Job description & person
specification
Last updated:
06/02/2014
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post title:
Senior Research Assistant/Research Fellow
Post number:
Academic Unit/Service:
Psychology
Career pathway:
ERE
*ERE category:
Research focused
Posts responsible to:
Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke
Posts responsible for:
N/A
Post base:
Mostly office-based
Level:
4
Job purpose
To conduct neuroscience research on ADHD and related disorders using electrophysiological and/or
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques.
Key accountabilities/primary responsibilities
% Time
1.
To conduct a programme of neuroscience research which builds on the prior work within
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the Institute - designing, implementing and analysing experiments to explore cognitive and
motivational processes in ADHD and related disorders such as Conduct Disorder
2.
To contribute to the assessment and recruitment of patients for Institute of Disorders of
Impulse and Attention (IDIA) studies
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3.
To prepare grant applications and academic papers in relation to these initiatives
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4.
To provide supervision and training for junior staff members (e.g. MSc and PhD students)
5
5.
Any other duties as allocated by the line manager following consultation with the post
holder.
Internal and external relationships (including nature and purpose of relationships)

Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke – Line manager, mentor and collaborator – allocation of tasks direction and development of EEG/ERP research programme.

Dr Graeme Fairchild – collaborator

Dr Nick Benikos – IDIA Lab Chief

Other members of IDIA – depending on their level of seniority, to collaborate, offer support (including
research supervision) and guidance and technical expertise in the use of EEG/ERP and other
neuroscientific methods.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Criteria
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications,
knowledge &
experience
Expertise in ERP and/or fMRI data
acquisition and advanced data
analysis
Specialist knowledge of ADHD and
related externalising disorders
How to be
assessed
CV/Interview
Application of ERP/fMRI methods to
Demonstrated ability to conceive and child and adolescent populations
plan studies, analyse results, and
write academic papers of sufficient
Experience of assessing for ADHD
quality to be published in peerusing diagnostic
reviewed journals
instruments/interviews (e.g. DISC or
K-SADS)
Ability to prepare applications for
funding with support from
Experience of working with children
supervisor
or adolescents
PhD in cognitive neuroscience, or a
related cognate discipline (or
expectation of receiving one in the
near future)
Specialist knowledge of ADHD
Experience of writing grant or
fellowship applications
Planning &
organising
Ability to manage competing
demands between different aspects
of job effectively
CV/Interview
Problem solving
& initiative
Ability to take responsibility together
with Professor Sonuga-Barke for the
neuroscience strategy in IDIA.
CV/Interview
Ability to develop new research
programmes in ADHD neuroscience
that address ‘hot topics’ in the field.
Management &
teamwork
Ability to work with other member of
IDIA to ensure optimum output from
research programme and to support
others’ use of the EEG/ERP/MRI
facilities
CV/Interview
Communicating
& influencing
Experience of giving presentations,
preparation and submission of
academic papers, and writing of
CV/Interview
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grant applications
Other skills &
behaviours
Friendly, helpful and supportive to
other colleagues in IDIA
CV/Interview
Special
requirements
Expert knowledge of the application
of neuroscience methods including
EEG/ERP and/or fMRI to the study of
childhood disorders or motivational
processes
CV/Interview
DBS Clearance at an enhanced level
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JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS
OFFICE-BASED POST
If this post is an office-based job with routine office hazards (eg: use of VDU) no further information needs to
be supplied.
NON-OFFICE BASED POST
If this post has some hazards other than routine office (eg: more than use of VDU) please complete the
analysis below.
## - HR will send a full PEHQ to all applicants for this position.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES
Outside work
Occasionally
Frequently
Constantly
(<30% of time)
(30-60% of time)
(> 60% of time)
x
Extremes of temperature (eg: fridge/ furnace)
## Potential for exposure to body fluids
## Noise (greater than 80 dba - 8 hrs twa)
## Exposure to hazardous substances (eg: solvents, liquids, dust, fumes,
biohazards). Specify below:

