Research Fellow (615398)

The Centre for Health Policy is seeking an experienced researcher to contribute to and project manage a new Knowledge Exchange project in collaboration with The Health Foundation. This project represents a significant investment in building additional capacity to improve the evidence base and implementation of evidence in policy and practice with regards to tackling a range of inequalities that underpin health inequalities in Scotland.

As a Research Fellow, you will undertake research relating to policy responses to key social determinants of health inequalities in Scotland, working both independently and collaboratively, with the wider project team in the Centre for Health Policy and Fraser of Allander Institute. There will be a particular focus on research to better understand the ‘implementation gap’ between Scotland’s consistent policy commitment to reducing health inequalities in Scotland and the reality of widening inequalities across multiple health outcomes. This is likely to involve primarily qualitative research, combining policy-focused research to understand the interpretation, operationalisation and implementation of policies designed to address key social and economic determinants of health, with community-focused research, designed to understand the perspectives, experiences and preferences of disadvantaged communities. The community-focused research is likely to involve working closely with one or more external providers (e.g. organisations that can help support a peer-research model) and you will help procure and manage research involving external providers, providing direction, support and guidance. You will participate in and develop external networks across socio-economic determinants and public health, with the aim of building alliances to foster cross-cutting policy influence. You will write up reports, often as lead author, for external dissemination to policy, practice and research audiences, and further communicate findings for additional dissemination and policy impact, as appropriate. You will also contribute to a range of knowledge exchange reports designed to connect data and analysis of socio-economic and health indicators, using your qualitative expertise to help ensure reports accurately represent the lived realities behind numerical data. Additionally, you will be encouraged to proactively develop your own ideas for research to help address the programme aims. Throughout your time on the programme, you will collaborate closely with the wider programme team on research and knowledge exchange activities, establishing research links with relevant policy, practice, private sector and community organisations, working to influence policy and practice.

To be considered for the role, you will either be educated to PhD level in an appropriate discipline or have a relevant Masters level degree and relevant professional research experience. Your research experience may have been gained in an applied policy or an academic context or a combination of the two. You will have research interests consistent with the strategic direction of the programme, a body of published research (which may be in academic, policy, NGO or private sector contexts), demonstrating an ability to undertake qualitative research and to write persuasively for a range of different audiences. You will have experience of successfully designing, managing and delivering research projects, of supervising others to undertake research and a sense of when and how to delegate. You will have experience of working in a mixed methods setting and an interest in integrating qualitative and quantitative analysis in an accessible way for a range of audiences.

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