Research Assistant/Associate in Human Movement Science Involving Patient Cohorts

 

Salary: 

Research Assistant:  £32,546 - £34,132 per annum

Research Associate: £35,116 - £45,413 per annum

 

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: 27 July 2025

 

The role

 

We have an exciting opportunity for three early career scientists who are interested in human movement, wearable technology and digital outcomes. You will be expected to work in an interdisciplinary group who has an established international reputation in gait analysis and wearable technology analytics.

 

The ideal candidates should have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biomedical Science, Movement Science, Computer Science or related field (a PhD is essential for the Research Associate position), experience working with wearable sensor data and digital outcomes; proficient and independent signal processing and coding, statistical and computational skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team. 

 

Successful candidates will be mentored by an experienced member of academic staff throughout their term in one of our Research Institutes.

 

You will work as part of a research team supporting a range of projects aiming to look at the use of wearable technology and digital mobility outcomes of real-world gait and physical activity to detect clinically relevant changes to post-diagnostic care, interventions and potential disease modifying effects.

 

You will be expected to provide training and technical assistance, manage the transfer and analysis of gait/physical activity data collected with wearable technology, novel and traditional gait analysis tools (e.g. instrumented mat, etc.) and publish and present key findings from the projects.

 

The posts will involve working across multiple project grants aiming to evaluate the use of wearable technology in laboratory and real-world settings to quantify digital mobility outcomes in ageing and diverse health conditions. 

 

The work will be undertaken within the Brain and Movement (BAM) Research Group based in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute with Dr Lisa Alcock, Dr Silvia Del Din and Professor Alison Yarnall.

 

For informal enquiries contact: Dr Lisa Alcock (lisa.alcock@newcastle.ac.uk), Dr Silvia Del Din (silvia.del-din@newcastle.ac.uk) and/or Professor Alison Yarnall (alison.yarnall@newcastle.ac.uk) 

 

Weblinks
Brain and Movement Research Team: https://research.ncl.ac.uk/bam/

Clinical Ageing Research Unit: https://www.newcastlebrc.nihr.ac.uk/research/research-infrastructure/clinical-ageing-research-unit-caru/

Biomedical Research Centre – Digital Health, Ageing Innovation and Inclusion theme: https://www.newcastlebrc.nihr.ac.uk/digital-health-ageing-innovation-and-inclusion/

Translational and Clinical Research Institute: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/translational/

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

 

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

 

There are three full time Research Assistant/Associate positions available. The posts are tenable for two years.

 

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter.  Your cover letter should be a detailed supporting statement outlining why you are a good fit for the role. Please explain how you meet the essential criteria outlined and evidence this with examples. 

Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholders will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value' 

• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements 

• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required

• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding 

• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids

• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations

• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications

• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline

• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants 

• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute

• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities

• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

 

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

(Essential)

Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills

• Detailed subject knowledge (PI to describe subject knowledge required) in the area of research 

• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects 

• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability 

• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others 

• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment 

• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications 

• Expertise working with wearable sensor data and analysis

• Experience with movement analysis and signal processing (especially as applied to locomotion/ gait)

• Expertise in developing novel algorithms, but also understanding, optimising and applying developed algorithms for extraction of digital mobility outcomes (e.g. gait outcomes)

• Very good knowledge of and experience using Matlab or equivalent programming languages (e.g. R, Python)

• Database and project management skills

• Knowledge of statistical techniques

(Desirable)

• Good information technology and computing skills and experience with cloud computing platforms

• Experience working with older adults and/or patient groups

• Understanding of neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease

• Experience in machine learning/ AI techniques

Attributes and Behaviour

(Essential)

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Capacity for original thought

 

Qualifications

• Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Movement Science or related field (Research Assistant)

• A PhD in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Movement Science or related field (Research Associate)

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: 28158