of fear in children (aged 7-10). The aim of the research is to identify the combination of parenting style, parent temperament and child temperament factors that influence vicariously learned increases and reductions in fear. The research findings are expected to increase our understanding of how fear is intergenerationally transmitted within families and identify the factors that increase children's resilience or susceptibility to fear development. The project aims to create a new evidence base that will help inform the development of future fear interventions, preventions and treatments for children by improving our understanding of the main influences on fear development and treatment responsiveness. 

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and motivated researcher interested in the development of anxiety disorders in children. The post holder will be responsible for recruitment of participants (parents and children) and the day-to-day running of the research in the lab. Duties include creating materials, programming, collecting, processing and inputting data, conducting preliminary analyses, and maintaining a project-specific website. They will need a good understanding of research methods and ethical issues in this type of research. They will also be involved in the writing-up and dissemination of findings.

This is a Research Fellow B position. Therefore, candidates should hold a relevant PhD, ideally in clinical or developmental psychology or related areas, and previous experience of running a research project is expected. Experience conducting research with children or families is advantageous. Note that due to the nature of the research and participant group, work outside of normal school hours will be necessary (i.e., evenings, weekends and school holidays). 

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Chris Askew: c.askew@surrey.ac.uk

The closing date for applications is Monday 28th August 2023. We anticipate interviews being held on Thursday 14th September 2023.