Research Fellow - Psychology and Education (fixed term for 18 months)

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is a distinctive, unique institution, rooted in the Liverpool City Region and with a global presence. Our students and staff, past, present, and future, are the beating heart of our city and can be found in every corner of every industry and community. We couldn’t exist anywhere else and have shaped the city in which we belong. Working with the people of Liverpool to improve lives and support communities is at the heart of why we were founded and why we exist today.

The School of Education is pleased to invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an exciting new research project focused on supporting children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD often referred to as dyspraxia) in educational settings.

We are seeking a highly motivated and skilled researcher to undertake this full-time fixed term appointment for 18 months. You will contribute to research investigating how children with DCD/dyspraxia can be better supported in the classroom and how educational resources can be made more accessible.

The post forms part of ‘Lab2School4All’ – an innovative five-year EU Horizon funded project that aims to improve the accessibility of school resources for children with DCD/dyspraxia. Research has shown that many children with DCD/dyspraxia present with persistent challenges related to handwriting and visuospatial organisation, which can create barriers to learning. Working with partners across five countries, the project team will be conducting a range of focus groups, interviews, and targeted experimental studies to explore how primary-aged children with DCD/dyspraxia access and use adapted versions of school textbooks. The findings will inform the development of practical resources and recommendations for AI-based tools that can adapt educational materials for use in mainstream classrooms and specifically create an AI-powered open-source platform designed to automate the adaptation of primary school textbooks. Overall, the project has significant potential for impact in improving accessibility and inclusive education for children with DCD/dyspraxia.

You will support the delivery of the ‘Lab2School4All’ strand based at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). A key focus of the LJMU team is to investigate effective writing accommodations for children with DCD/dyspraxia. You will lead the recruitment of participants, manage data collection and analysis, and contribute to a predominantly quantitative study evaluating the effectiveness of different accommodations, including handwriting, typing, and speech-to-text. As part of the study, you will administer standardised assessments of motor skills (e.g., the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, third edition) alongside cognitive and literacy measures. You will also conduct interviews with children to explore their experience of using these different writing accommodations.

Additional responsibilities will include coordinating research timelines and project meetings, supporting collaboration with project partners in Ireland, France, Italy and Spain, and contributing to the wider management of the project. A unique element of this post is the potential collaboration with other postdoctoral researchers in the partner institutions. The role will also involve dissemination activities, including the preparation of peer-reviewed publications, funder reports, conference presentations, social media engagement, and updates to the project website.

In return, we offer an excellent benefits package including generous annual leave entitlement, pension scheme, induction, and development support as well as family-friendly policies.

This is an exciting time to join the university as we deliver the LJMU Strategy 2030 and its vision of LJMU as an inclusive civic university transforming lives and futures, by placing students at the heart of everything we do. Find out more about working at LJMU here.

If you feel that this is the role you have been looking for and your skills and experience can make a real difference at LJMU, we look forward to hearing from you.

Informal enquiries can be directed to Dr Emma Sumner: e.j.sumner@ljmu.ac.uk 

We would encourage applications from all individuals who meet the advert criteria, but would particularly encourage applications from women, ethnically diverse groups, LGBTQ+ groups; and disabled people. The University is proud of its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and endeavours to cultivate a staff base that is representative of society. Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process.

Please note all of our vacancies will be closed to applications at midnight on the advertised closing date, unless otherwise stated.