Frequent hand washing
x
Ionising radiation
EQUIPMENT/TOOLS/MACHINES USED
## Food handling
## Driving university vehicles(eg: car/van/LGV/PCV)
## Use of latex gloves (prohibited unless specific clinical necessity)
## Vibrating tools (eg: strimmers, hammer drill, lawnmowers)
PHYSICAL ABILITIES
Load manual handling
Repetitive crouching/kneeling/stooping
Repetitive pulling/pushing
Repetitive lifting
Standing for prolonged periods
Repetitive climbing (ie: steps, stools, ladders, stairs)
Fine motor grips (eg: pipetting)
Gross motor grips
Repetitive reaching below shoulder height
Repetitive reaching at shoulder height
Repetitive reaching above shoulder height
PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES
Face to face contact with public
x
Lone working
x
## Shift work/night work/on call duties
x
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Further Particulars
1. The Institute for Disorders of Impulse and Attention
ADHD is the most common neuro-developmental disorder of childhood affecting 3%-5% of the population. It
is the most important preventable risk factor for antisocial behaviour and educational failure with major
consequences for loss of social capital. ADHD is therefore recognised as a major public health priority and a
research funding priority. The University of Southampton, School of Psychology has established the Institute
for Disorders of Impulse and Attention (IDIA), under the directorship of Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke. The
goal in supporting this initiative was to create a leading research group in the UK producing research on
ADHD and related conditions that is competitive in terms of quantity, quality and impact with the very best
groups in the world. ADHD research is already a significant area of internationally recognised strength at the
University of Southampton with its work being broad in scope and both highly cited and influential. IDIA is
part of the Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory (DBBL) in the School of Psychology (see page within the
School of Psychology website for current ADHD research portfolio). DBBL is a thriving and broadly-based
grouping of researchers in applied developmental neuroscience in areas such as sleep, anxiety & emotion,
paediatric neuroscience and processes of risk and resilience.
IDIA’s mission is to build on these aspects of existing strengths to;

undertake basic research to provide a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the ADHD and
related conditions and

to apply this knowledge to enhance current clinical practice by developing novel treatments and new
applications of existing treatments to improve the quality of life of children suffering from ADHD and
their families and to reduce to very significant social and economic costs of the disorder to society.
The core foci of the Institute are: (i) the study of causal models of ADHD and related disorders by integrating
research on their genetic and environmental causes (including parenting) and their underlying
neurobiological, neuropsychological and behavioural processes (neuroimaging, electrophysiology,
neuropsychology and pharmacology); (ii) the translation of findings from basic science to the benefit of
patients by improving treatment and clinical outcome. At the core of the first of these aims is a commitment
to develop a broad-based programme of research into the neurobiology of ADHD and related conditions
which will incorporate a range of neuroscience methodologies applied to large clinical and population-based
samples. A dedicated EEG/ERP laboratory has been set up within the Institute while fMRI facilities are
currently being upgraded. The ERP facilities include a Synamps II acquisition system linked to Presentation
software, analysis computer with Neuroscan 4.5 for processing data and access to Brain Vision Analyser
software, BESA source analysis programme and MATLAB. The DBBL also has access to a 1.5 T Siemens Avanto
scanner based at the Southampton General Hospital, and a 3 T Siemens Skyra will be installed in July 2014.
Illustrative neuroscience studies of the sort conducted within IDIA include;
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
Reward salience and delay aversion in ADHD as indexed by behavioural and
electrophysiological correlates.

The functional segregation of thalamo-cortico-striatal reward and executive circuits and their
significance for ADHD.

The default mode interference hypothesis of very low frequency fluctuations in normal and
abnormal attention – a multi-measure electro- psycho-physiological study.

Are there neuropsychological subtypes in ADHD? Executive dysfunctions, delay aversion and
timing deficits.

Neuro-psychological mediators of genetic and environmental risk for ADHD.
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
The neuroscience of ADHD and conduct disorder.

The neural characteristics of the waiting brain.

Emotion processing in ADHD and conduct disorder.

Structural neuroimaging of adolescents with conduct disorder (VBM, cortical thickness, DTI).

2. The post
The advertised position represents one of the two core-funded SRA/RF posts in IDIA. The SRA/RF appointed
will therefore have a wonderful opportunity to build on recent achievements within the IDIA neuroscience lab
to work with other members of the group to develop a programme of neuroscience research to explore the
neurobiological basis of ADHD and related disorders. The post is funded by the School of Psychology as part
of its strategic investment in ADHD. The post-holder will have or will be about to obtain a PhD in cognitive
neuroscience and will have expertise in EEG/ERP or fMRI research. Experience of working with paediatric
populations in a neuroscience context and carrying out research on psychiatric disorders is desirable but not
essential as training can be given. Specialist knowledge of ADHD is also not a pre-requisite for appointment,
but interest in this overall area is essential. The person appointed will help to develop and implement a
programme of neuroscience research to better understand the pathophysiology of ADHD and its overlap with
related disorders (such as conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder). Although there are a number of
ongoing themes in our lab (e.g., motivational salience of reward and delay-related cues) on which they will
work there will also be opportunities for the Research Fellow to develop their own research programme as
well as collaborating with projects at the current core of the Institute (see above). A key goal for the Research
Fellow will be to secure external funding for electrophysiological and/or fMRI research in ADHD. They will
also be expected to take a lead in the dissemination of research findings through the publication of scholarly
articles in refereed journals. Good written and oral communication skills will be highly valued. There will be
no teaching or administrative responsibilities other than those directly related to the research described
above, although there will be opportunities for the post-holder to obtain teaching or supervisory experience.
For further information about the post please contact Edmund Sonuga-Barke on 02380 594604 or email him
at ejb3@southampton.ac.uk
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