Research Assistant in the Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences

About us

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe. Research from the IoPPN has made, and continues to make, an impact on how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness, neurological conditions and other conditions that affect the brain. 

The Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences (FANS) is one of Europe’s largest research groups, bringing together leading experts in brain development and neurodiversity. We undertake basic sciences, translation, and applied clinical research to improve outcomes.

Working as part of a world-class academic team based in the FANS Department and with collaborators in other Universities and the third sector, the successful candidate will play a central role in the delivery of a high-profile and innovative research project funded by NHS England. 

The LeDeR programme aims to analyse mortality data collected nationally and conduct deep dives in specific areas of concerns to improve healthcare delivery to people with a learning disability and autistic people. We are contracted to deliver an annual report, regional reports and a number of deep dives as well as accessible versions of reports; identifying  improvements that may be implemented in routine clinical care.

About the role

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Research Assistant who has an interest in and/or experience of research with people with neurodevelopmental conditions or clinical informatics using real-world electronic health data.

The Research Assistant will play key role in the delivery and operational running of the partnership we lead to deliver on the LeDeR project. This includes drafting project protocols, ethics applications, as well as study documents, updates, and outputs, and co-ordinating study meetings between the research team and other stakeholders. There will be elements of data curation, management, and analysis, supported by a post-doctoral Research Associate and other members of the research team. The Research Assistant will work closely with our Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) partners, people with lived experience of neurodevelopmental conditions and their carers to help shape our work.

The successful candidate will liaise regularly with our collaborators and partners and will be required to have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

The post-holder will be responsible to the project Principal Investigators, Professor Andre Strydom and Dr Rory Sheehan. The post-holder will be supported in their role by the wider research team and a post-doctoral Research Associate.   

We will support academic career development, for example, in professional skills development through loc al Early Career Researcher Networks and the College’s wider training programme. 

This is a full-time role (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered an fixed-term contract until 31/10/26.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A science or healthcare-related Bachelor’s degree (minimum 2:1)
2. Demonstrated interest in working with people with neurodevelopmental conditions and/or in clinical informatics
3. Familiarity with statistical software packages, data management, and quantitative analysis techniques
4. Excellent interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills applied across a range of different contexts
5. An in-depth understanding of confidentiality and protocols for ethics and data management and protection
6. Highly organized and effective in time management and prioritization skills
7. Capable of working effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary research team
8. Ability to show initiative and respond flexibly to research problems as they arise

Advert information