Job Description

Job id: 073525. Salary: \xc2\xa336,532 - \xc2\xa341,299 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 08 September 2023. Closing date: 17 September 2023.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences.

Contact details: Dr Eva Loth. eva.loth@kcl.ac.uk

Location: Denmark Hill Campus. Category: Research.

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

Job description

This post provides an exciting opportunity to become part of a multi-disciplinary team led by Prof Eva Loth that aims to identify markers and mechanisms of autism core features and associated mental health and neurological features (in particular epilepsy).

The role will involve recruitment and assessment of study participants for the Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP, which is conducted within the auspices of AIMS-2-TRIALS, ) and a linked Multiplex Family Study (conducted as part of the CANDY consortium, ).

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 members of the LEAP study team. The post will enable the successful candidate to gain a variety of clinical and cognitive neuroscience research experiences. This includes experience with the administration of at least some of the following: cognitive tests, eye-tracking, EEG, and/ or MRI.

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 a third time. In addition, the study has been extended to also enrol and assess participants with epilepsy (with and without a diagnosis of autism) on the same protocol. 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 CANDY Multiplex Family study aims to identify markers and mechanisms that are shared between (subgroups) of neurodevelopmental conditions (such as Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disabilities) and those that may be specific for a particular clinical subgroup. As LEAP, assessments involve a multi-disciplinary protocol that is tailored to age and ability levels of family members.

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.

The post may require working on weekends.

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract for 12 months.

Key responsibilities

• To re-invite families who previously participated in LEAP to participate in this follow-up wave of the study and liaise with a linked research team recruiting individuals with epilepsy (without and without autism) to the study.
• To assist the team in carrying out clinical assessments, eye-tracking, EEG and MRI assessments
• To enter data and help with specific Quality Control procedures
• To work supportively with families to ensure the smooth running of their visits to the IoPPN.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

1. BSc in a clinical research-based field of relevance to autism (e.g., psychology, cognitive neuroscience)

2. Training in clinical assessments (ideally ADOS, ADI-R and/or Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales)

3. Experience working with autistic individuals, related neurodevelopmental conditions and/ or epilepsy in a clinical, school or research setting

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

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

6. Previous experience with clinical instruments, in particular ADOS, ADI-R and/ or Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales

7. Thoroughly computer literate and experienced in the use of Microsoft applications

8. Experience of participant recruitment, particularly for clinical or longitudinal studies

9. Willingness and ability to work out of office hours, usually on Saturdays, to accommodate participant assessments with volunteers that are not available during the week.

10. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Desirable criteria

1. Previous experience with EEG, eye-tracking and/ or MRI acquisition

2. Pediatric phlebotomy training

Further information

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.

King\'s College London