Salary Range:    £33,309 - £40,927 

FTE:                   1.0 (35 Hours/week)

Term:                  Fixed Term (42 months)

Closing Date:     28/08/2022

The School of Psychological Sciences and Health is looking to recruit a Research Associate to work on the project Agent-based Memory Prosthesis to Encourage Reminiscing (AMPER).
As a Research Associate under the supervision and guidance of Dr Mario Alfredo Parra, you will play a key role within an interdisciplinary project funded by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The project will focus on a user-centred design to create an embodied agent with a novel human-like autobiographical memory. You will help perform a carer-assisted intervention for personalised reminiscence (e.g., telling meaningful stories) to bring to the surface memories residing in the still viable regions of the brain. Autobiographical memory provides a reflection of “self” enabling an individual to relive an event. By building a technological bridge to unique life experiences and aiding recollection, patients’ sense of value, importance and belonging will be restored.
The successful candidate will contribute to co-production and co-design activities with patients with cognitive impairment caused by dementia and their carers. The successful candidate will also contribute to recruitment, screening and assessment of participants. The role will involve testing participants on a range of cognitive-behavioural assessments and responsibility for scanning participants at the test facility. To these aims, the successful candidate will work collaboratively with computer scientists on a day-to-day basis, helping develop prototypes of AMPER and also piloting them towards a final version. The project will also involve managing everyday activities that relate to the project, inviting participants for testing, database management, dissemination of results at conferences, and writing research reports for publication (in collaboration with colleagues from Heriot-Watt University). Other collaborators on the project are Prof Ruth Aylett and Dr Mei Yii Lim (University Heriot-Watt).
To be considered for the role, you will be educated to doctoral level in an appropriate discipline, or have significant relevant experience in addition to a relevant degree. You will have sufficient breadth or depth of knowledge in cognitive and neuropsychological assessment. Skills working with vulnerable groups and strong writing skills are critical. Skills working within interdisciplinary teams, healthcare technologies, and running quantitative and qualitative statistical analysis are highly desirable.
Furthermore, a willingness and ability to travel within the central belt of Scotland is a prerequisite (e.g., via train) as recruitment, testing and engagement activities will happened in different NHS boards located within the central belt.
The post is offered for a fixed term period, with an intended start date of 26 September 2022.

Formal interviews for this post will be held on 08/09/2022.

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Mario Parra Rodriguez, Senior Lecturer (mario.parra-rodriguez@strath.ac.uk).

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