Senior Research Assistant

FTE: 0.4 fte (working 14.8 hours per week) pro rata

Duration of Contract: Fixed term for 21 months

Salary: UH6 £32,296 pa (pro-rata) to £37,999 pa (pro-rata) by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience

Annual Leave: 35 days pro rata plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year

Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield 

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new project team applying innovative methodologies to investigate inequalities of access to services for people with rare diseases and complex needs.

The successful candidate will be based within the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC). The post is funded by a 24-month grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). 

Main duties and responsibilities

This role will require you to support the Principal Investigators (Dr Annalisa Casarin (UH), Dr Boyd Ghosh (Southampton NHS Trust)) and the wider team. You will assist with a realist review and system thinking approach to co-design services and support the planning of recruitment and delivery of interviews and workshops with people affected by rare neurodegenerative conditions, their carers and professionals providing health and social care. Data analysis and interpretation will be performed in collaboration with team members and experts by experience. You will work collaboratively with a public co-researcher and charity members, staff and volunteers. You will contribute to the design and organisation of the project, the evaluation, reporting and dissemination activities.

Skill and experience required

You will have experience of working as part of a research team in a Higher Education Institution or in industry, a local authority, NHS, charity or a community organisation. You will have demonstrable research experience at undergraduate level (e.g., final year project) or equivalent. 

In addition to this, you will be expected to have good relevant IT skills, knowledge of appropriate literature databases and performing literature searches, with the ability to plan and manage your own activities effectively and to deal with sensitive material with strict confidentiality. You must be able to communicate with different individuals and audiences and be flexible and adaptable to workload and team requirements. Familiarity with innovative methods, as specified in the job description and annex, would also be useful.

Furthermore, you may have experience of working or volunteering with organisations that support people with rare and/or neurological conditions, including mild cognitive impairment or speech & language difficulties, and under-represented groups in research. You must also have experience of working in the area of Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in health and care research.

Qualifications required

A minimum of a degree at a minimum of 2:2 (or equivalent level 6 qualification) or higher qualification in a relevant discipline.

Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.

An appointment to this role may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Dr Annalisa Casarin, Principal Investigator, a.casarin@herts.ac.uk

Closing Date: 20 February 2025

Interview Date: TBC

Apply online via the above ‘Apply’ button.

Advert information