Temporary Vision Research Assistant

This is a temporary, part-time Research Assistant position in basic vision science focusing on color vision deficiency. Key responsibilities include conducting specialist color vision testing, recruiting participants, and assisting with experiment design and data analysis. Essential requirements are a strong understanding of color science concepts, proven experience in color vision testing and participant recruitment, and excellent problem-solving and presentation skills.

• Would you like to do research in basic vision science with real-world applications?
• Are you highly skilled in colour vision testing and keen to develop your expertise in behavioural experiment design?
• If yes, we want someone like you for the role of temporary part-time research assistant in the Hurlbert Colour Vision Lab at Newcastle University.
• Colour vision deficiency (CVD) affects approximately 8% of males and 0.5% of females in the UK.
• People with CVD are often excluded from professions and occupations, for example, authorised firearms officer roles in the UK police, where colour cues are considered critical to job performance.
• Yet empirical evidence is lacking for the relationship between CVD and operational performance in many such roles.
• In this role, you will carry out specialist colour vision testing of individuals with normal and anomalous colour vision to characterise their low-level chromatic discrimination abilities and diagnose the specific type of colour vision deficiency where it exists.
• You will also help to design and run additional experiments assessing the use of colour in specific visual tasks.
• You will be responsible for recruiting participants, carrying out the specialist assessments, collating the data, and preparing summary charts of the results.
• You will work as a research assistant within a research team, taking part in regular project meetings that may involve external collaborators, presenting and discussing your progress, and contributing to written reports of the research.
• In this temporary part-time role, you will be based at our Newcastle upon Tyne campus that has excellent transport links and state of the art facilities.
• You will also have working space and resources in the Biosciences Institute in the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
• The working hours will generally be 10 hours/week, with testing of participants generally happening between 8am and 6pm on weekdays.
• The total number of hours for this role will ideally be between 120 and 150, with the role starting no later than 3 August 2026 and finishing before 31st December 2026, but there is flexibility around the hours and timings.
• How to apply: Please send us a CV together with a covering letter outlining why you are interested in the role and giving examples to illustrate how you meet the essential criteria in the job description. Below are some of the key criteria to focus on:
• Understanding and facility with use of colour science concepts, terminology, and metrics
• Previous direct experience of and proven skills in colour vision testing
• Previous direct experience of recruiting participants for colour vision experiments
• High level of practical problem-solving capability
• Excellent oral presentation skills

• 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 value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.
• 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.
• 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
• Experience with colour naming experiments
• Fluency in both English and a second language
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant discipline (awarded or near-completed)