The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual interested in biodiversity, evolution, neuroscience and machine learning to join the Leverhulme Trust funded research project ‘Perceptual bias and the evolution of organismal communication signals’ as a Research Associate.

The project will make use of recent advances in computational neuroscience, machine learning and image analysis to investigate questions linking animal visual signal diversity to biases in visual perception.

You will lead the investigation of research questions probing these links and be responsible for important aspects of project execution including data collection, analysis and interpretation, and manuscript preparation. This is an excellent opportunity to work on a project at the intersection of biological and computer science research domains.

Applicants must hold a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant subject area along with an interest in biodiversity, evolution, neuroscience and/or machine learning. A strong analytical and quantitative skillset and experience of programming languages (e.g. R, Python) are also essential.

This post will be supervised by Dr Christopher Cooney and will involve working closely with other project team members. The research group is embedded within the world-class Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Research Cluster, part of the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Lead the execution of research projects investigating links between animal communication signal diversity and biases in visual perception
• Lead the analysis and interpretation of data and writing up in preparation for publication
• Contribute to the supervision of research students associated with the project
• Read and review academic papers, journals and textbooks to keep abreast of developments
• Manage data collection and storage on a day-to-day basis.
• Liaise closely with other academics, advisers and administrators relevant to the study.
• Collect and analyse a variety of primary and secondary quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources.
• Assist in the writing of the project website/blog, newsletters, reports and scholarly publications.
• Contribute to conference presentations, practitioner workshops and research advisory group meetings, as well as assisting in the running of them.
• Attend and contribute to project meetings and research advisory group meetings.
• Support project reporting requirements, for example in relation, research project progress, finance, etc.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in the weeks following the closing date. This will consist of a presentation and interview (either on-line or in person). We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process please contact bioscienceshradmin@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.