Research Associate in Speech & Language Sciences

Salary: £34,866 to £36,924 per annum, pro rata

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: 13 November 2024

The Role

To assist with completing the aims and work programmes of a major multi-national and multi-institutional ESRC GCRF-funded project on ‘Language development in the early years: tackling the roots of academic and social inequalities’ as it goes into its final stages. In doing so, the post holder will undertake research, impact and engagement activities in line with the school and university’s strategy. They will collaborate remotely with researchers based at all of the project’s sites in Plymouth, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the West Bank. They will comply with the University’s policies, including Health & Safety, Equality and Diversity, Ethics, and Data Protection.

The post holder will gain experience in research, management and engagement activities in the areas of language development, education, and speech and language therapy. They will experience working as part of a large multi-disciplinary and international team and the use of technology for online collaboration and the development of free materials and resources for language development. They will gain experience in collaborating with non-academic professionals, parents and volunteer organisations. They will contribute to the UN goals of sustainable development, particularly good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality and reduced inequalities.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment. For this role we can be flexible in relation to the amount of hours that can be considered.

The role is fixed term for 4 months.

We are able to consider from 50% FTE which equates to 18.5hrs per week up to 37hrs per week (100% FTE).

Informal enquiries are welcome. Please contact Prof Ghada Khattab at ghada.khattab@ncl.ac.uk to discuss the role. To apply, please upload an up-to-date CV and letter of application outlining specific examples around how you meet the requirements set out in ‘The Person’ section below.

If you wish to be considered for less than 37hrs per week, please indicate in your covering statement how many hours you could dedicate to this role should you be successful.

Key Accountabilities

• Disseminating results from the project’s Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) - a parental questionnaire about their children’s early language abilities - in the project’s international sites
• Supporting planned public health and social media campaigns, and running workshops geared towards different audiences including parents and Early Years professionals (nursery teachers and managers, speech and language therapists, paediatricians)
• Conducting research-related administration e.g. workshop organisation, liaising with stakeholders, venues etc
• Providing expert advice in own subject area to other team members
• Advising on co-designing user-friendly digital health and education tools
• Supporting team members in preparing high quality publication materials for referred journals, presenting results at conferences (including national and international), or exhibiting work at other appropriate events

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Data analysis skills, including the use of quantitative methodology and statistical techniques
• Experience in the interpretation of research data and results
• Track record of presenting research findings at meetings and conferences
• Track record of contributing to and/or developing collaborative research networks
• Developing track record of successful engagement with key research stakeholders, both internally and externally
• Ability to use social media and other platforms to disseminate findings
• Web design or digital skills for the creation of parent- and professional-oriented resources

Attributes and Behaviour

Drives innovation and action:

• Use initiative and creativity to analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Intellectual agility for the solving of problems

Demonstrates the ability to balance personal needs with the University’s strategic objectives:

• Self-awareness with the ability to accept different views and self-regulate approach appropriately
• Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities

Builds and secures value from relationships:

• Working effectively and collegiately as a part of an interdisciplinary team
• Fostering and developing good relationships between own School and the wider University, and with external partners

Creates and contributes to a shared vision, inspiring others:

• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills
• Ability to communicate new and complex information effectively, both verbal and written, engaging the interest and enthusiasm of the target audience

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent qualification in relevant discipline (e.g. Linguistics, Speech and Language Therapy, or Health Sciences)
• Good level of analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex information clearly, both orally and through the written word

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.  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. 

Requisition ID: 27723