Research Assistant/Associate

Salary:

Research Assistant: £34,630 - £36,320 per annum

Research Associate: £37,369 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 4 December 2026

The Role

We are pleased to announce this opportunity to join the Northern Visualisation and Visual Analytics (NoVA) group within the School of Computing as a Research Associate for the Innovate UK project: Immersive Storytelling for a Spatial Retail Experience (ISSRE). The Research Assistant/Associate is full time, fixed term for 12 months and involves collaborators at Software Sunderland City in Newcastle and Cluster Inc in Tokyo Japan. The role sits within the Urban Science Building and the School of Computing at Newcastle University.

In this position, you would be expected to support the research including:

• Identification of user requirements
• Design and prototyping XR solutions
• Implementation of designs
• Completing evaluations of these designs.

We are particularly interested in researchers with experience in extended reality (or virtual and augmented) to help us develop this technology and conduct human-centred evaluations of this research which will be integrated into businesses in Software Sunderland City and Cluster Inc. Experience in working in research that involves companies will be an asset to this position. Over the course of the project, we would develop high-quality research publications as we engage with our international and industrial partners.

The duration of the position will be for 12 months and would require one trip to Japan to engage with the researchers there.

Interested applicants can contact either Alma Cantu or Daniel Archambault to discuss their interest in the position.

To apply for this position, please include a C.V. that includes a full publication list along with a cover letter. In your cover letter, please state how you fit the essential and desired criteria specified.

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Experience in extended reality (or virtual/augmented) relevant to this setting
• Experience in Human-centred evaluation methodologies in HCI
• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Knowledge of extended reality (or virtual/augmented) relevant to this setting
• Knowledge Human-centred evaluation methodologies in HCI
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
• Knowledge of visualisation techniques and methods (desirable)
• Research involving industrial partners (desirable)

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• Honours degree in Computer Science
• Working toward(close to completion of PhD) in extended /virtual/augmented reality

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in extended/virtual/augmented reality

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 29872