Job Description

Research Assistant

(

Job Number:

25001103

)

Department of Psychology
Grade 6: - 31,236 - 37,694 per annum (Pro Rata)
Fixed Term - Part Time

Contract Duration

6 months

Contracted Hours per Week

31.5

Closing Date

26-Aug-2025, 5:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement

Not Applicable.

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

The Department

Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and student employability. The department is committed to creating and maintaining a research environment that spans the entire breadth of psychology. Currently the department's research falls within three groupings: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Social Psychology.


The department is extremely well-equipped for research, including facilities for fMRI, TMS, tDCS, EEG/ERP, VR, eye movement tracking, and biophysiological recording. The department also has a motion capture lab for analysis of visuomotor action and experiments in immersive VR, a 'bar' lab for naturalistic studies in health psychology, and setups for psychophysics including an echo-attenuated chamber.


In 2022, the Department received its third Athena SWAN Silver Award recognising our commitment to advancing women's careers in STEM academia and reflecting the supportive and positive environment within the Department.


The successful candidate will join the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development, which includes researchers conducting a wide range of studies in the field of Neurodiversity.

The Role

A 6-month fixed-term Research Assistant (RA) position is available in the Department of Psychology at Durham University. The post will be split across 2 projects on neurodiversity. The first project is the Triple-A project (www.tripleadurham.co.uk ) which is being led PIs Professor Hanley and Professor Riby, and the post holder would work on this project for 3 days a week for 6 months (1st October 2025 - 31st March 2026). Triple-A is a programme of translation of research to impact in the area of neurodiversity and education. The post-holder would be involved in the evaluation of the Triple-A training programme for educators. This project is funded by the Durham University Research Impact Fund.


The second project focuses on neurodiversity, mental health and the criminal justice system (PIs Professor Walker & Professor Riby), and the post-holder would work on this project for 1.5 days per week for 2 months (1st October 2025 - 30 November 2025) and then 1 day per week for the remainder of the post (1st December 2025 - 31st March 2026). This project is all about capacity building in neurodiversity, mental health, and the criminal justice system, reviewing current resources and practices to feed into future work. Two core elements of this work are the completion of a local needs analysis focused on mental health support in the North East of England and liaising with Durham University Research Innovation Services on a gap analysis of mental health research in the institution. The project therefore involves working with a range of key stakeholders. This project is funded by the Durham University Seedcorn fund.


Together, these projects require the post holder to have an excellent understanding of neurodiversity, and a core theme of the work is the support of neurodivergent people within our society, whether that be within education or within the criminal justice system.

The Project Teams:

The research assistant will join a vibrant research group in the field of neurodiversity (includes 15 PhD students, 2 research staff, and 10 academic staff). The grant for the Triple-A project is held by Professor Mary Hanley and Professor Debbie Riby. Professor Hanley will lead on providing the RA with supervision. The grant for the Seedcorn project is held by Professor Tammi Walker and Professor Debbie Riby. Professor Tammi Walker will provide the RA with day-to-day supervision. Crucially, both projects are team-based

Expectations:

The successful applicant will be expected to carry out day-to-day responsibilities / running of the projects, including: submitting ethics applications, collecting evaluation data from teachers, schools and organisations that have used Triple-A, both using quantitative online methods and qualitative interview methods; data analysis; literature reviewing; liaising with Research Innovation Services to map current regional mental health support. They will need to interact with various stakeholder groups (e.g. researchers, educators, schools, neurodiverse community, parents, clinicians, voluntary sector workers) The work will be conducted using online methods (e.g. video conferencing), and face-to-face work in Durham University. The successful applicant will be expected to actively engage with the activities of the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development. Standard RA responsibilities and specific requirements are listed in more detail below. We would expect the RA to be physically in Durham at least one day per week.


Responsibilities:

To understand and convey information which needs careful explanation to the team or group of people through presentations, discussions and meetings which contribute to the production of research reports and publications. To write up results of research work, present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research in a clear and accurate manner. To analyse or undertake basic research by deciding how best to apply existing methodology according to overall context and objectives. To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions. To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration. To contribute to the planning of research projects.

To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline. To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.

This post is fixed term for 6 months due to the funding available, the funding is available from 1st October 2025 to 31st March 2026 for this fixed period only.


The post-holder is employed to work on research projects which will be led by other colleagues. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the projects, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.


Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1st October 2025.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS). No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme. On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16. Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers). The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.


We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Contact Information

Department contact for academic-related enquiries

Professor Mary Hanley,

mary.hanley@durham.ac.uk

;

Professor Tammi Walker,

tammi.walker@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you're experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk


Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.


While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

a CV and covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Next Steps

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the project teams. The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to the interview panel followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place in or around September 2025.


In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.


Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.


When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

A good first degree in Psychology or allied disciplines (at least 2:1 classification). A Masters degree in Psychology or allied disciplines (or about to complete one). Experience in conducting basic academic research or providing research assistance, including the use of standard research methods. Knowledge of qualitive and quantitative research methods within psychology and the social sciences. Demonstrable ability to produce concise high-quality materials (written/audio-visual) for a range of stakeholders. Knowledge of neurodiversity and relevant issues related to education, mental health, and well-being for neurodiverse communities and neurodivergent individuals. Experience submitting ethics applications for research studies. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings. Ability to manage time effectively and work to strict deadlines. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to engage with a range of stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

Previous experience of working with neurodivergent individuals in research or practice. Demonstratable experience of working with qualitative and quantitative data. Ability to work with data across software packages including excel. * Ability to produce high quality digital creative design content.