Research Associate (Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a Research Associate to work on the intellectual and cultural history of vivid memory and the subjective experience of remembering. The successful candidate will work across the Faculties of English and History.

What does it feel like to have a memory? We know surprisingly little about how we can vividly relive past events, which functions of the brain are involved, and how these processes vary across individuals, societies and cultures. In this new project, scientists and humanities scholars will collaborate across disciplines to drive a step-change both in understanding memory vividness and the associated brain mechanisms across the life-course, and in enhancing the interpretation of vividness in literary and historical contexts.

Applicants for the role based in the Faculty of English should have a Ph.D. in English Literature, History, or related disciplines. They will have interests in theories and practices of memory and subjectivity, in rhetorical and philosophical discourse, and/or in literary and religious writing. The project's historical focus will be c.1500-1800. However, applicants with expertise in life-writing, visual art, poetry, rhetoric, or the histories of the emotions and senses in other periods are welcome to apply. They will also be eager to engage in interdisciplinary conversations with psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists and contribute to the development of experimental strategies for investigating subjective experience. Applicants should have excellent organisational skills, be highly motivated, enjoy working in a vibrant collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment, and be able to communicate effectively, with outstanding writing ability.