We are looking to appoint a Research Associate to join a 2-year project funded by the Nuffield Foundation into the role of family background inequalities for children’s cognitive development. The project is led by Professor Sophie von Stumm, Director of the Hungry Mind Lab (www.hungrymindlab.com) at the Department of Education, and supported by a full-time project coordinator.
Main purpose of the role
The project will produce insights into the interplay between environmental factors, such as neighbourhood characteristics, family background, and childcare quality, and genetic influences and its role in children’s cognitive development. A key goal of the project is to better understand why some children develop poorer cognitive skills than others and to identify possible ways for helping them to better their developmental outcomes.
You will have a PhD (or near completion) in psychology or education or a related discipline with strong skills in quantitative data analysis. It is expected that you are familiar with current research in child cognitive development and that you have an understanding of the principle mechanisms family background inequality. You will be expected to develop expertise in behavioural genetics and genomics during the role; prior experiences in these areas is desirable but not required.
Your primary activity will be research. You will be expected to work as part of a team of researchers, to liaise with external groups, and to independently manage multiple tasks within the project. You will collaboratively and independently conduct statistical analyses, prepare research articles for publication, and design and deliver presentations at conference and to professional groups.
The new Research Fellow will be a member of the Psychology in Education Research Centre (PERC): https://www.york.ac.uk/education/research/perc/
For informal enquiries about this role, please email Prof Sophie von Stumm: sophie.vonstumm@york.ac.uk.
Learn more—and find the full position announcement—here.