Research Assistant (with MPhil/PhD enrollment) London, England
Job description
About us
The UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is ranked second in the world for psychology (Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022) and UCL is the top-ranked university in the UK for research power in Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience according to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2021. The UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences is part of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, and leads the way in the fields of mind, behaviour and language. UCL Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences (SHaPS) sits within the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. It is internationally recognised for the excellence of its research into the perception and production of speech, hearing for speech and applied research in speech signal processing. It combines basic research into the normal mechanisms of speech and hearing with applied research into problems caused by hearing impairment or by atypical perceptual and cognitive development. Our methodologies include behavioural experimentation, neuroimaging, computational modelling, and acoustic analysis.
About the role
The postholder will be part of the Cognitive Hearing Lab, which is led by Dr Emma Holmes. The postholder will contribute to a programme of work focussed on “Uncovering how central cognitive pathways interact with hearing loss” which is funded by Wellcome. The overarching aim of this programme of work is to understand how hearing loss interacts with auditory cognitive effects on speech-in-noise perception. The appointed candidate will lead a series of experiments that examine how young adults with and without mild-to-moderate hearing loss use auditory cognition to understand speech in noisy settings. Experiments include psychophysics and pupillometry, which is sometimes considered as a measure of the effort someone exerts when listening in challenging environments. The postholder will be enrolled in a full-time PhD at UCL. (UCL PhD fees for UK students are covered by the grant, and fees for international students are partially covered.) The appointment will be made at an annual salary of £36,611 per annum including London Allowance. For informal queries about the position, please contact Dr Emma Holmes ([email protected]).
About you
The appointed candidate will have a curiosity in learning more about speech perception and auditory attention, and how these processes are affected by hearing loss. They will have a first or upper-second class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university, or a recognised taught Master’s degree, in a relevant subject (e.g., psychology, linguistics, neuroscience) prior to starting the post. (Overseas qualifications of an equivalent standard from a recognised higher education institution are also accepted.) They will be able to statistically analyse data using appropriate software and will be willing to learn to use other software as needed. They will have the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and students of all cultures and backgrounds, and have appropriate interpersonal skills for working collaboratively as part of a team and for working with adults who have hearing impairments. They will be committed to high quality research, have good time management skills, and have the ability to work to strict deadlines.
What we offer
As a research-intensive university, UCL not only educates students to prepare them for a rapidly changing world, but also continues to push forward with programmes of path-breaking research. The postholder will be part of the Cognitive Hearing Lab, which combines behavioural techniques (e.g., auditory psychophysics), cognitive neuroscience (e.g., EEG, MEG, and fMRI), and computational modelling. We aim to foster a supportive and inclusive lab environment in which all members can thrive. The postholder will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from other members of the lab, and colleagues in the wider community at SHaPS, PALS, and UCL. The postholder will be enrolled on the Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences MPhil/PhD programme and will have access to the UCL Doctoral Skills Development programme, which is designed to help doctoral candidates develop skills for research, professional development, and employment. Our department hosts a weekly seminar series, which includes talks by national and international researchers and by individuals in industry positions. Students are encouraged to attend and present at departmental seminars, as well as participate in international conferences and workshops. Recent graduates have secured academic teaching and research positions in speech, hearing science, and phonetics at UK and international universities, and at leading companies in the speech technology industry. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, UCL also offers an extensive range of staff benefits: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-benefits/staff-benefits.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
