King's College London

About us:

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, have been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to lead a randomised controlled trial that will explore the acceptability of a new virtual reality (VR) communication training programme for family carers of people living with a severe mental health condition.

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​The programme, titled CareVR, uses virtual reality is designed to support family carers in their communication styles with care recipients whose content and style of communication are negatively affected by their mental health experiences. The project, led by Dr Juliana Onwumere, is seeking to recruit a full-time research assistant to lead on different aspects of the trial, including participant recruitment and participant assessment.

About the role:

We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Research Assistant with an interest in informal carers and severe mental health conditions to join CareVR.

The postholder will contribute to the overall coordination of the CareVR research programme.  Key aspects of the role include leading on promoting the study, recruiting participants from across NHS and community settings, administering participant assessments; development and maintenance of participant databases along with data entry and data cleaning, supporting the facilitation of advisory groups; leading on supporting the facilitation of the advisory group. 

Working closely with grant holders, the Research Assistant will contribute to qualitative components of the project, including data collection. They will undertake administrative tasks including attendance at project meetings, minute taking, and accurate record keeping, and dissemination activities.

The postholder will also have opportunities to contribute to publications, reports and dissemination activities, and engage in training in support of their role.  

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered ​a fixed term​ contract until 31st May 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. Master's degree in a relevant mental health or research discipline (e.g. Mental Health Studies, Epidemiology, Research Methods, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatric Research)   
2. ​Experience recruiting, consenting and engaging research participants in qualitative and/or quantitative studies.  
3. ​Excellent skills in developing and managing research databases and software applications (e.g.  Excel, SPSS)  
4. ​Strong qualitative research skills (e.g. semi-structured interviews, focus groups, content analysis).  
5. ​Demonstrated knowledge of unpaid carers in severe mental health conditions and health and community settings  
6. ​Excellent writing and communication skills, with experience assisting writing publications for academic, public and stakeholder audiences.   
7. ​Proven ability to manage time effectively and organise workload across competing priorities and understand data confidentiality and data security.  
8. Strong ability to present complex information clearly to academic, policy, and public audiences, with clear examples from previous roles.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of working with people with their lived experience of a psychotic disorder and/or their families   
2. ​Previous experience of working as a research assistant on a mental health study with a clinical population 

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.

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.

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