Research Fellow in Behavioural Science and Health

About us

The Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health is dedicated to research on how human behaviour impacts health and health outcomes. Our research and teaching reflect our interdisciplinary approach to health and wellbeing, focusing on a broad range of public health issues, such as alcohol and tobacco use, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology-health-care/research/behavioural-science-health

The postholder will be based within UCL’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (UTARG) led by Prof Jamie Brown and Prof Lion Shahab. UTARG is dedicated to developing and applying novel scientific approaches to increase the population rate of smoking cessation and alcohol reduction.

About the role

The project aims to understand patterns and perceptions of non-cigarette tobacco use across different sociodemographic groups in England, and to identify the barriers and facilitators of non-cigarette tobacco cessation from the perspective of users and health care professionals. The successful applicant will be expected to lead focus groups with people who use non-cigarette tobacco to explore experiences and perceptions of non-cigarette tobacco products and barriers and enablers to engaging with cessation support. Duties will include developing topic guides, recruiting participants, conducting the focus groups, analysing the data, and writing relevant research papers.

Application Details:

• This is a fixed-term role with funding until 28 February 2026 in the first instance.
• Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent on award and confirmation of a PhD (or equivalent). If this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B, point 28 (salary £ 39,980 per annum inclusive of London allowance) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

Application Process:

• A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
• Please use the personal statement section to explain how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria outlined in the person specification.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 16th October.

Contact Details:

• If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact Dr Sarah Jackson (s.)
• If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact Maria Kristensen ()

About you

The appointed person will have a PhD or equivalent in behavioural science or a related discipline. They will have a track record in publishing high-quality nicotine and tobacco research and a strong understanding and experience of designing and conducting qualitative research. They will have excellent oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and demonstrated ability to manage their time, prioritise workloads, and work to deadlines.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits.
Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

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