Research Fellow / Senior Research Fellow

About IOE 

IOE is UCL Faculty of Education and Society. 

Founded in 1902, IOE has been shaping policy and helping government, organisations and individuals navigate a changing society for the last 120 years. We embrace collaboration and excellence to create a future that is inclusive and just, and have been ranked number one for education every year since 2014 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject. 

The Social Research Institute is one of the leading centres for social research in the UK. It is home to seven internationally renowned research units:  

• Centre for Longitudinal Studies  
• Centre for Time Use Research  
• CLOSER  
• EPPI-Centre  
• Quantitative Social Science  
• Social Science Research Unit  
• Thomas Coram Research Unit   

The Thomas Coram Research Unit (TCRU), where the post holder will be based, has a long history and expertise in researching those children and families that are most vulnerable to economic and social adversity. 

About the role 

This post offers an exciting opportunity to join the research team on an NIHR funded study on the delivery of health visiting, with opportunity for connecting research with practice and policy. This study has a particular focus on health visiting for families living with adversity including mental health, substance misuse and domestic violence. 

The successful applicant will take the lead on the qualitative component of this study, collecting and analysing qualitative data from case study sites in England in order to understand how the health visiting service is organised and delivered to families living with adversity and the perceived impact of health visiting for these families. This study also includes an analysis of administrative data from health visiting services in England and an economic component, undertaken by researchers already in-post at UCL and University of York. 

We seek an ambitious postdoctoral researcher with strong qualitative skills. Knowledge of child health services or parenting in adversity or with trauma would be an advantage, as would experience of working on studies that combine quantitative and qualitative data. The post would suit someone with a commitment to proactively and ethically including the views and experiences of marginalised groups in meaningful research and who has a track record of research for policy and practice. 

Some travel will be required for data collection, including possible overnight stays, and a DBS and NHS Research Passport will be needed, which requires vaccinations and occupation health checks. 

This post is part time at 0.8 FTE (29.2 hours) and is appointable at Grade 7 (salary range £42,099 - £50,585) or Grade 8 (salary range £51,474 - £60,521) depending on experience, and is available until 21st November 2025 in the first instance. 

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Jenny Woodman - j.woodman@ucl.ac.uk  

About you 

You will have completed a relevant PhD and have strong understanding of the uses and principles of qualitative research. 

You will also have evidence of excellent qualitative skills, including collecting and analysing qualitative data and skills in appropriate software to support qualitative analyses (e.g. Nvivo, Atlas). 

Your application form should address all the person specification points and should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience meet each of the criteria. 

It is important that the criteria are clearly numbered and that you provide a response to each one. 

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