The Psychology Department at Lancaster (http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk) 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. 

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 for the position are currently expected to take place during late summer 2026, with a start date in December 2026.

For more information on this post and the Lancaster University Psychology Department and to apply please see https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=0680-26-R 

Closing Date: 31 Aug 2026

Department: Academic

Salary: £47,389 to £56,535 (Full-time indefinite)

The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University (http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk) is currently seeking to recruit a Lecturer in Psychology in the area of Social Psychology/ Behavioural Science to join our thriving Social Processes research group. The group explores the role of Trust, Identity, Morality and Ethics in a range of key societal challenges — from policing in the digital age and deepfake detection, to bystander behaviour and human-animal interaction. Members play leading roles in major UKRI-funded networks including NABS+, SPRITE+, L-PACE and PHAIR.

Candidates should be able to draw on both traditional and novel digital data sources to understand real-world behaviour and be comfortable moving between rigorous quantitative approaches (e.g., experimental design, digital/behavioural data analysis) and qualitative methods (e.g., discourse, conversation analysis, ethnography). 

You will contribute to our research-led teaching, including our distinctive MSc in Psychology and Behavioural Analytics (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-courses/psychology-and-behavioural-analytics-msc/2026/), which equips students to integrate psychological insight with digital data — covering identity, decision-making, behaviour change, behavioural data ethics, and placement-based dissertations with partners including policing organisations, charities and NGO’s.

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. 

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 Social Psychology group lead, Prof. Mark Levine (mark.levine@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 for the position are currently expected to take place during late summer 2026, with a start date in December 2026.

For more information on this post and the Lancaster University Psychology Department and to apply please see https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?ref=0680-26-R 

Closing Date: 31 Aug 2026

Department: Academic

Salary: £47,389 to £56,535 (Full-time indefinite)

The project you will be working on will be investigating developmental trajectories for primary school children's engagement with video games, microtransactions, and loot boxes. 92% of UK children aged 5-11 years play video games and one-in-three purchase in-game items, spending £26 per month on average. In-game purchases (“microtransactions”) involve exchanging currency for specific virtual items or the opportunity to open enticing digital containers offering randomised rewards (“loot boxes”). Coercive pressure is exerted on children to engage with microtransactions through time-limited availability, rarity, and social desirability of virtual items. Crucially, loot boxes share psychological and mechanistic similarities with gambling, and are concurrently linked with mental health difficulties in adolescents. The risks posed by loot boxes may be particularly great for neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD and autism, who often spend more time playing video games than neurotypical peers.

Research has yet to determine how engagement with loot boxes develops, how they impact on children's broader psychological development, or who is most vulnerable. Generating this knowledge is vital to safeguard children and promote digital literacy for families navigating increasingly commercialised gaming environments.

Developed in partnership with the charities YGam, Internet Matters, and ADHD UK, our project will address four critical objectives:

1. Establish developmental trajectories and predictors for engagement with video games and loot boxes in primary school children, including those with ADHD and autism.
2. Determine how children’s engagement with video games and loot boxes impacts on their long-term wellbeing, including mental and physical health, risk taking, and gambling vulnerability.
3. Examine whether caregivers’ engagement with video games and loot boxes longitudinally predicts similar behaviours in their children.
4. Understand the factors driving children’s valuation of in-game items (avatar skins) and their motivations for opening loot boxes.

This project will significantly advance how children’s engagement with video games and microtransactions are conceptualised and studied within the family system. Our results will determine developmental pathways and implications associated with children’s and caregivers’ gaming, providing a vital foundation for much-needed evidence-based interventions and policy recommendations. Collaboration with our partner organisations will guarantee community and stakeholder engagement throughout the project, and ensure impact through digital dissemination of key findings, development of online resources for families and educators, policy action briefings, and knowledge-exchange events.

ABOUT YOU

You will:

• Have conducted high quality doctoral research involving neurotypical and neurodivergent children, as evidenced by a publication track record that is appropriate for their career stage. 
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proven ability to manage research projects effectively.
• Have an excellent understanding of ethics and data protection regulations in relation to research activity involving children.
• Have a proven ability to analyse complex statistical associations in behavioural data (e.g. via mixed-effects modelling). 
• Have experience of engaging in Open Science practices, including pre-registering research and data sharing.
• Have experience of disseminating research to non-academic audiences and stakeholders.

THE BENEFITS OF THE ROLE

• Generous holiday leave - 25 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus University closure days and bank holidays.
• Access to employee pension scheme, and annual flexible benefits scheme.
• We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the Faculty, and supporting family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis. The Department holds an Athena Swan Silver Award, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in Higher Education and research.  
• For more information about the benefits of working at Lancaster University, including support for relocation from overseas, see Jobs - Lancaster University 

The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research active Department.  It is home to a friendly group of around 40 Academic staff, with teams of Research and Professional Services and Technical staff.   The Department supports a large cohort of Undergraduate students; a thriving group of Masters and Postgraduate research students; and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants. 

Further information about the Department is available at: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk

Please upload a cover letter with your application.

We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups, and for this full-time post, we expect a start date of 11^th January 2027. 

Closing Date: 16 Aug 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

 ABOUT YOU

The successful candidate will:

• Be able to demonstrate excellent written and verbal communications skills & have a publication record in a field related to the project. 
• Be a psychologist or from a related discipline
• Have experience of conducting research with the relevant communities involved in the project
• Be able to demonstrate competence in data management and analysis. 

THE BENEFITS OF THE ROLE

• Generous holiday leave - 25 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus University closure days and bank holidays.
• Access to employee pension scheme, and annual flexible benefits scheme.
• We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion across the Faculty, and supporting family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis. The Department holds an Athena Swan Silver Award, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in Higher Education and research.  
• For more information about the benefits of working at Lancaster University, including support for relocation from overseas, see Jobs - Lancaster University 

The Psychology Department is a busy teaching and research active Department.  It is home to a friendly group of around 40 Academic staff, with teams of Research and Professional Services and Technical staff.  The Department supports a large cohort of Undergraduate students; a thriving group of Masters and Postgraduate research students; and a wide range of research projects including several cross-institution grants. 

Further information about the Department is available at: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk

Please upload a cover letter with your application.

 We welcome applications from people in all diversity groups, and for this 0.5FT post, we expect a start date by mid August 2026. 

 This role is subject to funding, which is currently only available until December 31^st 2026. 

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Dr Lara Warmelink, Senior lecturer, l.warmelink@lancaster.ac.uk 

Closing Date: 09 Aug 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £33,002 to £37,694 Part time, Indefinite with end date