King's College London

About us:

From its earliest years, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) has been fundamentally changing and shaping how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness and other conditions that affect the brain. The legacy, ethos and drive of the IoPPN has ensured its position at the forefront of mental health care, redefining mental illness, its treatment and its place in society.

​ The IoPPN is divided into 14 academic departments across three major academic Schools: Academic Psychiatry, Mental Health & Psychological Sciences, and Neuroscience.

​​The Department of Psychological Medicine, part of the School of Academic Psychiatry, focuses on the interface between psychiatry and medicine, psychiatry and occupation, psychiatry and the military, and psychiatry in different settings. We embrace research, education and clinical translation to further understand and improve mental health and treat disorders of the brain, and train the next generation of researchers and practitioners, as well as informing the wider community. As a world leading research centre, we provide an environment that offers:

• Research and clinical expertise
• ​Support for students in their career aspirations and goals
• ​A collegiality and network of researchers

​This role will also involve working closely with Prof. Sagnik Bhattacharyya based in the Department of Psychosis Studies. Part of the School of Academic Psychiatry, they are one of the world’s leading centres for research into psychotic disorders.

About the role:

This is a part time post (40% FTE; 16 hours per week), and you will be offered a 18 month fixed term contract.

This is an exciting position where the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work as part of an internationally leading team of researchers investigating biological bases of neuro-psychiatric and dementia/ neurodegenerative disorders and the mechanism of action of treatments. As part of this role, the appointed person will be directly involved in a multi-centre Alzheimer’s Research UK funded randomised clinical trial to evaluate a new pharmacological treatment for people with Psychosis in Lewy Body Dementia which includes Dementia of Lewy body type and Parkinson’s disease dementia.

The position is ideally suited for specialty trainees (either from Psychiatry/ Neurology /Geriatric Medicine) interested in the overlap between old age psychiatry, neurology and neuropsychiatry and interested in developing experience and skills in Lewy body dementia and clinical trials, in addition to gaining valuable experience in neuropsychopharmacology.

The successful applicant will play a key role in the assessment and monitoring of patients with Lewy body dementia taking part in the study and along with a team of researchers will contribute to the collection of clinical trial data. The applicant will receive appropriate training and supervision in the assessment of cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms of Lewy body dementia, data processing and analysis; and any other relevant training and will work closely with other research and clinical staff working on the project, fostering effective working relationships with appropriate local services (e.g., Old Age Psychiatry and Liaison Psychiatry services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Parkinson’s clinics at King’s College Hospital ).

The person will be based in the Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Academic Psychiatry, IoPPN at KCL and will work closely with Dr Latha Velayudhan(https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-latha-velayudhan) and other investigators based at King’s College London, in particular Prof Sagnik Bhattacharyya(https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-sagnikbhattacharyya), based in the department of Psychosis Studies at King’s College London. They will also interact with clinical fellows, research assistants, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working in the group.

The position is ideally suited for specialty trainees (either from Neurology/Psychiatry/Geriatric Medicine) interested in the overlap between neurology and neuropsychiatry and interested in developing experience and skills in dementia/neurodegenerative disorders and clinical trials, in addition to gaining valuable experience in neuropsychopharmacology.

This is a part-time (16hrs), 18-month fixed term post, with an ideal start date 1st March 2027 and potential for extension. The successful candidate will be encouraged to apply for clinical research training fellowships to support an MD/PhD.

About you:

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

Essential criteria

1. ​Full GMC registration with valid license to practice
2. ​Medical Degree with a broad range of medical knowledge
3. ​Knowledge of neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders
4. ​Skills and experience recruiting clinical participants for research
5. ​Experience of multidisciplinary working
6. Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and have good organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills
7. ​Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships
8. ​Prepared to travel around London

Desirable criteria

1. An understanding of data protection and patient confidentiality
2. Postgraduate experience in psychiatry/neurology/geriatric medicine/ dementia care
3. Knowledge &/ or Experience of working in clinical trials
4. ​Publication in peer reviewed scientific/medical journals

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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

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.