Technician

The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a full time Technician, to support our research and teaching activities. You will be part of a small team consisting of: Department Facilities & Technical Resource Manager; Electronics/Research Technician; Technical and Resources Assistant and Engagement and Lab Manager; who work collectively to provide technical and resource support to the department.

Previous experience of psychology is not essential as we find out technical staff pick up the necessary information. The technical team supports a very diverse array of activities creating custom equipment for experiments including; writing code, custom electronics, 3D printing, integrated systems using Arduinos, wood and metal work. This position will be ideal for someone who enjoys practical solution-driven tasks, building and prototyping. We welcome applicants who do not have all the required skills, as a development and training program can be provided. This role is on a career grade spanning grades 5 and 6 with the postholder progressing onto grade 6 once any required training is successfully completed. The person specification highlights the level of skill/experience required for each of the grades. A delayed start date can be negotiated as long as the candidate is in post by September.

THE BENEFITS OF THE ROLE

• Generous holiday leave - 25 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus University closure days and bank holidays.
• Access to employee pension scheme, and annual flexible benefits scheme.
• We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the Faculty, and supporting family-friendly, flexible and agile working policies on an individual basis. The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze Award, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in Higher Education and research.

The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research active Department. It is home to a friendly group of over 40 Academic staff, with teams of Research and Professional Services and Technical staff. The Department supports a large cohort of Undergraduate students; a thriving group of Masters and Postgraduate research students; and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants.

Our on-site research is housed mainly in a dedicated building with a range of labs devoted to behavioural testing across the lifespan, and specialised laboratories devoted to neuroscience methodologies (such as EEG, NIRS, TMS, and tDCS), eye tracking, and interviewing and observation, as well as motion capture and virtual reality testing. This includes a series of labs dedicated to infant and baby development studies. Additional labs, include auditory testing booths, are housed in our main office building (Fylde) and elsewhere on campus. Research is also conducted off-site in local nurseries, schools, and hospitals, and others conduct research studies on-line. We also have our own dedicated teaching research methods and computing labs, equipped with interactive AV presentation facilities.

Further information about the Department is available at: Psychology | Lancaster University

Please upload a cover letter with your application. In your cover letter, please include your rationale and interest in applying for this post, and examples of your commitment to the ongoing development of skills and experience.

For each of the supporting statements in the application form, please include examples to show your experience and / or skills in that area.

We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups for this indefinite, full-time post.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr Peter Tovee (email: p.d.tovee1@lancaster.ac.uk).