Research Assistant

Salary: £33,951 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 16 August 2026

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant to join the School of Engineering and contribute to the Horizon Europe project GROWT5 – Guided Robotic-Human Orchestration with Wearables for Manufacturing. Working with Dr Alessia Noccaro and an international consortium of leading universities and industrial partners, you will support the development and evaluation of wearable technologies, tactile feedback systems, digital twins and human–robot collaboration solutions for augmenting operators in the next-generation manufacturing environments.

You will contribute to the design and testing of wearable sensory feedback devices, develop experimental protocols, collect and analyse data from human-participant studies, support the integration of wearable systems with robotic platforms, and design and implement experimental setups to test the developed augmentation technologies. The role provides an excellent opportunity to develop research skills within a large European collaborative project and is particularly suitable for candidates considering a future PhD.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A master’s degree in biomedical engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
• Experience with experimental research and prototype development
• Programming skills in MATLAB, Python, C++, ROS or similar environments
• Knowledge of sensors, embedded systems or mechatronic devices
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• A strong interest in wearable technologies, robotics and human-centred engineering

Desirable experience includes:

• Wearable sensory feedback technologies and human augmentation systems
• Embedded development using STM32 or Arduino platforms
• CAD design and rapid prototyping
• Signal processing, ergonomics, biomechanics or human movement analysis
• Human-participant research
• Evidence of research outputs, such as patents, patent applications, conference presentations
• Knowledge of digital twin technologies for biomedical or industrial applications
• Experience in tactile, vibrotactile or haptic feedback systems

You will join a dynamic and supportive research environment with access to state-of-the-art robotics and human movement augmentation laboratories and opportunities for scientific publication, international collaboration and professional development.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat: Researcher Development | Our Research | Newcastle University. We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications’.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you’d like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact Alessia.noccaro@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs’

Applicants are required to submit their CV and a cover letter of 2 pages maximum where they have the chance to describe how they meet the role criteria and why they are interested in the role and in joining the School of Engineering at Newcastle University.

Interviews will be held in the first week of September 2026.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the university has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Find out more about the Faculty of SAgE here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/

Contact for the post is Dr Alessia Noccaro alessia.noccaro@newcastle.ac.uk

Duration of post is 1 October 2026 – 30 September 2029

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Assist in the prototyping and validation of technologies developed within the GROWT5 project
• Support integration of wearable devices with robotic systems and shared-control architectures

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience with programming and data analysis using MATLAB, Python, C++, ROS or equivalent
• Experience in the electrical and mechanical characterisation of sensors, wearable devices or electronic systems
• Knowledge of embedded systems and microcontroller-based development
• 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
• Demonstrable experience in the design, development or testing of mechatronic, robotic, biomedical or wearable systems
• Experience with machine learning, digital twins or human-state inference methods
• Experience of human-centred design approaches for engineering or healthcare technologies
• Evidence of innovation outputs such as patent applications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

• Honours degree in Biomedical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline

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 are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

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.

Requisition ID: 29584