Lancaster University
Lecturer in Developmental Psychology - 0680-26
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Lecturer in Developmental Psychology
Department: Psychology
Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK
Salary: £47,389 to £56,535 (Full-time indefinite)
Closing Date: Monday 31 August 2026
Interview Date: Thursday 17 September 2026
Reference: 0680-26
Please note: this job is only available to current employees of Lancaster University
The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is currently seeking to recruit a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology to join our thriving Developmental Psychology research group.
The Psychology Department at Lancaster has a long tradition for developmental research, with world-leading dedicated research facilities and a large group of active researchers specialising in varied aspects of human development, including prenatal, infant and child cognitive development, language and literacy, auditory neuroscience, and curiosity and learning (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/research/developmental/, https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/infant-and-child-development-lab/).
The department has recently expanded its portfolio of taught postgraduate programmes, launching two new MSc programmes targeting important areas of developmental psychology: Psychology of Child Development and Education; Child Mental Health. We are seeking to appoint a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology to expand our well-established group and support our Developmental Psychology research and teaching.
The ideal candidate would have a strong research profile in relevant areas (commensurate with career stage) and would be able to contribute research-led teaching and project supervision within these new PGT programmes. Applicants able to provide support specifically for the “Cognition in the Classroom” module of the new MSc in Psychology of Child Development and Education are particularly encouraged to apply. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-courses/psychology-of-child-development-and-education-msc/2026/
All applicants must have a track record of research and teaching excellence, commensurate with stage of career, demonstrated by:
- publications,
- research grant acquisition,
- engagement and socio-economic impact, and
- teaching and leadership experience.
The Department holds an Athena Swan Silver award and is committed to Lancaster University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and Widening Participation. We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups and seek to provide a work environment that supports the individual needs of each employee and promotes a healthy work-life balance. Applicants are encouraged to detail any career breaks or significant periods of leave (e.g., for caring responsibilities) in their CV. Our early career lecturers have reduced teaching and administrative allocations and experience success in funding acquisition, teaching awards, and career progression.
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Informal enquiries about this post are welcome and should be addressed to either the Head of Department, Prof Gert Westermann (email: psychology.hod@lancaster.ac.uk) or the Developmental Psychology group lead, Dr Kate Messenger (email: k.messenger@lancaster.ac.uk).
Applications should be accompanied by a cover letter (no more than 2 pages), a full CV, and a clear outline (no more than 2 pages) of the programme of research you would undertake should you be appointed.
Applications must be made via the online portal; applications by email will not be accepted.
Interviews and selection activity for the position are currently expected to take place during late summer 2026, with a start date in December 2026.
Further Details About The Psychology Department At Lancaster
The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University has a core complement of over 35 members of academic staff and a thriving community of post-doctoral researchers and PhD students across the four research areas of Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience and Neurocognition, and Social Processes. Details of our research interests and facilities can be found here: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/research/
We embed research reproducibility and R-based teaching across the taught curriculum and actively support open science initiatives.
The Department has a strong tradition of collaborative research across traditional boundaries within Psychology and beyond. We have a research building dedicated to behavioural and neurophysiological testing across the lifespan, supported by Psychology research technicians. One floor houses labs devoted to infant and childhood studies including equipment for EEG/ERP (EGI), fNIRS, eye tracking, fetal 4D scanning, motion tracking and behavioural observation; the other is devoted to adult studies, housing much of our neuroscience equipment (e.g., TMS, EEG, Multi-channel Transcranial electrical brain stimulation, eye-trackers, functional Transcranial Doppler), as well as basic computing labs.
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We support our research through personnel as well as facilities. A dedicated technical and resources team support the implementation of our research, including on-site, off-site, and online testing. We have a vibrant adult participant pool through Sona and a large database of families interested in taking part in developmental research. We have well-established relations with local nurseries, schools, hospitals, and charities.
Lancaster University excels in both teaching and research. It is consistently ranked among the top universities in the main UK league tables (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, The Guardian University Guide 2026, and The Complete University Guide 2027). The University has a 5* rating from QS World Rankings and is ranked 164th in the World University Rankings 2026. The University achieved Gold status in the most recent Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). As a Department, in the last Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) 87% of our outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent; we were ranked 17th for impact, and 29th overall. The Department promotes cross-fertilization between research and teaching. The success of this approach is reflected in the quality of its BPS-accredited research-led teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including ESRC recognised PhD and Masters programmes within the largest Doctoral Training Programme in the UK.
Further information about the Department is available at: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk
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Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.
Find out what it's like to work at Lancaster University, including information on our wide range of employee benefits, support networks and our policies and facilities for a family-friendly workplace.
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We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity, and equality of opportunity.
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