Working at Durham University A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. As one of the UK's leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University, it's also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community. Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. Our Purpose and Values We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate difference, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all. Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page The Department Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Currently the department's research falls within three groupings: Cognitive Neuroscience; Developmental Science; Quantitative Social Psychology. There are particular strengths in the areas of cognitive psychology, vision science and eye movements. The department is extremely well-equipped for research, including cutting-edge facilities for stationary and mobile eye tracking, immersive virtual reality, TMS and EEG/ERP. The department benefits from full IT and mechanical research support from an outstanding team of departmental technicians, who will devote dedicated time to this project. The Role A 36-month fixed-term full time Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position is available at the Department of Psychology at Durham University. The successful candidate will join the research project Flexibility of predictive processing in scene viewing and representation. This project is led by Dr Sara Spotorno and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. This project investigates how we use knowledge acquired from life experience (schemas) to predict what we should see and where we should see it in real-world scene (images of everyday environments). More specifically, it examines to what extent and how predictions about scenes can be updated when schemas are not useful for or are even interfering with the current task. To this purpose, it uses high precision eye-tracking to analyse the time course of attentional selection during scene viewing. The successful applicant will have primary responsibility for developing the experimental materials (carefully controlled scene images), programming the eye-tracking experiments, recruiting participants, collecting and analysing the eye-tracking data. They will also have the responsibility to write the studies up for publication and present the results at national and international scientific conferences. The project is, therefore, ideally suited for someone who is organised, is a clear communicator with excellent writing skills and has a solid experimental psychology training basis, although a background in cognitive neuroscience or computer science with experimental research experience may be appropriate as well. There is a technical aspect to the project in the production and evaluation of the experimental materials, so the person should have an aptitude for technical work. Moreover, there may be scope for the candidate to contribute to the project's development. Therefore, a combination of rigour and creativity in experimental design would be highly valued. This is a great opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project which has a clear theoretical focus and interdisciplinary implications, as it will provide fundamental insights into how we explore, interpret and integrate new information from our visual surroundings into our experience. The PDRA will have access to outstanding resources including equipment, dedicated technical support, and travel funding for conferences and collaboration. The successful candidate will have a strong academic track record, including experience in designing, carrying out, analysing and interpreting high quality quantitative research on human perception and/or cognition. Experience with any of the following topics and approaches will be a strong advantage: • Real-world visual scene processing, including an understanding of algorithms that can be applied to scenes (e.g., visual salience algorithms). • Eye tracking (especially using Eye Link eye trackers). • Advanced statistical analysis skills, especially Linear Mixed Effect Models or Bayesian Models. • Advance knowledge of experiment programming software, especially Matlab, Experimental Builder, PsychoPy, Python. • Advanced knowledge of software for eye-tracking data extraction and analysis, esp. Matlab and R. However, we do not necessarily expect candidates to have experience in all of these, and we can provide training as needed on those which are unfamiliar. Key responsibilities: To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications. To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: academic and non-academic audiences. To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder. To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals. To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder. To review the relevant literature and maintain an up-to-date understanding of it. To prepare the experimental materials (carefully controlled scene images). To programme eye-tracking experiments for data collection in the laboratory. To extract and analyse eye-tracking and behavioural data. To persona;;y collect data from adult populations in the laboratory. To work with the Principal Investigator, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio. To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator and offering creative or innovative solutions. To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration. To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects. To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate. To be involved in supervision of students and Research Assistants. To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline. To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses. This post is fixed term for 36 months. The funding is available from the 1st July 2025, with the possibility of an earlier start if preferred, for this fixed term only. The post-holder is employed to work on a research project led by the Principal Investigator. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols. Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1st July 2025. Working at Durham A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: • 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year. • The University closes between Christmas and New Year - please include or delete if not applicable. • We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS). • No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. • There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. • Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme. • On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16. • Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers). • The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community • Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. • A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. • If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas. Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here. Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups. If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application. The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. Person Specification Essential Criteria: Qualifications A PhD (or final PhD thesis submitted, after viva and any corrections, by the post starting date) in Psychology Cognitive Neuroscience, Computer Science or a related subject, with a focus on human visual cognition, human visual perception, visual scene processing, or a related topic. Experience Experience in conducting high quality experimental research on human cognition, human visual perception, eye movements, visual scene processing or a related topic. Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community. Skills Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Desirable Criteria Experience An outstanding academic track record as evidence e.g., by high grades, prizes, strong record of publication in peer-reviewed journals, and presentation at international conferences, commensurate with stage of career. Track record of high quality research with one or more visual scene processing, eye movements, Bayesian cognition, visual attention, short-term memory or working memory, visual search, change detection, advanced statistical analysis skills (e.g., Linear Mixed Models). Skills Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research. How to Apply To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview. Submitting your application We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates. What to Submit All applicants are asked to submit: a CV and a cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below. Please include copies of any relevant journal publications you would like to highlight that cannot be found online (E.g. submitted/under revision/accepted). Contact Information Department contact for academic-related enquiries For informal enquiries please contact Dr Sara Spotorno, sara.spotornodurham.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in strictest confidence. Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email. Please send your name along with abrief description of the problem you're experiencing toe.recruitmentdurham.ac.uk Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK, or 44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday to Friday, UK time. We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays). University contact for general queries about the recruitment process Next Steps Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include a short presentation on their previous research and the specific skill set they would bring to the project. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment on a date to be confirmed. In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.