Additional information: this is a full-time (37 hours per week), fixed-term position for 12 months.
Closing date: 01/12/2021
Salary : Grade E (£22,847 - £24,871 p.a.)
Employment type: Fixed-term contract
We are deeply proud of our academic community. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a diverse and dynamic learning environment, defined by a shared sense of respect for all its people. Our mission is to be bold, to do the right things and to change lives, and our academics are key to realising those goals. Their work continues to reinforce our credentials as an award-winning university, and a research centre of excellence.
Our continued success — underpinned by the number of prestigious national awards we’ve won — has hinged on two commitments: forging excellent partnerships around the world and harnessing the talents of all our people. We secured a ‘Gold’ rating in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework; received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our pioneering research; and in 2018, we were the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge, further demonstrating our commitment to ensuring ‘success for all’. NTU is a university at the peak of its powers, but we know we can still go even further. That’s why we’re now looking for new, passionate, ambitious people to join our community.
We are seeking applications for a Research Assistant to assist with data collection on ERC Consolidator Project FACEDIFF ‘Individual differences in facial expressivity: Social function, facial anatomy and evolutionary origins’.
The role will include a 6-month fieldwork season with free-ranging primates (Rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta) as well as video coding using facial movement coding system MaqFACS. You will assist with observational and non-invasive experimental data collection focussed on quantifying communication, facial expression and social behaviour. Training in data collection methods and data management will be provided. Travel and accommodation costs during the fieldwork season will be covered.
FACEDIFF is a five-year project examining individual differences in facial expressivity and how this is related to social network size and social interaction in humans and macaques. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team operating over multiple sites. You will be supervised by Professor Bridget Waller and work closely with other members of the team, including Postdoctoral Research Fellows, PhD students and field assistants.
An undergraduate degree in biology, psychology, anthropology or similar is required. Candidates with experience in animal behaviour research, fieldwork, and quantitative observational methods will be preferred. Spanish language skills are preferred but not required. Strong communication and inter-personal skills are essential. Successful candidates should be able to live and work abroad within a small group.
Interview Date: w/c 6th December
Anticipated start date: January 2022
Please contact Professor Bridget Waller via email bridget.waller@ntu.ac.uk for informal discussions in advance of applying.