About this role
Start date: 14 December 2026
Full time Fixed term: 9 months
Are you interested in how the brain produces behaviour? We are looking for a Research and Innovation Associate to join us on a fixed-term basis. You will work on an exciting collaborative project, ‘AI-enabled models for whole-brain functional connectomics’, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and led by Maarten Zwart in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews.
Understanding how the brain works requires more than simply watching it in action or examining its structure under a microscope. We need to know how individual nerve cells are physically connected and how these connections give rise to behaviour and thought. Current tools can reveal either the structure of the brain or its activity, but rarely both together in a practical and scalable way.
This project aims to solve this by combining different kinds of data -structural, functional, and causal- into a single AI-centred computer model. We focus on the larval zebrafish, a small transparent animal whose entire brain can be imaged while it is alive and behaving. By combining information about where neurons are located, how they fire over time, and how they respond to targeted stimulation, we will develop an approach that can infer the brain’s wiring with far less cost and effort than today’s gold-standard techniques.
The successful applicant will have a degree in Neuroscience or a related discipline, with expertise in wet-lab neuroscience and community engagement.
The post is available for 9 months starting December 14th, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
For further information and informal enquiries please contact Maarten Zwart at [email protected].
In addition to the salary on offer for this position, there are a wide range of benefits for staff working at the University of St Andrews:
- Financial contribution to relocation (subject to eligibility)
- Membership of the USS Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution of 14.5%
- A hybrid working environment, including partial homeworking where appropriate and a range of family friendly policies, supporting work-life balance
- Staff discount scheme for local and national goods and services
- Free staff parking, employee Carshare and Cycle to Work Schemes and subsidised local bus travel
- Subsidised sports membership, reduced tuition fees on degree programmes for staff, access to training and development opportunities including LinkedIn Learning, access to library facilities, salary sacrifice scheme
- 34 Days Annual Leave plus 5 Public Holidays.
At St Andrews, equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to who we are and form a core pillar of our University Strategy. We are committed to creating a fair, inclusive and supportive workplace, reflected in our participation in national diversity charters and awards, including Athena Swan, Carer Positive and the Race Equality Charter.
We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian, minority ethnic and minority religions backgrounds and from LGBTQ+ and disabled people.
Closing date: 13 November 2026
Interview date: w/c 23 November 2026 (TBC)
Job description
AR3363RS FPs.pdf
Ref no: AR3363RS