Research Assistant/Associate in Tinnitus in Newcastle upon Tyne

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.

The Role

You will lead and deliver a project that aims to fulfil a critical unmet need in tinnitus research, which is to have an objective test that can demonstrate the existence of tinnitus, and indicate what ‘subtype’ it is (i.e. which mechanism or combination of mechanisms is causing this particular case). You will join an internationally leading auditory neuroscience group, based in Newcastle University Medical School. Your work will be overseen by a supervisory and collaborative team, in Newcastle University and Zurich, Switzerland.

The study is termed the Multiple Intensity Contrasts Tinnitus Assessment Protocol (MICTAP), which is funded by the American Tinnitus Association. You will conduct, in its entirety, a series of studies that examine electroencephalographic (EEG) sound responses from human volunteers with and without tinnitus, and how these can be developed into objective tests to demonstrate the presence and subtype of tinnitus.

You will take charge of, and run, the study, performing all activities including ethics applications, finalising and implementing study protocols, performing each round of testing, analysing data, and creating and sharing the open-source code repositories for running the experiments and analysing the data. You are expected to chair weekly project meetings, and ideally make at least one visit to the lab in Zurich to learn analytical skills.

You will implement the current pilot version of the MICTAP experimental paradigm (which takes under an hour) in a format suitable for widespread sharing without proprietary software and any research EEG system, which will take some technical skill to deliver. The PsychoPy format is intended. You will recruit groups of volunteers with tinnitus, and rigorously age/sex/hearing matched controls, and test the MICTAP paradigm on them, analysing the data, and making any refinements to the paradigm necessary. You will develop transparent and automated analysis pipelines that will be shared with the research community after the project’s completion.

After this initial phase, you will work with a research group in Zurich, led by Prof. Patrick Neff, to help them replicate the same findings in an independent cohort of volunteers. The project is ambitious and time-critical. You must have established technical skills and expertise in the use of EEG and evoked potential methodology, eye tracking, the conduct and analysis of auditory cognitive/perceptual neuroscience studies, skills in clinical audiological assessment, and ideally significant experiences working with tinnitus populations. You must also have strong organisational skills, independence, and be strong in interpersonal communication and teamworking.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat: Researcher Development | Our Research | Newcastle University. 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, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

The post is full time, fixed term until 30/06/2027.

Key Accountabilities

• 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.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• 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.

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.
• Strong understanding or experience with people experiencing tinnitus.
• Experience with electroencephalography (EEG), including auditory evoked potentials and/or mismatch negativity (MMN).

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

• Honours degree in neuroscience, psychology or engineering subject relevant to auditory or tinnitus neuroscience.

In addition for Research Associate:

• PhD in a neuroscience, psychology or engineering subject relevant to auditory or tinnitus neuroscience.

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. 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.