Research Associate

Based at University of York campus (with some remote working options available)

Role Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate interested in loneliness, perinatal mental health, nature-based interventions, co-production and intervention design. You will work with us on an NIHR Three Schools Mental Health Programme funded project: Reducing loneliness for perinatal Muslim women: co-designing a walking group intervention and the tools to evaluate it. You will be based at the Mental Health Social Care Research Centre in the School for Business and Society at the University of York. We are a team of Social Work researchers specialising in the coproduction and co-evaluation of interventions that address the social determinants of mental ill health. We often work with seldom-heard and/or under-served populations. 

The role will require working closely with colleagues at the Deep End Research Alliance at the University of Sheffield. The fieldwork will be in Sheffield but other tasks can be completed remotely.  

About the project

Following on from an NIHR Three Schools Mental Health Programme Fellowship led by Dr Ruth Naughton-Doe that co-produced solutions for perinatal loneliness (www.perinatal-loneliness.com), this project will co-design a perinatal walking group intervention for Muslim women, and the tools to evaluate its impact. Muslim women’s experiences will be foregrounded in a team composed of people with lived experience, stakeholders, community co-researchers, and academics. We will utilise a research approach developed by the Deep End Research Alliance to engage seldom-heard populations and the research will be supported and guided by an online Research Advisory Group (RAG).

The role will involve supporting the research team (including CRLWs, the RAG and community partners) to recruit 32 Muslim women and 20 practitioners to 6 focus groups, to hear their preferences and suggestions for a perinatal walking group, and the tools to evaluate it. The role will also support utilising the focus group data to co-design and manualise a walking group intervention utilising the Person-Based Approach. It is hoped that the person recruited would be involved in a proposal to test its feasibility in a follow-on research grant. 

Due to the nature of the research, we encourage applications from Muslim women for this role.

Any enquiries please contact ruth.naughton-doe@york.ac.uk

Condition of employment

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Consequently, all applicants will be asked to declare both unspent and spent convictions on their application form.

Appointment of the successful candidate will be conditional on a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive  – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University. 

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork

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