King's College London

About us

The Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences (FANS) is one of Europe’s largest research groups and one of the few teams in the world bringing together leading experts in brain development and pro and antisocial behaviours.  We believe it is essential to investigate the determinants of normal development in order to understand abnormal behaviour (or illness).

About the role

An exciting new opportunity has opened in the Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences for two Post-Doctoral Research Associates to lead on a line of research to identify physiological indices (e.g., autonomic function, attention, arousal) associated with variation in developmental trajectories of mental health. This work will lead to developments in our understanding of the role of biological markers of chronic stress/allostatic load on longitudinal patterns of mental health features. 

The post holder(s) will work with secondary physiological time series data (i.e., eye-tracking, heart rate, skin conductance, and related indices) from very large (>2,500 individuals) longitudinal European and/or South African cohorts that span from the preschool age range into middle adulthood, also working collaboratively with colleagues to integrate this with available data from other modalities.

The successful candidate(s) will join a world class academic team of experts in neurodevelopment, who are situated in international networks (e.g., http://aims-2-trials.eu**;** candy-project.eu**;** https://www.r2d2-mh.eu/), and further contribute to supporting other researchers and PhD students, and publishing high-quality papers in peer-reviewed literature. 

This is a full time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30th November 2026.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD awarded (or thesis submitted) in a research-based field of relevance to neuropsychiatry/neurodevelopment/life sciences. (Please submit your PhD qualification or proof of thesis submission in the document section of your application.)
2. Advanced knowledge of physiological data indices (cleaning, analytics, and interpretation), such as heart rate, skin conductance, eye tracking, and related measures. 
3. Proven competence in quantitative research methodologies and statistical analysis, particularly in relation to big/longitudinal data, using script-based statistical packages (e.g., R, Stat, MPlus). 
4. Experience with time series data, longitudinal modelling approaches, and/or harmonisation and integration of data across diverse large datasets. 
5.  Proven track record of writing for peer-reviewed journals commensurate with level of career. 
6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and evidence of effective collaborative working in a multidisciplinary research team. 
7. Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to plan and prioritise own workload to meet project targets.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.