Research Assistant in Developmental Psychology at University of Stirling

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities, in cooperation with the Faculty of Natural Sciences, is offering a 15‑month part‑time 40% position as Research Assistant on the multidisciplinary research project entitled ‘Agency, Rationality and Epistemic Defeat’ funded by the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship scheme.

Outline of the Project

The project is composed of a philosophical and an empirical part that will progress in parallel. The philosophical part will develop a theory of rational belief‑revision focused on epistemic defeat, applicable to various agents in philosophy and cognitive science. The empirical part will use that theory to design and run novel comparative cognitive tests on pre‑verbal children, pigs and dogs, assessing whether they may be capable of some form of reflective thinking. Experiments with human infants will be designed and executed in the psychology division of the University of Stirling.

Description of Duties

• Setting up and running experiments with young children, including corresponding with nurseries and managing testing schedules.
• Assisting in supervising student research assistants.
• Taking responsibility for participant recruitment and establishing good relationships to facilitate this.
• Contributing to quantitative data analysis and management of datasets.
• Having regular meetings with the project team to track progress and resolve practical, technical or analytical issues.
• Contributing to manuscript preparation as a co‑author.
• Engaging in the public engagement activities of the project.
• Updating the project’s websites.

Essential Criteria

• Bachelor’s (minimum 2:1) or Masters degree in Psychology or related fields.
• Proficient use of Microsoft software (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook) and statistical software (R, SPSS, Jamovi or similar) for quantitative data analysis.
• Experience of experimental data collection with young children.
• Strong organisational, data management and data analysis skills.
• Self‑motivation and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to set and meet deadlines.
• Ability to identify problems and propose solutions.
• Flexibility, enthusiasm and willingness to learn and develop new skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Postgraduate qualification in Psychology.
• Experience with software to develop and/or deliver experimental stimuli (PsychoPy, Tobii Pro Lab, E‑Prime).
• Experience using eye‑tracking equipment.
• Experience drafting papers for publication and report‑writing.
• Experience working in a research or knowledge‑exchange environment.
• Experience supervising students.

Additional Information

• Part time (40% FTE).
• Fixed term until 31 December 2027.
• Grade 6: £31,236 - £37,694 p.a. pro‑rata.
• The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 17 August 2026.
• Interviews are expected to take place on Tuesday 8 September 2026.
• This role will require membership of the PVG scheme.
• An offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory outcome of this process.
• This role is not eligible for sponsorship.
• Applicants must have an existing right to work in the UK.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.