Job Description

Position Details

School of Psychology

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to July 2028

Closing date: 8th July 2026

Background

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

• Work within specified research grants and projects
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Design and conduct novel experiments
• Provide assistance to other members of the lab and centre.

We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the Motivation and Social Neuroscience lab (https://www.msn-lab.com) led by Prof. Matthew Apps. The lab studies the cognitive, computational and neurobiological basis of motivation and decision-making in healthy young adults, across the lifespan and in neurological and psychiatric disorders. This post is funded by a £1.7m ERC Consolidator award and a £5m Wellcome Trust Discovery Award between (Prof. Masud Husain (University of Oxford), Prof. Cath Harmer (University of Oxford), Dr. Simon Little (UCSF) and Prof. Matthew Apps).

An initial 2-year postdoctoral position (with possibility of extension) is available from 1st August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. Salary will be grade 7.

The main focus of this role will be on the design, collection, and analysis of novel model-based behavioural, and neuroimaging (fMRI/MEG) experiments in healthy people to examine the brain mechanisms of motivation and apathy. In addition, the post holder may also be involved in behavioural, psychopharmacology, and neuroimaging studies involving children, adolescents, older adults and patients with Parkinson’s Disease running in the lab. Moreover, there will be an opportunity to collaborate and develop tasks that will be used in multiple different patient groups, under different pharmacological agents, and using multivariate techniques alongside collaborators in Oxford, San Francisco, Berlin, as well as the opportunity to contribute to global manylabs collaborative projects.

The successful candidate will be resourceful with the ability to act on their own initiative, excellent quantitative skills including programming (e.g. Matlab, R or Python) for the design and analysis of experiments. Experience of neuroimaging (e.g. fMRI or MEG) and computational modelling is desirable, but not essential. Studies with diverse populations (children, adolescents, older adults), and advanced neuroimaging techniques (model-based imaging, MVPA or RSA) is desirable but not necessary. We encourage candidates from diverse range of backgrounds who have an interest in research in decision neuroscience or motivation to apply.

The work will build in studies such as this:

1. Müller, T., Klein-Flügge, M. C., Manohar, S. G., Husain, M. & Apps, M. A. J. Neural and computational mechanisms of momentary fatigue and persistence in effort-based choice. Nature Communications. 12, 4593 (2021).

2. Lockwood, P. L. … Apps, M.A. Distinct neural representations for prosocial and self-benefiting effort. Current Biology 32, 4172–4185 (2022).

3. Apps, M. A. J., Rushworth, M. F. S. & Chang, S. W. C. The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus and Social Cognition: Tracking the Motivation of Others. Neuron 90, 692–707 (2016).

4. Le Heron, C. et al. Dopamine modulates dynamic decision-making during foraging. Journal of Neuroscience. 40, 5273–5282 (2020).

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Contributing to the design and programming of behavioural and/or neuroimaging experiments
• Running experiments involving behavioural and neuroimaging measures (e.g. fMRI, MEG)
• Recruiting and contacting participants
• Analysing behavioural and brain imaging data using advanced analysis tools (e.g. computational modelling)
• Writing and contributing to manuscripts for research publications
• Work collaboratively with other members of the group
• Presenting the labs research at local, national and international meetings
• Helping to look after and ordering relevant equipment when required
• Assisting the laboratory head with supervision of student projects and supporting the work of other members of the lab or centre.

Person Specification

• Have or be close to the completion of a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, experimental psychology or a closely related discipline
• Interest in decision neuroscience, motivation, or research on fatigue
• Experience in the design, coding and analysis of behavioural experiments
• Strong quantitative and programming skills, and knowledge of one or more relevant programming languages (e.g. Matlab; Python; R)
• Experience of writing and publishing peer reviewed scientific papers/preprints
• Ability to work independently
• Resourcefulness and organisational skills to act on own initiative
• Strong presentation skills including the ability to present research proposals and results, and represent the lab at meetings
• Good inter-personal skills with an ability to work collaboratively, and help others with ongoing projects
• High level analytical capability
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Application Materials
Please include a copy of your academic CV, as well a maximum 2-page cover letter outlining your motivation for applying for this position and fit to the position’s selection criteria. Please also provide the details of two referees.

Informal enquiries to Matthew Apps, email: m.a.j.apps@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website