Faculty of Social Sciences
School of Psychology
Senior Research Associate in Cognitive Computational Neuroscience
Ref: RA2305
Starting salary from £38,249 per annum, dependent on skills and experience, with an annual increment up to £45,413 per annum.
A post-doctoral Senior Research Associate position in Cognitive Computational Neuroscience is available to work with Dr Fraser Smith at the University of East Anglia. The position will focus on conducting neuroimaging and computational modelling studies investigating the multimodal basis of material perception (our ability to determine how a specific material will feel to touch). The project is funded by a three-year award from the Leverhulme Trust and will determine the computational benefits of combining information across vision and touch in the service of material perception.
You will be based within Dr Fraser Smith’s research group in the School of Psychology. You will carry out neuroimaging experiments (fMRI & EEG) and computational modelling studies using Deep Neural Networks. You will work together closely with a PhD student and other members of the project team: Prof Tim Kietzmann (University Osnabruck) and Dr Stephanie Rossit (UEA).
You will have a PhD (or be near completion, within 3 months of start date) in a relevant area (e.g. Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Psychology) and have significant experience of independent research. Strong programming skills are essential for this position (e.g. Python or Matlab). You must have expertise in one of the two following areas and must be willing to develop skills in the other:
- Neuroimaging with fMRI (ideally including RSA or decoding analyses)
- Deep Neural Network modelling in cognitive neuroscience
This full-time post is available from 1 October 2025 on a fixed-term basis for 3 years.
Benefits include:
- 44 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays and University Customary days.
- Family and Work-life balance policies including hybrid working and considerable maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption leave.
- Generous pension scheme with life cover for dependants, plus incapacity cover.
- Health and Wellbeing: discounted access to Sportspark facilities, relaxation rooms, 320 acres of rolling parkland, wellbeing walks, Wellbeing Ambassador network, on-campus medical centre including NHS Dentist, Occupational Health and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- Campus Facilities: Sportspark, library, nursery, supermarket, post office, bars and catering outlets.
- Exclusive shopping discounts to help cut the cost of household bills, childcare salary sacrifice scheme, Cycle to Work scheme and public transport discounts.
- Personal Development: unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses, specialist advice and training from our Organisational Development and Professional Learning Team.
Closing date: 19 May 2025
The University holds an Athena Swan Silver Institutional Award in recognition of our advancement towards gender equality.