We are looking to appoint a Research Associate on a fixed term contract of 3 years with the possibility of extension to undertake projects investigating brain imaging changes (multi-modal MRI and PET) in the PREVENT-Dementia study, an ongoing multi-site cohort study of people in midlife who are at increased risk of developing dementia (see: https: // preventdementia.co.uk/), the PREVENT ¿ Rugby Football study and similar studies in dementia, especially Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The post is funded by research grants supporting these studies and you will be based within Professor O'Brien's research group in the Department of Psychiatry, a vibrant interdisciplinary group of basic and clinical scientists at the University of Cambridge undertaking clinical and biomarker studies seeking to understand the causes of dementia, to develop and validate biomarkers and to improve therapeutic and preventative interventions. The group is part of the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Dementia and Neurodegeneration theme and there are close collaborations with other groups, especially in Psychiatry, Clinical Neurosciences, Psychology and Engineering as well as several external collaborations.
The post holder will be required to work as part of the dementia research team and contribute to the design, preparation and conducting of imaging studies, undertake data analysis and preparation of manuscripts and reports, as well as some limited administrative duties and supervision of more junior researchers and students. The project would suit candidates with a PhD in neuroimaging, medical imaging, biomedical engineering, computational neuroscience or a closely related area. The appointee will work with the Principal Investigator (Professor John O'Brien) and other investigators in the group, including Dr Maria-Eleni Dounavi (PREVENT Dementia Research Fellow). As well as skills in brain imaging analysis, the ability to interact and communicate effectively verbally and in writing with researchers and clinicians in different teams and sites is essential. The appointee must have or be about to be awarded a PhD in a relevant area.
Desirable experience and skills include programming (e.g., Matlab, Python, R), expertise with neuroimaging software packages (e.g., SPM12, Freesurfer, FSL), multimodal data integration, and familiarity with optimised pipelines for longitudinal data preprocessing and statistical analyses (e.g., Linear Mixed Effect models). Informal enquiries are encouraged and may be directed to Professor John O'Brien, [email protected] and/or Dr Maria-Eleni Dounavi [email protected].
If further funding is obtained there may be an option to extend this role.
Interviews will be confirmed and held on 19th July 2024.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment and a standard Disclosure and Barring Service check. This appointment also requires a Research Passport application.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please ensure that you outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role on the online application form.
Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.
Please quote reference RN41938 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Further informationDepartment of Psychiatry
Salary£36,024- £33,966 or £36,024- £44,263
ReferenceRN41938
CategoryResearch
Published5 June 2024
Closing date30 June 2024