Research Fellow (Qualitative and Behavioural Science)

The role

We are seeking to appoint a talented qualitative/social science research fellow with an interest in public health, sexual health and committed to working in applied health research. The postholder will be part of the “Behavioural and qualitative science” cross cutting methodology theme of the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) https://arc-w.nihr.ac.uk/ and a member of the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation https://hprubse.nihr.ac.uk/. 

The post will be based in the University of Bristol, at 80% FTE. The appointed researcher will be supervised by Professor Jeremy Horwood who co-leads ARC West’s Behavioural and qualitative science methodological team and HPRU’s Intervention optimisation and implementation theme.

Applicants should be experienced in working on applied health research projects and have a PhD in social sciences or health sciences using qualitative methods, and strong background in qualitative methods applied to health services research e.g., interviews and unstructured ethnographic observations (preferably in healthcare, clinical and/or social care settings) to develop, optimise, implement and evaluate health service and public health interventions. Candidates should have extensive experience of qualitative analysis and a strong record of publishing qualitative research in peer-reviewed, academic journals, including as first or senior author. They should demonstrate a history of being able to liaise, engage and communicate with both academic and non-academic audiences. Applicants must be able to work collaboratively with healthcare professionals and other non-academics, supervise the work of others, and act as team leader as required.

What will you be doing?

The postholder will work across several research projects, mainly supporting the priorities of ARC West’s Public Health and Prevention research theme and HPRU’s Intervention development theme and Intervention optimisation and implementation theme. This will involve liaising with external collaborators to design and develop high quality qualitative and mixed methods research studies. They will utilise a range of data collection and analytic methods to complete the studies and they may also work with and supervise other members of the team. The postholder will contribute to the Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PCIEP) activities and strategies for projects. They will also contribute to implementation, or knowledge mobilisation, in collaboration with the ARC West/HPRU research teams, service partners and researchers at partner universities.

You should apply if

• You have a strong background in qualitative methods applied to health services / public health research,
• You have a higher degree in social sciences or a related discipline and experience of publishing findings in international peer-reviewed journals as lead or senior author,
• You have a strong background in qualitative methods applied to health services research to develop, optimise, implement, and evaluate health service and public health interventions,
• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skill, experience of working within a multidisciplinary team and an interest in implementation or knowledge mobilisation.

Additional information

Contract type: Fixed term contract until 19/03/2024 for maternity cover

Work pattern: Pat time / 0.8 FTE

Shift pattern: 28h per week

This advert will close at 23:59 GMT on 20/02/2023

For informal queries please contact: Professor Jeremy Horwood (j.horwood@bristol.ac.uk) 

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