Requisition ID: 26026
Location:
Newcastle, GB
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Working Pattern: Full Time
Posted Date: 14 Aug 2023
Salary: £31,396 to £32,982 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: 21 October 2023
The Role
Your role will involve regularly training and supporting staff to use wearable technology throughout the studies, liaising with staff across multiple sites for data transfer and any technical support, processing wearable sensor data pertaining to gait and activity, managing complex datasets and collaborate with researchers in partner institutions (e.g. Sussex and Brighton Medical School, University College London) to publish and present key findings from the projects. Additionally, your role would involve carrying out secondary data analysis in existing datasets (e.g. GaitDem, ActivDyad) to answer key research questions in the area of mobility and ageing/neurodegeneration, and publish these findings.
The project funded through multiple project grants (e.g. ActivDem, D&FP) aims to look at the use of wearable technology in laboratory and real-world settings to quantify digital mobility outcomes in order to: identify disease (e.g. D&FP) and detect clinically relevant changes in dementia (ActivDem). Working with the Brain and Movement (BAM) Research Group with Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Dr Silvia Del Din and Professor Lynn Rochester, based in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute, you will focus on the application of wearable technology to measure digital mobility outcomes in a ageing and neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia.
This post is fixed term for a period of 12 months.
For informal enquiries contact: Ríona Mc Ardle; riona.mcardle@ncl.ac.uk
Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/
Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/
As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.
Key Accountabilities
- Contribution to the research programme of the School/Institute under the clear guidance of a member of an academic staff or Principal Investigator
- Use initiative and creativity to analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
- Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may 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, book)
- Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities
- Ensure that personal knowledge in relevant fields of study is kept up to date
- Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
- Maintain academic standards and freedom, and work in accordance with university policies (e.g., equal opportunities, health and safety policies)
- Possible supervision and demonstration duties within undergraduate laboratories and example classes or in teaching small seminar classes
- Undertake relevant training and development activities to develop capacity for taking on wider responsibilities
- Develop, with advice, an awareness of own professional development needs and a personal development strategy
- Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
- May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
- Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
- Contribute to the writing up of your research for publication and 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
The Person (Essential)
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Some subject knowledge in the relevant area
- Good level of analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex information clearly, both orally and through the written word
- The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
- The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
- Experience working with wearable sensor data and analysis
- Experience with movement analysis and signal processing (especially as applied to locomotion/gait)
- Experience in developing novel algorithms, but also understanding, optimising and applying developed algorithms for extraction of digital mobility outcomes (e.g., gait outcomes)
- Very good knowledge of and experience using Matlab or equivalent programming languages (e.g., Octave, Python, etc.)
- Database and project management skills
- Knowledge of statistical techniques
Attributes and Behaviour
- Interest and understanding in ageing and neurodegenerative conditions, particularly dementia.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Capacity for original thought
Qualifications
- Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in Biomedical Engineering, Movement Science or related field
- May possess (or be working towards) a higher research degree
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 silver 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.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 26026