Offer Description
The ABACUS project investigates the relationship between bilingualism, executive function, and mathematical cognition in primary school children through an innovative interdisciplinary approach.
Working in collaboration with the School of Education and the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork, the project employs a longitudinal mixed-methods design integrating portable EEG technologies, executive function assessments, language profiling, classroom observations, and mathematical assessments to examine how bilingualism may influence cognitive development and mathematics learning over time.
The successful candidate will play a key role in the implementation of this ambitious research programme, with particular responsibility for the collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation of portable EEG data within naturalistic classroom environments.
This will involve integrating neurophysiological data with qualitative classroom observations, behavioural measures, language profiling, and mathematical assessment data to develop a richer understanding of bilingual learners' cognitive and educational experiences.
The position offers significant opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological innovation, publication, conference dissemination, and career development within a high-impact and internationally relevant research project.
The primary focus of the Postdoctoral Researcher will be research however a particular emphasis during this stage should include;
To conduct a specified programme of research under the supervision and direction of a Principal Investigator/Project Leader.
To engage in appropriate training and professional development opportunities as required by the Principal Investigator, School or College in order to develop research skills and competencies.
To gain experience in grant writing.
To engage in the dissemination of the results of the research in which they are engaged, as directed by, with the support of and under the supervision of a Principal Investigator.
To become familiar with the publication process.
To acquire generic and transferable skills (including project management, business skills and postgraduate mentoring/supervision).
To engage in the wider research and scholarly activities of the research group, School or College.
To interact closely with postgraduate research students who are studying for a Masters or a PhD and possibly have an agreed role in supporting these students in their day to day research in conjunction with an academic supervisor.
To carry out administrative work to support the programme of research.
To carry out additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.
To contribute to costing research grant proposals and assist in the financial management of a research project.
Qualifications
A PhD qualification in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, educational neuroscience, applied linguistics, mathematics education, educational research, or a closely related discipline.
Appropriate research experience.
Appropriate technical competence and accomplishment.
A capability of working within a project team to achieve results.
Good communication, organisation and interpersonal skills.
A commitment to gaining practical experience working on a research project.
Ability to work well within a team.
Demonstrated expertise in EEG methodology, including data acquisition, preprocessing, signal processing, and analysis of EEG/ERP data.
Strong quantitative research skills and proficiency in relevant analytical and programming software, such as MATLAB, EEGLAB, FieldTrip, Python, R, SPSS, or equivalent platforms.
Experience managing and integrating complex, multi-source datasets.
Knowledge of executive functioning, cognitive development, educational neuroscience, and/or bilingual research.
Evidence of high-quality research dissemination, including peer-reviewed publications and/or conference presentations.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary research teams.
Excellent organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple aspects of a research project simultaneously.
Willingness to travel to participating schools and research sites as required by the project.
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