Graduate Research Assistant

We are looking for an enthusiastic research assistant to join the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Research Collaboration (ChYMe) at the University of Exeter. This new post is available from 1 June 2024 on a fixed-term basis until 30^th May 2025, working on a translational public engagement project in Dr Russell’s team. This post is part-time at 0.5 FTE.

Main purpose of the job:
The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Research Collaboration (ChYMe) wishes to appoint a Graduate Research Assistant to design and deliver an exciting public engagement project: “Under the Umbrella”. They will finalise the design of this immersive training activity, and take it round to schools and other public settings across the South West to raise awareness of different forms of neurodiversity, and discuss what schools can do to better support neurodivergent young people. Under the Umbrella will take the form of a physical activity with several ‘stations’, each with a short task to complete that mirrors part of the school day. There will be tweaks to the tasks to give participants a sensory experience akin to that experienced by neurodivergent people. Under the Umbrella will showcase the impacts of poorly supported, and well-supported, neurodivergence in schools.

The post holder will be expected to take the initial design plans and develop the physical resources needed for the training experience with PPI input, pilot the initial design and then take Under the Umbrella on a ‘roadshow’- visiting schools and other sites across the South West. They will therefore also need to identify and liaise with sites through phone calls and meetings, as well as manage the liaison and input of our partner organisations. Travel to sites across Devon and Cornwall, taking the Under the Umbrella resources with you, is therefore an essential part of this role.

For more information about the work of ChYMe visit our website: http://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/research/healthresearch/childhealth/chyme/.

Under the Umbrella is one of a series of public engagement and impact activities stemming from Dr Russell’s “Tools for Schools” project. It will be a vehicle through which we can disseminate IN-hub: a website indexing evidence-informed neurodiversity resources for schools, and the Flex toolkit: an individualised collection of behavioural strategies for supporting children with traits of ADHD in school.

About you
The successful applicant will be able to translate scientific research knowledge into a format that is engaging and fun for the public to interact with. They will have a solid understanding of neurodivergence and/or neurodevelopmental disorder research in children and young people, be creative and able to promote and engage with members of the public in an enthusiastic and appropriate manner. As the project will be evaluated and a report written, the successful applicant will also have experience conducing evaluation or data analysis, and writing up findings for both academic and lay audiences.

Applicants will be educated to first degree level or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study or equivalent experience and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will possess a substantive interest in child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing, and the role that schools play in this.

Please ensure you read the Job Description for full details.

For further information, contact Dr Abby Russell, email a.e.russell@exeter.ac.uk.

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