Role: Research Associate
Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £36,924 - £46,485 per annum
FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday – Friday
Contract: 6 Months Fixed-Term
Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)
Purpose of Role
We seek an ambitious and creative postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) for a period of 6 months, starting from February 2025. The PDRA will be working within the auspices of the WIDERA consortium project BEYOND (Beyond Bad Apples: Towards A Behavioural and Evidence-Based Approach To Promote Research Ethics And Research Integrity In Europe) under the guidance of Dr Daniele Fanelli, in a nascent Metascience Lab located in the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University. The PDRA will actively contribute to the development and testing of new methods to incorporate complexity into our understanding of scientific practices and research integrity. An essential component of the work entails developing a methodology to extract and process texts of scientific publications, making them ready for further coding and analyses. Other specific contributions may be agreed with the candidate, depending on their interests and skills. Candidates who wish to extend their position will be encouraged to lead or collaborate on new grant applications for this purpose.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. Help in the development and testing of methods to analyse the complexity of a field's subject matter and methodology.
2. Take part in dissemination activities, such as conferences, workshops, and contributions to publications.
3. Assist with general management of the project and research group (e.g., web page, meeting notes, social media).
Essential & Desirable Criteria
Essential
1. Solid quantitative skills.
2. A demonstrable interest in the objectives of the project.
Desirable
1. Good programming skills, including knowledge of the statistical package R.
2. Familiarity and prior experience with Natural Language Processing techniques.
3. Knowledge and practical understanding of basic concepts in information theory (e.g., Shannon Entropy, Kolmogorov complexity).
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
1. Ability and willingness to learn new digital skills and capabilities appropriate to your role and how it evolves.
2. Understand and adhere to information security practices particularly as it relates to personal or sensitive information.
3. Maintain awareness of personal digital wellbeing by being mindful of the time spent at a screen and its impact on mental and physical health.
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 19 February 2025.
Please submit your CV via the Heriot-Watt online recruitment.
For any enquiries about this position, please contact Dr Daniele Fanelli (d.fanelli@hw.ac.uk).
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.
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