Research Assistant in Quantum Cognition

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

We are seeking a Research Assistant with experience in cognitive and behavioural testing of human participants in a psychology laboratory-based setting. This post will be based in the School of Psychology but will require working closely with colleagues in the School of Computing. Newcastle’s Quantum Cognition group, led by Dr Barbara-Anne Robertson (Psychology) and Dr Jonte Hance (Computing), has received funding from the UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode:
Quantum Emotions:
Using the Quantum Formalism to explain temporal order effects in memory for emotional events. This project involves applying the quantum formalism to model experimental observations of human emotional memory performance and the neural systems that support it, to better understand both systems. As a member of a wider team using fMRI and physics models to explain behavioural results, you will play a role in contributing to the Quantum Cognition group by working closely with internal collaborators, external project partners (including at Nagoya University, Ritsumeikan University, and the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, in Japan, and Linnaeus University, in Sweden), and new and developing external collaborators.

You will have a background in psychology and/or neuroscience with research experience collecting behavioural and cognitive data from human participants in a laboratory setting. Whilst having a background in physics and/or engineering would be of benefit, what is required is a willingness to learn from computing and physics-based colleagues in the Quantum Cognition group to build and apply new approaches to understanding how emotional events impacts temporal order memory.

Your primary focus will be collecting a large dataset, working to recruit and test participants in person, in the School of Psychology.

This post is fixed term for a period of 2 years.

• Contribution to the research programme of the School/Institute under the clear guidance of a member of an academic staff or Principal Investigator
• Use initiative and creativity to analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, book)
• Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities
• Ensure that personal knowledge in relevant fields of study is kept up to date
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Maintain academic standards and freedom, and work in accordance with university policies (e.g. equal opportunities, health and safety policies)
• Possible supervision and demonstration duties within undergraduate laboratories and example classes or in teaching small seminar classes
• Undertake relevant training and development activities to develop capacity for taking on wider responsibilities
• Develop, with advice, an awareness of own professional development needs and a personal development strategy

• Subject knowledge in psychology
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research
• Background (formal or informal) of physics and/or engineering

• Experience collecting and analysing cognitive and behavioural (psychology/neuroscience) data
• Experience working with human participants in a psychology/neuroscience research environment
• Interest and enthusiasm for quantum foundations and psychology
• Excellent communication skills and ability…