King's College London

About us:

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe. Research from the IoPPN has made, and continues to make, an impact on how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness, neurological conditions and other conditions that affect the brain.  

The Department of Psychological Medicine focuses on the interface between psychiatry and medicine, psychiatry and occupation, psychiatry and the military, and psychiatry in different settings. The disorders of interest are those of the common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, perinatal psychiatry, psychological oncology, eating disorders and stress related disorders. 

About the role:

The Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology (SPI) Lab, is looking for a Research Assistant with relevant experience to join their team. The postholder will sit within the department of Psychological Medicine, in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, and will provide research and administrative support in two main studies.

The postholder will work alongside the Programme Manager supporting work on the ASPIRE Study (Advanced stratification of people with depression based on inflammation), and the UK site network of the EU PEARL DIVER Project (European platform trial for the evaluation of augmentation strategies and relevant long-term outcomes in depression – an infrastructure for treatment development and repurposing). The postholder will provide administrative support, will be involved in recruitment and data collection, and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.  

This is a full-time post (35 hours a week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 1 year from the start date. There is a possibility for this role to be part time, or shared between two part-time roles.

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. Demonstratable understanding of clinical trial methodologies
2. Experience with data analysis and knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis
3. Research experience working with recruitment of participants, ideally in a mental health field
4. An MSc in a relevant field (or working towards completion of)
5. Experience working on multiple projects simultaneously
6. Able to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team
7. Skilled communication with a range of people including participants, clinicians and team members
8. Proficiency in scientific writing

Desirable criteria

1. Previous experience working on a CTIMP
2. Demonstratable understanding of complex trial methodologies (e.g., platform trial designs)
3. Previous experience with thematic analysis of qualitative data
4. Experience working with people with lived experience of mental health disorders (ideally PPIE within research settings)
5. Be able to prioritize, plan, and execute own responsibilities without supervision

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. Interviews are due to be held on a date to be confirmed.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.