Research Fellow

Hours: Part Time (30 working hours per week)

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to January 2026 

People with severe mental illnesses have a 15-20 year shortened life-expectancy, mostly due to preventable physical causes like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. The causes behind the comorbidity between mental and physical illness are complex and not fully understood. Nevertheless, the ‘mortality gap’ experienced by people with severe mental illness continues to grow, and is recognised as one of the NHS’s five key health inequalities requiring action.

This post will involve the use of cutting-edge data science and epidemiological methods applied to large-scale, real-world anonymised electronic health record data from several regions of the UK, with opportunities to:

Discover
Be supported to lead complementary impactful research projects exploring early trajectories of cardiometabolic changes (e.g., weight, cholesterol levels) after a first- episode of severe mental illness in young adults, and how they may be markers of adverse future mental and physical health outcomes.

Predict
Work on PsyMetRiC, which is the first data-driven cardiometabolic risk prediction algorithm tailored for young people at the onset of severe mental illness. PsyMetRiC is on track to become one of the first regulatory approved risk prediction tools in UK psychiatry, has been successfully validated in eight countries across four continents, and could transform how clinicians assess and manage physical health in young people with severe mental illness. PsyMetRiC is now being developed into a clinician-facing web app (https://psymetric.app/).

And More..
The post-holder will have the flexibility to work on existing approved projects, and/or supported to work with interdisciplinary experts to develop and realise their own project ideas on a related topic. The post-holder will be actively involved and supported in all stages of the research pathway and will be recognised on all consequent academic outputs. The post- holder will join a supportive environment, will have the opportunity to co-supervise junior researchers and PhD students, and will be encouraged and supported with their own career development ambitions, including but not limited to applying for grants and/or postdoctoral fellowships.

Main Duties

• Be supported to conduct epidemiological data-driven analysis exploring the comorbidity between mental and physical illness, either through:
  • Contributing to existing approved projects
  • Developing and realising own project ideas, with support

Person Specification

• PhD or equivalent experience in research relevant subject area.
• Research outputs in a relevant field (for example data science or risk prediction or psychiatry or cardiometabolic medicine)
• Fluency in relevant statistical coding languages (e.g., R essential), including experience in data visualisation.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Motivation and enthusiasm for career development

Desirable:

• Experience in app development e.g., using shiny for R
• Previous experience of research in the fields of neuroscience/psychiatry.
• Experience using anonymised health record datasets for research/analysis.
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area 
• Experience in supervising junior researchers / postgraduate students

Informal enquires can be made to Dr Benjamin Perry (b.i.perry@bham.ac.uk)

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Closes: 01/01/2025 

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