Research Associate in Virtual Laboratories for Physics Education in Ghana

Full time - 35 hours per week.

Fixed Term Contract: to April 2028.

The Opportunity:

Where curiosity becomes impact

The University of Edinburgh is seeking a Grade 7 Research Associate (Academic) to contribute to an international programme developing and evaluating virtual physics laboratories to widen access to high-quality practical STEM learning in Northern Ghana. The role will work within a multidisciplinary team and with project partners in Ghana and internationally, addressing constraints such as limited laboratory infrastructure, intermittent internet connectivity, and device/power limitations.

You will take a defined lead role in the design, implementation, validation, and deployment of interactive, browser-based virtual laboratory experiences and associated learning activities. Core technologies are expected to include JavaScript/TypeScript, Vue.js, Three.js, WebGL, WebAssembly, and physics engines such as Rapier. You will contribute to robust software development practices (version control, testing, release management, and documentation), ensuring that simulations are scientifically rigorous, transparent about limitations, and usable on low-cost devices.

A key aspect of the post is supporting offline/low-connectivity delivery, for example packaging and deploying resources to standalone local hosting platforms, and adapting learning analytics or formative feedback approaches to work reliably in constrained environments. You will also contribute to participatory co-design with teachers and universities in Ghana, and to capacity building through training materials, templates, and practical documentation to support partner sustainability.

The post-holder will contribute to educational evaluation and evidence generation using methods already, or to be, developed in our wider remote laboratories research group. These include surveys and the analysis of click data (e.g. using Python) and producing outputs suitable for reports, stakeholders, and academic dissemination (papers, conference presentations, workshops, and open resources as appropriate).

We are looking for a candidate with a PhD completed or near completion (or equivalent experience) in a relevant area, strong technical problem-solving ability, and demonstrated experience building interactive web-based applications or in developing science/engineering simulations. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively across cultures and disciplines are essential.

Informal enquiries: Prof Timothy Drysdale (School of Engineering), timothy.drysdale@ed.ac.uk