Postdoctoral Research Associate

This NIHR funded post is available immediately on a fixed-term basis with funding until 31^st March 2026.

We welcome applications from candidates interested in job-sharing arrangements.

The post

We wish to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to participate in an exciting project to conduct a realist synthesis to investigate ways to support men at risk of suicidality in community and primary care settings across the Southwest. This is intended to form the bedrock for informing future transformations and future funding applications. This NIHR funded post is available immediately with funding until 31^st March 2026. The successful applicant will work with our multi-disciplinary team that includes Dr Geoff Wong (University of Oxford) and Dr Felicity Thomas (University of Exeter) and various partners from PenARC, suicide prevention initiatives across the southwest, and various men’s mental health charities.

The success candidate will carry out the realist synthesis under the supervision of our team, with a focus on engagement and mixed methods approaches with stakeholders across the public and primary care systems in the region, submit scientific papers, and deliver oral and poster presentations to international audiences, and engage in identifying further funding opportunities.

About you

The successful applicant will demonstrate independence in conducting the proposed realist synthesis under the supervision of the research team. This includes developing the programme theory and context-mechanism-outcome configurations through active engagement with various sectors. Responsibilities will also involve refining and implementing research objectives, identifying potential sources of research funding, contributing to the funding application process, and presenting findings at conferences and other events.

Applicants should hold a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in psychology, health services research, or a related field. They must demonstrate experience or the ability to develop skills in realist research approaches, mixed methods, and health-related services research. The ideal candidate will have a strong ability to collaborate with various stakeholders, supervise others, and take on leadership roles as needed. Proficiency in collaborative working, designing and executing analysis plans using software such as Jamovi, SPSS, and NVivo, and writing scientific papers is also essential.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification on our website for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

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