Research Assistant

About Us

King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. The Strategic Vision 2029 looks forward to King’s College London’s 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out ambitious plans in five key areas:

• Educating the next generation of change-makers
• Challenging ideas and driving change through research
• Giving back to society through meaningful service
• Working with our local communities in London
• Fostering global citizens with an international perspective

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a Faculty of King's College London and the largest academic community in Europe devoted to the study and prevention of mental illness and brain disease.

The School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences (MHaPS) is one of three schools under the IoPPN, comprised of the four departments of Psychology; Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP); Health Service & Population Research; and Biostatistics & Health Informatics. With over 100 Principal Investigators, our research spans development from childhood to old age, encompassing basic research through to the development and implementation of treatments, services and policy.

The Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre is an interdisciplinary research centre investigating the interplay between genetics ('nature') and the environment ('nurture') in psychiatric disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions and individual differences across the lifespan. SGDP scientists lead some of the UK’s foremost longitudinal cohort and twin studies, including TEDS, eRISK, Dunedin and GLAD. Our collaborative research and training spans behavioural, molecular and statistical genetics, experimental psychology and psychiatry, and neuroimaging.  

About The Role

We are really pleased to offer this excellent opportunity to join our team in the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre as a Research Assistant.

This role will primarily involve working on the Diverse Alliances project which aims to explore how the therapeutic alliance can be used to enhance the efficacy and acceptability of psychological interventions for autistic youth. Over the project you will support the Principal Investigators to undertake literature searches and reviews; co-design data collection with community stakeholders; conduct qualitative interviews with autistic youth, their parents and psychologists; and disseminate findings to scientific and lay communities. The project will be run in collaboration with a NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and will draw on the expertise of practising clinical psychologists. It will offer opportunities to develop knowledge in neurodiversity, child and adolescent mental health and psychological interventions, and skills in patient and public involvement (PPI), qualitative research, and systematic literature reviews.

This is a part-time post (0.4 FTE), and you will be offered a fixed term 6-month contract.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology, nursing, speech pathology, occupational therapy or other healthcare discipline at minimum of 2:1 or equivalent
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Exceptional organisation skills
• Experience working independently on a research project
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Enthusiasm for qualitative research

Desirable criteria

• Master’s degree in child and adolescent mental health, developmental psychology, clinical neurodevelopmental sciences or similar
• Experience conducting qualitative research
• Experience in autism research
• Publication of scientific journal articles

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