Research Assistant in Perinatal Mental Health

About Us

The School of Life Course & Population Sciences is one of six Schools that make up the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. The School unites over 400 experts in women and children’s health, nutritional sciences, population health and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages, treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum. We are interdisciplinary by nature and this innovative approach works: 91 per cent of our research submitted to the Subjects Allied to Medicine (Pharmacy, Nutritional Sciences and Women's Health cluster) for REF was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We use this expertise to teach the next generation of health professionals and research scientists. Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments.

About the role

We are looing for a Research Assistant to join the MAPS (Maternal and Perinatal Systems and Policy) Research Group, in the Department of Women and Children’s Health at St Thomas’ Campus, King’s College London.

This post will be focused on contributing to the delivery of the PATHS Study: Perinatal Mental Health Access and Support. The PATHS Study is an NIHR Policy Research Programme funded Realist Evaluation of interventions to support parents experiencing mild to moderate perinatal mental health difficulties. The Research Assistant will join an established team of researchers, academics and clinicians in the Department of Women and Children’s Health. Under supervision from the Chief Investigator (Dr Abigail Easter), they will be responsible for contributing to all aspects of the research, including data collection, analysis and publication of study findings.

This is a part-time post (14 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract until 31st August 2026.

About You

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

Essential criteria

• Undergraduate qualification (e.g., BSc, BA) in Psychology, Mental Health Studies or equivalent. Minimum of Upper Second (2:1) class
• Good understanding of the research literature and policy relating to Perinatal Mental Health in the UK
• Experience of recruiting participants, and conducting qualitative interviews on sensitive topics
• Understanding and experience of evaluating complex interventions and undertaking Realist Evaluations
• Experience in Qualitative Data Analysis, e.g., Framework Analysis, Thematic Analysis
• Evidence of ability to deliver research activities to specified milestones
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in a mental health setting and assessment of mental health conditions
• Understanding of the type and range of psychological interventions and their application to perinatal mental health
• Evidence of ability to contribute to interpretation, and write-up of research findings for academic and policy audiences
• Ability to interpret and translate research findings to the national policy context 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click the “Apply”, above. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

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