University of Cambridge
K Lisa Yang Early Career Fellowships in Autism - Research Associate (Fixed Term)
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The newly created K Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge invites applications for two K Lisa Yang Early Career Fellowships in Autism Research.
These fellowships support outstanding early career researchers to pursue ambitious, innovative discovery science that advances understanding of autism and improves the health and wellbeing of autistic people. Fellows will join a dynamic, interdisciplinary research community spanning Cambridge and partner centres within the Yang Tan Collective.
Fellowships
Fellowships provide up to two years of support to enable fellows to develop independent research programmes at a critical stage in their career. Fellows will be embedded within the K Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge and will have access to mentorship, collaboration, and a vibrant intellectual environment.
Research Priorities
We welcome applications aligned with the Centre's broad research priorities, including:
- Autism stratification
- Autism likelihood
- Improving physical health of autistic people
- Evaluating interventions and supports for autistic people
We particularly encourage proposals that are innovative, scientifically excellent, and could lead to scientific breakthroughs.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants should have:
- Submitted, or be due to submit, a PhD thesis in a relevant branch of science no later than three months after the application deadline.
- Be within 5 years of PhD completion.
- Have published an exceptionally high quality peer-reviewed empirical paper as first or senior author, in a relevant journal.
- A project proposal that is transformative and could result in a preprint within 2 years (further details below and in the Job Description).
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Evidence of securing competitive funding experience, and/or of research collaborations, are also desirable. We are interested in candidates with a potential to achieve an independent academic career following their Fellowship.
About the Centre
The K Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge is part of the global Yang Tan Collective, alongside sister centres at Harvard and MIT. The Centre is closely linked to the Autism Research Centre (ARC) in Cambridge (see www.autismresearchcentre.com) and contributes to a collaborative international effort to accelerate discovery and translation in autism research.
Application Process
Applicants should submit a CV (maximum 3 pages), a research proposal, a brief cover letter outlining their motivation and career goals, and the names of two referees, at least one of which should be external to the candidate's current supervising team. The research proposal should include a background and rationale for the project, the project aims, clearly outlined methods, potential for impact and a timeline. It should be a maximum of 3-pages (size 12 font). This page limit excludes references and figures.
For more information, email Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the ARC, on sb205@cam.ac.uk
Deadline
The closing date for applications is midnight on August 31st, 2026. With interviews to be confirmed.
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Employment Details
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 September 2028 in the first instance.
Application Instructions:
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Applicants must have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD.
Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant (Grade 5, Point 38 £34,132) moving to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon confirmation of your PhD award.
Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.
Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.
Please quote reference RN50638 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
Eligibility to Work in the UK
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
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