King's College London

About us 

Our Centre for Society and Mental Health is a cross-Faculty initiative between the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy (SSPP) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN).  

The centre aims to better understand the complex interrelationships between society and mental health, with a commitment to: 

-        Ensure that the impact of social context is central to how we understand mental health; 

-        Work in partnership with affected communities. 

To help us complete this work, we are looking for a Research Associate to help ensure we meet our commitments.

About the role 

You will work closely with Prof. Hanna Kienzler, Prof. Stephani Hatch, and Dr Rebecca Rhead as part of the Centre’s ‘Marginalised Communities’ programme. This involves partnering with Black and racially minoritised groups (including refugees and people seeking asylum) to understand how community networks and social practices promote mental health in hostile contexts.  

You will also collaborate closely with an interdisciplinary team of researchers as well as the Centre’s academic, lived-experience, and community partners.  Additionally, you will work with researchers in the Centre’s Theory & Methods Hub and Communications, Policy & Impact Hub to innovate qualitative and participatory longitudinal research methods.

Using your expertise in qualitative, participatory, and creative methods you will conduct longitudinal research following people from marginalised communities over two years to explore how daily stressors evolve, and how community resources help manage mental distress.

Furthermore, you will support with the creation of a Community of Impact Practice which will bring together community organisations, schools, health providers, and lived experience experts to co-design tools that help evaluate place-based mental health initiatives.

You are expected to commit 0.2 FTE of your time to teaching within the faculty of Social Science and Public Policy. This will be agreed upon with your line manager and may include leading or teaching on a module, and supervising dissertations and student projects.  Additionally, there is an expectation that you will develop independent research, including fellowship applications, with the support of the Centre.

This is a full-time role and you will be offered a two years fixed term contract in first instance, view to extend subject to funding.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD, or in the final stages of obtaining a PhD, in a relevant area of social science (e.g., sociology, anthropology, global health, social medicine, social work). *(*thesis clause can be added if relevant) 
2. Advanced knowledge of contemporary policy and research debates on marginalised communities and mental health
3. Knowledge of qualitative, participatory, and creative research methods
4. Experience in analysing qualitative data using thematic analysis and analysis software (e.g., NVivo)
5. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with research teams and people with lived experience, including good interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships
6. Demonstrated organisational and time management skills, to be able to work independently and to deadlines
7. Effective communication skills, including experience of presenting / disseminating research findings
8. Experience of preparing and publishing papers in refereed journals

Desirable criteria

1. Knowledge of research in the intersection between social sciences and mental health
2. Knowledge of project evaluation using qualitative and participatory methods
3. Relevant previous experience of working on interdisciplinary and/or international research projects
4. A desire and capacity to communicate effectively with, and influence, wider research, NGO and policy communities.
5. Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with experts-by-experience or individuals from affected communities
6. Teaching experience (e.g., as GTA, guest lecturer, module convenor, dissertation supervisor)

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further information 

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.