Clinical Research Associate

From its earliest years, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) has been fundamentally changing and shaping how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness and other conditions that affect the brain.  The legacy, ethos and drive of the IoPPN has ensured its position at the forefront of mental health care, redefining mental illness, its treatment and its place in society.

 

The IoPPN is divided into 14 academic departments across three major academic Schools: Academic Psychiatry, Mental Health & Psychological Sciences, and Neuroscience.

 

The Department of Psychosis Studies, part of the School of Academic Psychiatry, is one of the world’s leading centres for research into psychotic disorders. Our research includes the following major themes: Comorbidities & transdiagnostic approaches; Interventions; Neuroscience & biological mechanisms; Prediction and analytics; Risk factors and population health; and Treatment resistance. Our work involves a wide range of methodologies, including artificial intelligence/ digital technologies and interventions, cognitive neuroscience approaches, epidemiology, experimental medicine and clinical trials, ex vivo analyses, genomics, health service and applied research, meta-analysis and evidence synthesis, prevention and early intervention, psychological approaches, psychopathology/ phenomenology, neuroimaging, real world data analyses and natural language processing, and stem cell techniques. 

This is an exciting position where the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work as part of an internationally leading team of researchers investigating biological bases of neuro-psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and the mechanism of action of treatments. The team has a particular interest in investigating the mechanism of action of cannabinoids and a key component of this program of work will involve the application of cutting-edge neuroimaging techniques (such as fMRI) to investigate the neural substrates underpinning the harmful effects of recreational cannabis use as well as potential therapeutic effects of cannabinoids. As part of this role, the appointed person will be involved in ongoing or planned randomised clinical trial/s and/ or pharmacological challenge studies.

 

The position is ideally suited for specialty trainees (from Psychiatry/ Neurology /Geriatric Medicine) interested in developing experience and skills in clinical trials or clinical research, in addition to gaining valuable experience in neuroimaging and neuropsychopharmacology.

 

The successful applicant will play a key role in the assessment and monitoring of patients taking part in ongoing studies and along with a team of researchers will contribute to the collection of clinical trial and neuroimaging data. The applicant will receive appropriate training and supervision relevant to their role and will work closely with other research and clinical staff working on the project/s, fostering effective working relationships with appropriate local services (e.g., Parkinson’s clinics at King’s College Hospital and Liaison and Geriatric Psychiatry at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust).  

 

The person will be based in the Department of Psychosis Studies, School of Academic Psychiatry, IoPPN at KCL and will work closely with Prof Sagnik Bhattacharyya (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-sagnikbhattacharyya) and other investigators based at King’s College London, in particular Dr Latha Velayudhan (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-latha-velayudhan), based in the Psychological Medicine department at King’s College London. They will also interact with clinical fellows, research assistants, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working in the group. 

 

This is a full-time, fixed-term post, currently funded for 12 months with potential for extension and an anticipated start from August 2025. The successful candidate will be encouraged to develop their own research interests. and apply for funding to support an MD/PhD.  

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