Research Associate

University of Birmingham - School of Psychology

Placed On: 24th March 2026
Closes: 21st April 2026
Job Ref: 107172

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract, from September 2026 up to August 2028

Brief Job Description

The research associate will be primarily responsible for recruiting secondary school participants and conducting data collection as part of a new longitudinal project, generously funded by the Huo Family Foundation, on how social media and smartphone use impact healthy social skills. The project is led by Dr Daniel Perez-Zapata and Dr Rory T. Devine in the School of Psychology. The candidate will be central in building relationships with headteachers and co-ordinate an ambitious schedule of school-based data collection. Testing will involve leading whole-class assessment sessions (in which up to 30 young people can be assessed simultaneously) and gathering questionnaire data from teachers. The post will suit candidates with an interest in developmental psychology and educational psychology. In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to benefit from a range of training (e.g., latent variable modelling, longitudinal data analysis) and supervision opportunities while in post. Interested applicants must complete a cover letter (two pages max) outlining how they meet the essential and desirable criteria.

Person Specification

Essential

• A minimum of a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in Psychology, Education, or a closely related discipline.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance, which is a condition of employment for this post due to regular contact with young people.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines in a structured and reliable manner.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with a range of stakeholders, including headteachers, teachers, parents, and young people.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team, demonstrating a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Knowledge of basic statistical concepts and methods (e.g., descriptive statistics, correlations) and a demonstrated interest in developing skills in advanced quantitative methods used in individual differences research (e.g., structural equation modelling, and longitudinal data analysis).
• Experience administering psychological tests, behavioural tasks, or questionnaires with children and/or adolescents, or relevant experience working with young people in educational, research, or related settings. Competence in using online research and data collection platforms (e.g., Qualtrics, Gorilla, or similar tools).

Desirable
For further details on the desirable criteria, please refer to the main job description.

Informal enquiries to Dr Daniel Perez-Zapata (d.perezzapata@bham.ac.uk) or Dr Rory Devine (r.t.devine@bham.ac.uk)

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.