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Postdoctoral Researcher

Psychological Sciences

Location:	Guildford
Salary:	£34,308 to £36,386 per annum
	Fixed Term
Post Type:	Full Time
Closing Date:	23.59 hours GMT on Sunday 06 November 2022
Reference:	074722

Start date: 9th February 2023

Duration: 12 months
Primary work place: School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH
Line manager & Principal Investigator: Prof. Emily Farran

The Project and the Role

The SPAtial Cognition to Enhance mathematical learning (SPACE) programme is a 6-week Lego construction intervention designed for 6- to 7-year-old children, which requires children to build Lego models using pictorial instructions. SPACE is based on our successful Block Construction for Mathematics (BLOCs) programme. The project aims to design (Phase 1) and implement (Phase 2) the SPACE intervention across fifteen schools. Based on a robust literature, we predict that children who take part in the SPACE programme will demonstrate mathematics improvement, with the largest gains for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

You will be part of a strong team of experts in spatial Cognition and mathematical Cognition. In Phase 1, you will create the SPACE intervention material by adapting and expanding the BLOCs intervention to be suitable for 6- to 7-year-olds. This involves increasing our training provision for practitioners (drawing from our spatial reasoning toolkit) and challenge testing the intervention material with children. In Phase 2, you will deliver training to practitioners and support practitioners to implement the SPACE intervention. You will also contribute to report writing, presentations, publications and dissemination to non-academic audiences. 

You will have a PhD or equivalent qualification in Psychology or a related subject (or will be close to finishing your PhD), have experience in conducting cognitive behavioural studies and standard data coding, and be a strong team member with excellent communication and organisational skills. 

The University of Surrey

The post-holder will be based in the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey. The University of Surrey is located on a beautiful, leafy campus in Guildford, just 30 miles from London and benefitting from excellent rail and road connections. We are an ambitious, research-led organization, committed to research excellence and to the application of our research for the benefit of society. The University of Surrey is amongst the highest achieving universities in the United Kingdom. The School of Psychology has a long-standing reputation for its vibrant and supportive research and teaching environment. Psychology at Surrey has a strong track record of innovation in Psychology and we are immensely proud of where we have come from. From the discovery of the McGurk effect, being a pioneer in environmental psychology teaching, our Clinical Doctorates, the shaping of cross-European approaches to food labelling, to changing educational approaches to national identity. Being at the forefront of the development of research and innovation, we are also directly

contributing to the wider Faculty and University research themes. The School currently houses 500+ UG students, 100+ Masters and 150+ taught Doctorate and PhD students and more than 70 staff.

In addition to your salary, you will receive pension contributions via the Universities Superannuation Scheme, a generous annual leave entitlement, an attractive research environment, and access to a variety of staff development opportunities. Our benefits package also includes an exclusive discounted membership package to the Surrey Sports Park and an on-site Nursery.

You are welcome to contact Prof. Emily Farran (e.farran@surrey.ac.uk) if you would like further information or to discuss the post.

Interviews - to be held 16th November 2022

Further details:

Job Description