Job description

Job summary

We are seeking to appoint a talented qualitative/mixed methods Research Associate with an area of interest in applied health services research, primary care, and diagnostic technologies to support the delivery of a grant-funded project which aims to develop tools to facilitate the implementation of cross-cutting diagnostic technologies into primary care settings to optimise the early detection & diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

The post will be based at Imperial College London, and the successful candidate will be part of the CRUK Convergence Science Centre (https://www.convergencesciencecentre.ac.uk/) and National Institute for Health Research London In-vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative (https://london.ivd.nihr.ac.uk/). The appointed researcher will be supervised by Dr Patrick Kierkegaard who leads the Dissemination and Implementation science infrastructure at the CRUK Convergence Centre.

The postholder will also provide qualitative/mixed method research support and expertise, and support colleagues at the NIHR London In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, who are working on a number of interesting projects linked to evaluating multiple novel medical devices to detect and prevent a variety of diseases.

Applicants should be experienced in working on applied health services research projects and have a PhD in behavioural sciences, social sciences, health sciences, or a related discipline and a strong background in using qualitative and/or mixed methods research methodologies in applied health services research e.g., interviews, ethnographic observations, focus groups workshops (preferably in healthcare, clinical and/or social care settings).

Candidates should have a record of publishing research in peer-reviewed, academic journals, including as first or senior author. They should demonstrate a history of being able to liaise, engage and communicate with both academic and non-academic audiences. Applicants must have strong project management skills. Applicants must be able to work collaboratively with healthcare professionals and other non-academics, supervise the work of others, and act as team leader as required.

Duties and responsibilities

• To work closely with other researchers to support the development of evidence-based assessment tools and diagnostic tests


• To carry out stakeholder interviews, ethnographic observations, focus group workshops, systems analysis, usability evaluations, and process mapping research


• To recruit study participants, maintain accurate records of data, safeguarding the confidentiality of subjects, as necessary


• To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings


• To participate, contribute and advance the methodology research undertaken by the CRUK Convergence Science Centre and London IVD


• To prepare study materials, collect and analyse data, write progress reports, and prepare results for publication and dissemination via presentations and peer-reviewed journals


• To present research findings to colleagues and at conferences


• To liaise, as appropriate, with industrial and research partners


• To develop contacts and research collaborations within the Department/Division/Faculty and wider academic community in order to further the project aims


• To comply with the College, Division, and Unit safety practices and to attend courses on safety when appropriate.


• Any other duties as may be deemed reasonable by Head of group as well as Head of Division/Department/Section.

Essential requirements

• Research Associate: Hold a PhD in behavioural sciences, social sciences, health sciences, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience


• Research Assistant: Near completion of a PhD in behavioural sciences, social sciences, health sciences, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

* Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant.

• Knowledge of health services research


• Experience in qualitative and mixed methods research


• Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals


• Dealing with specific groups of people, e.g. sponsors, funding bodies


• A record of high-quality publications in international peer-reviewed journals


• Evidence of having made a significant contribution to writing proposals


• Experience in data presentation and analyses

Further information

This is a Full Time & Fixed Term post offered initially for 16 months (the funding is available till 31^stOct 2024), with potential for extension.

The post will be based in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, Hammersmith Hospital (London), and CRUK Convergence Science Centre, South Kensington Campus (London).

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.

Should you have any queries please contact Ms Naoko Jones (Programme Manager) n.jones@imperial.ac.uk.

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes which are ultimately aimed towards finding new treatments and making scientific and medical advances, and where there are no satisfactory or reasonably practical alternatives to their use. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. Find out more about animal research at Imperial.

Documents

• Final JD - MED03790 - GS.pdf