Research Assistant/Associate

Salary:

Research Assistant: £33,951 - £35,608 per annum

Research Associate: £36,636 - £46,049 per annum

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.

Closing Date: 30 June 2026

The Role

We are excited to launch this opportunity for a Research Assistant or Associate in Computational Neuroscience and Neuroimaging to join the CNNP Lab.

We are based in the School of Computing at Newcastle University, based at the Newcastle Helix site in the heart of Newcastle city centre.

Our research sits at the intersection of computational neuroscience and clinical neurology. We develop advanced quantitative methods for brain MRI, combining structural and diffusion imaging with statistical modelling, to understand how the brain is organised across health and disease, and to improve detection of structural differences at the individual level. Our work spans method development through to clinical application, with a focus on producing tools and findings that are useful to the broader research community. For more information, please see www.cnnp-lab.com.

You will work on an MRI-based research project combining neuroimaging analysis with statistical and computational modelling, including developing and validating quantitative methods for characterising brain structure. Application areas may include improving surgical planning and outcomes in epilepsy, understanding structural changes in neurodegenerative dementias, investigating the multiscale organisation of cortical folding and its relationship to brain connectivity, and developing normative models of brain structure that enable detection of individual-level differences. You will engage with an international network of collaborators and contribute to disseminating findings through high-quality publications and conference presentations.

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with substantial experience in neuroimaging data processing (structural and/or diffusion MRI) and strong computational and statistical skills. Experience with normative modelling, clinical neuroimaging datasets, or large-scale data pipelines would be especially welcome. A strong publication record commensurate with career stage would be an advantage. For full details, please see the Person Specification below.

This is a 12-month position initially (extendable), expected to start 1 October 2026 (negotiable), and to be held full time. The position is in-person, with the expectation that you will be based in or relocate to Newcastle. The University has state-of-the-art facilities, and a generous budget for travel and computing equipment will be provided.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles. These profiles set out the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat. We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, and peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

Find out more about the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering here.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you’d like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact Dr Karoline Leiberg at karoline.leiberg@newcastle.ac.uk or Prof Peter Taylor at peter.taylor@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support or adjustments to meet your needs.

Please apply by submitting a CV and a cover letter. In your cover letter, please describe how you meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification below (maximum one page).

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to 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, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Conduct individual and collaborative research, including developing, validating, and applying advanced neuroimaging methods to structural and diffusion MRI data
• Contribute to the publication of high-quality research outputs, including papers submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international conferences
• Prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs and activities to diverse audiences, including research sponsors and academic and non-academic audiences
• Liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and form relationships for future research collaboration
• Deliver training in research techniques and approaches to peers, visitors, and students as appropriate, and contribute to student supervision where appropriate

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
• Demonstrable ability to write MATLAB, Python, and/or R code to analyse neuroimaging data
• Strong mathematical and computational abilities
• Experience of advanced statistical analysis, ideally including normative modelling

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications
• Experience in conducting high-quality academic research
• Substantial technical experience in processing neuroimaging data, particularly structural MRI and/or diffusion MRI using tools such as FreeSurfer, FSL, MRtrix, ANTs or similar

Desirable

• Experience in clinical neuroimaging research, in particular with epilepsy or neurodegenerative dementia datasets
• Experience working with multisite or multicentre neuroimaging datasets, including familiarity with data harmonisation approaches
• Experience with white matter tractography or structural connectomics
• Familiarity with large-scale data management and processing pipelines (e.g. HPC environments)
• Demonstrable ability to present research at national/international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community
• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• An honours degree and a PhD near completion in Computer Science, Mathematics/Statistics, Physics, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a project-relevant subject

In addition for Research Associate

• A PhD awarded in Computer Science, Mathematics/Statistics, Physics, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a project-relevant subject

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 29446