Research Assistant

Contract End Date: Tuesday 09 March 2027

Interview Date: Wednesday 30 October 2024

University of East London

Founded in 1898, we at the University of East London (UEL) are proud to change lives through education. Our goal is to advance industry 5.0 careers-first education and provide a clear path to the jobs and opportunities of the future. We’re committed to driving diversity in the 5.0 talent pipeline, working in partnership to promote talent wherever it is found and creating a balanced, inclusive, and green future.

But we can't achieve this goal alone. We need forward-thinking, innovative, and curious individuals like you to join our community and help us craft our future. As part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people who share your passion for creating positive change. We’re an inclusive and welcoming community that is constantly moving forward, never satisfied with the status quo.

About Us

The School of Health, Sport, and Bioscience is a dynamic academic community known for producing impactful, intellectually stimulating, and socially relevant research. UEL's research is deeply influenced by its location in East London—one of the UK's most diverse and rapidly changing regions—providing unique challenges and opportunities for addressing the future of urban life. Positioned within London's rich global landscape, UEL's research extends its reach through active engagement with government, science, society, technology, health, education, and the arts at both local and international levels.

UEL is also the UK’s most ambitious and improved university for sport, with its High-Performance Support driving the creation of world-class athletes. Among our sports scholars are Olympians and international competitors who represent UEL at prestigious national and international events, with many pursuing degrees in Applied Sport and Exercise Science.

Our vibrant student community includes over 700 students enrolled in industry-leading undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The department thrives on the rich diversity of its student and staff population, fostering unique opportunities for personal and professional growth.

It is an exciting time to join the Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences department as we continue to expand and seize opportunities in the growing fields of sport, exercise, and wellbeing. As part of the School of Health, Sport, and Biosciences, the department encourages cutting-edge research, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Our purpose-built facilities including labs for physiology, biomechanics, and sports therapy, as well as sports halls provide an environment where staff and students can channel their creativity, passion, and expertise into groundbreaking research and partnerships with leading industry professionals.

About the Job

We are seeking to appoint a research assistant to support our work towards a unit of assessment 24 submission to REF 2029. Working as part of a dynamic and diverse team you will support staff research within our two main research themes: Performance Enhancement and Exercise as Medicine, both underpinned by our cross-cutting theme of equality, diversity, and inclusion.  

Our work within Performance Enhancement, cuts across a range of topics from high-performance sport, through to optimising performance within the military/emergency services. Our work within Exercise as Medicine currently includes work in the areas of cardiac rehab, nature-based exercise, and exercise for the wellbeing of students/young people.

About You

You will be an experienced researcher, confident in research project design, ethical approval processes and data collection/data analysis. You will have a track record of peer-reviewed published work and be familiar with the processes for attracting external research funding. With an academic background in either exercise physiology or sport psychology and an ability to work interdisciplinary. 

Predominantly, you will be based at SportsDock, the university’s world-class sports facility. Opened in 2011, the £21 million facility was the training base for TeamUSA in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since then, we’ve also hosted sports teams and organisations both professional and amateur, as well as competitions on a local and global scale. 

Benefits Package

Here at UEL we understand it’s about more than just a salary. It’s about the entire package on offer along with our outstanding work environment and inclusive culture. We know the market rates for this vacancy and will offer a genuinely competitive salary DOE.

We care deeply about your wellbeing and our benefits includes: 20% pension (4% from you, 16% from us), 35 days holiday, plus 3 days over Christmas and bank holidays, hybrid working for most positions, and we’re always open to consider flexible working arrangements. We have a discretionary and non-contractual shared success bonus scheme with a value of up to £5,000 in the 23/24 academic year, subsidised gym membership, 3 times base salary life assurance, a cashback healthcare scheme and wide variety of other generous benefits including discounts on: Apple and Samsung products, holidays, clothing, fitness, lifestyle, dining out and weekly shopping.

Equal Opportunities

UEL is an inclusive equal opportunities employer and are proud of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity achievements, including: zero gender pay gap, members of Stonewall and have won Athena Swan awards. We expect all employees of UEL to accept our EDI policy and will not tolerate discrimination in any form.

So, if you’d like to take your career to the next level with us here at the University of East London and are inspired by our environment and committed to success, we want you to apply today!

Further Details

Job Description & Person Specification

To contact the recruitment team please phone +44 20 8223 3000 x 4600
or e-mail hrhub@uel.ac.uk

CVs without a completed application form will not be accepted.

At UEL we are committed to working together to build a community which values diversity in both our staff and student populations, is representative and inclusive, enabling all to progress and thrive.