Research Assistant Ref: 42271 (Part Time, Fixed Term)

University of Sussex; Brighton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Brighton is seeking a part-time Research Assistant for the UpliftX project, focusing on developing a mental health intervention AI platform. The role involves designing experiments, managing data, and contributing to research outcomes. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in psychophysiological methods and statistical analysis, holding an MSc or PhD in Psychology. This position offers the chance to engage in innovative digital mental health research.

Qualifications

• Proven skills in statistical analysis to manage multimodal datasets.
• Hands-on experience in physiological recording techniques.
• Ability to design and run experimental protocols independently.

Responsibilities

• Design and run experimental protocols for the UpliftX project.
• Manage participant recruitment, scheduling, and data analysis.
• Contribute to preparation of manuscripts and reports.

Skills

Psychophysiological methods

Experimental design

Scripting and implementing experimental paradigms

Statistical analysis

Data management and analysis

Education

MSc or working toward/holding a PhD in Psychology

Tools

Skin conductance response (SCR)

Electrocardiography (ECG)

Job description

Research Assistant Ref: 42271 (Part Time, Fixed Term)

Brighton, UK

Hours

Part time at 0.6 FTE / 22 hours per week. Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).

Contract Type

Fixed Term Contract

About the role

This role is central to the UpliftX project, a funded initiative developing a digital, scalable mental health intervention AI‑platform for remote group therapy with personalized client and clinician applications. The position involves conducting emotion‑inducing tasks while capturing both facial and body recordings to assess participants’ emotional responses. These multimodal data streams will be integrated with physiological measures to validate their predictive power in identifying emotional states.

Key responsibilities include designing and running the experimental protocols, ensuring ethical and methodological rigor throughout the study. The role requires active involvement in participant recruitment, screening and scheduling. Data management and analysis form a critical component, encompassing preprocessing of facial and physiological recordings, statistical evaluation of physiological signals, and interpretation of findings in relation to emotional outcomes.

Beyond technical execution, the position carries responsibility for synthesizing results into coherent narratives and contributing to the preparation of manuscripts and reports for dissemination. This role will support the validation of innovative AI‑driven tools that aim to transform remote mental health care delivery.

About you

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with strong expertise in psychophysiological methods and experimental design. You will bring hands‑on experience in physiological recording techniques, e.g., skin conductance response (SCR), electrocardiography (ECG), and related measures, and be confident in running psychophysiological studies independently from start to finish.

You should have proven skills in scripting and implementing experimental paradigms, with the ability to adapt tasks to complex research needs. A solid foundation in statistical analysis is essential, enabling you to manage multimodal datasets and extract meaningful insights from facial, body, and physiological recordings.

We are looking for a Psychology graduate with advanced training, ideally holding an MSc or working toward/holding a PhD. You will demonstrate both technical competence and scientific curiosity, with the capacity to contribute to high‑quality publications and collaborative projects. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work across interdisciplinary teams will be key to your success.

This role is ideal for someone eager to apply their psychophysiological expertise to cutting‑edge digital mental health research, helping validate innovative AI‑driven tools that aim to transform remote therapy and scalable interventions.

About our School

Our Psychology school has a rich history extending over half‑a‑century, marked from the start by our variety of research and courses. From the ground‑breaking work of scholars such as Stuart Sutherland and Marie Jahoda, we've grown to cover all areas of psychology.

The School was formally established in 2009, bringing together academics across biological, cognitive, developmental, clinical and social psychology into one School. We've now entered the second decade of our existence as one of the largest and most influential academic communities for psychology in the country!

Anchored by our core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage, our research and teaching address societal challenges to create a better world.

The School of Psychology is proud to hold a GoldAthena Swan Award.

Why work here

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150‑acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five‑minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.

Sussex is a renowned, multi‑accredited, research‑led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.

The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under‑represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.

Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role does not meet the eligibility for sponsorship due to its part‑time nature. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.

If you are experiencing any issues using our application portal or if you require adjustments to be made to the selection process, please contact us on [phone] or [e-mail] to discuss your requirements.