King's College London

About Us

King’s College London is one of the leading research and teaching universities in the world. The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is internationally recognised for excellence in mental health and neuroscience research, bringing together multidisciplinary expertise to improve understanding, prevention and treatment of mental ill-health. This post is based at the Denmark Hill campus, working within a collaborative study team delivering high-quality, participant-centred research.

About the role

We are seeking a Research Assistant to support delivery of the HAVA study (Human Air pollution exposure and Variation in neurochemical Activity), a Wellcome Trust–funded research project investigating associations between air pollution exposure and brain neurochemistry and related outcomes.

Recruitment is a central component of this role. The successful candidate will be confident representing the study externally and engaging with community settings to support inclusive recruitment. You will help identify and approach potential participants, explain the study clearly and sensitively, support screening and enrolment processes, and maintain accurate recruitment and visit records.

The postholder will also coordinate research visits at Denmark Hill, including scheduling, participant communications, and preparation of study materials. You will assist with data collection (e.g., questionnaires and brief cognitive tasks) and support smooth delivery of MRI visit logistics in liaison with relevant facilities and the study team. You will be responsible for high-quality study administration, including secure data entry, quality checks, and maintaining documentation in line with King’s governance requirements and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) principles. The role offers the opportunity to contribute to research at the intersection of environmental health and mental health, within a supportive, multidisciplinary environment.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30th April 2028.

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. Undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) in psychology, neuroscience, health sciences, epidemiology, environmental health, or a related discipline
2. Demonstrable experience recruiting participants (or engaging members of the public/service users) for research, with evidence of confidence working independently in community-facing settings and approaching people professionally and sensitively
3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to represent the project externally and explain research participation clearly, responding appropriately to questions or concerns
4. Strong organisational skills, with evidence of managing multiple tasks, priorities and deadlines with accuracy and attention to detail
5. Experience of data handling, including data entry and quality checking using spreadsheets and/or research databases (e.g., REDCap, Qualtrics, or similar)
6. Understanding of research governance requirements, including confidentiality, informed consent, and secure handling of sensitive/identifiable data
7. Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, with a proactive, solutions-focused approach
8. IT proficiency (e.g., MS Office/Excel/Teams) and willingness to learn new systems and SOPs quickly

Desirable criteria

1. Demonstrable interest/knowledge in environmental health and air pollution (e.g., study modules, dissertation/project, work experience, volunteering, or personal/professional interest), and motivation to work at the intersection of environment and mental health
2. Experience working on neuroimaging/MRI studies or coordinating complex research visits
3. Experience working with community organisations and/or conducting outreach with under-served groups, including awareness of inclusive recruitment and reducing barriers to participation
4. Experience with basic quantitative data tasks (e.g., data cleaning and simple analyses) using SPSS, Stata, R, or similar
5. GCP training (or willingness to complete GCP promptly upon appointment)

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.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

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

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service.