Research Associate x 2 (Fixed Term)

Registration website

Department of Psychiatry

£32,816-£40,322

RN27663

Research

5 August 2021

3 September 2021

We are looking to appoint two research associates for 12 months to work on a project exploring examining whether autism is more common in the children of parents who work in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). The project will include collecting data from the UK and the US to examine whether autism rates in these two different countries are higher in regions that have a high concentration of jobs in STEM.

The aim of the aim of the current project is to test if there is a higher number of autistic children in STEM regions in the UK and the US, compared to regions where there are fewer STEM jobs. We will survey schools and parents about a range of issues, and the results will reveal how much variation there is within these countries in the number of autistic children, as well as giving us clues as to what may be causing any variation we find. This project builds on an earlier study from our group finding elevated rates of autism in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. We particularly welcome applicants from the US for the US arm of this research.

This project is the first to examine the link between autism and STEM cross-culturally using the same methods to collect and analyse the data in each country. Our research will improve our understanding about how autism varies within and across countries in order than services can be planned in a more efficient way. It also has relevance for genetic models of autism in understanding the broader phenotype of autism in parents.

The post holder will work with the Principal Investigator (Professor Simon Baron-Cohen), and other members of the Autism Research Centre. Ability to interact and communicate effectively with researchers is essential. Applicants should have (or be about to obtain) a PhD in a relevant subject. The post holder will be involved in all stages of the research, including design, obtaining ethical approval, data collection, analysis, writing articles and conference presentations.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Carrie Allison ([email protected]). For questions related to the application process or visa applications related to this role, please contact [email protected].

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Closing Date: 3rd September 2021

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

Please quote reference RN27663 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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