Research Fellow - Language development in Welsh-English toddlers
About the role
The School of Psychology at University of Plymouth is seeking to appoint a part-time Research Fellow for a period of 20 months on a grant awarded by the Welsh Government. This project aims at developing and evaluating a surveillance tool of early speech, language and communication development in children in Wales (Welsh-English bilinguals, or monolinguals).
Informed by excellent scholarship and your own research experience, you will work closely with Prof Caroline Floccia, as well as the Project Manager and the Project Principal Investigator (located in Cardiff Met) to pursue and oversee the implementation of the language surveillance tool on a digital platform. You will supervise (remotely) a team of research assistants in charge of collecting the data in Wales. You will provide expert knowledge in analysing the data (e.g. psychometric properties; use of R; Growth Curve Analysis; General Linear models). Thanks to your excellent communication and organisation skills, you will liaise with the different teams working on this project, contribute to the ethics application, produce reports/papers/conference presentations, and ensure data quality control.
In the School of Psychology, you will benefit from a positive and collegiate working environment that values and promotes excellence in all academic activities. The School fosters collaborative research and supports the development of real-world impact. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework assessment 100% of our research environment and research impact was rated as either world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*), along with 73% of our research outputs.
To support the research aims of our academics the School houses an excellent suite of research laboratories, supported by a dedicated team of Technicians and Teaching and Research Associates. Our facilities include numerous laboratories supporting behavioural, clinical, neuroscience, and developmental research with technologies such as VR, eyetracking, EEG, and TMS. These are augmented with a newly developed Health Psychology Lab, a dedicated Babylab (http://www.psy.plymouth.ac.uk/babylab/) and a new state-of-the-art Brain Research and Imaging Centre (https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/psychology/brain-research-and-imaging-centre). All these resources will be available to support the development of your research career.
For more information on School of Psychology please visit our dedicated webpage at https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools
This is a part-time position working 18.5 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for up to 20 months due to funding. The anticipated start date is the 1st of October 2025.
For this role, you will need to be on site 1 day a week. Although we can accommodate hybrid working, flexibility to be on-site will be expected depending on business needs.
This role will require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check plus a Children’s Barred List check.
For an informal discussion, please contact Prof Caroline Floccia on 01752 584822, or caroline.floccia@plymouth.ac.uk
For more information about the job and the person specification, please refer to the job description.
About us
The Faculty of Health holds four Silver Athena Swan awards, which recognise our commitment to supporting gender equality within higher education.
The University of Plymouth has a strong interdisciplinary research ethos which is supported by our three strategic Research Institutes; the Marine Institute, the Sustainable Earth Institute, and the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research. As a member of our academic community, you’ll be expected to contribute to our recognised research strengths. Working holistically across the University, you will be challenged to innovate, collaborate and deliver impactful research contributions as part of a systems thinking approach to addressing today’s global challenges.
Application Process
Please apply online, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training, and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.
Following the closing date of the vacancy, you will be notified on the outcome of your application in due course.
Anticipated Interview Date(s): week commencing 8th September 2025
Our Offer
Staff appointed within the Faculty of Health may be able to join the NHS pension scheme subject to eligibility criteria.
When joining us, you will receive:
- Generous annual leave: 35* Days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays* & Closure Days*
- Generous pension scheme
- Cycle to Work & Electric Car Scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Development opportunities
- Enhanced family leave
- Flexible working
- Retailer discounts
- On-site nursery
- Pro rata if part-time
A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed here.
Additional Information
The University of Plymouth is an inclusive community where everyone is welcomed regardless of their background. To find out more about our inclusive community initiatives, such as Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter, please visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpages.