Research Fellow Epi-Safe

Location: City South Campus

Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Thursday 06 June 2024

Interview Date: Wednesday 03 July 2024

Birmingham is a large diverse university. We currently have an exciting opportunity for a research fellow in health to join our dynamic team. 

This three year post (with a likely extension of an additional 8 months) is full time. This Research Fellow post is an opportunity to undertake a qualitative and implementation science study on epilepsy, maternal health, and health inequalities. You will be part of the multi-disciplinary research team delivering the NIHR-funded Epi-Safe study: Optimising outcomes in pregnant women with epilepsy and their babies/Reducing maternal seizure risks and assessing long-term safety of antiepileptic drugs. 

The Research Fellow will work at Birmingham City University (BCU) with Prof Emeritus Elaine Denny, Prof Judith Dyson, and Prof Annalise Weckesser to deliver the qualitative and implementation science components of this multi-sited study. They will collaborate with the larger, multi-disciplinary Epi-Safe team, led by Principal Investigator Professor Shakila Thangaratinam of University of Birmingham, hosted by Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust. They will: 

• draw on co-design, participatory, and/or intersectional methodologies to engage (pregnant) women with epilepsy (including those from marginalised communities) and their families, community-based organisations, and health care practitioners 
• have experience working with translators and/or engaging local communities in research 
• generate new evidence to inform policy and improve practice to address health inequalities within (maternal) health service

Epi-Safe builds on and implements findings from the previous NIHR study, EMPiRE (for more details see: AntiEpileptic drug Monitoring in PREgnancy (EMPiRE): a double-blind randomised trial on effectiveness and acceptability of monitoring strategies (nihr.ac.uk)). 

BCU is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and we encourage applications from candidates underrepresented in academia (see: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | Birmingham City University (bcu.ac.uk)). 

For more information about the post, please contact: Judith.Dyson@bcu.ac.uk or Annalise.Weckesser@bcu.ac.uk

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

1. Undertake, deliver, and disseminate the qualitative and implementation science components of Epi-Safe. 
2. Collaborate with the larger multi-disciplinary Epi-Safe research team to meet project milestones and successfully deliver study.
3. Implement co-design/ participatory research activities, working with translators and local community representatives, to engage those with epilepsy/pregnant women (including those from ethnically or racially minoritised groups) and their families, community-based organisations, and health care practitioners.

We expect the successful candidate to have a PhD in a relevant study and have experience of post doctoral research. 

Anticipated interview date, week of 3^rd July.

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