Research Fellow – UKRI Complex Emotions Hub

Peninsula Medical School 

About the role 

We are looking for an experienced Research Fellow to work on a UKRI-funded Mental Health Research Hub study that aims to improve care and outcomes for people with complex emotions associated with diagnoses such as Borderline Personality Disorder.  

You will be employed by the University of Plymouth as part of a national research team and will work closely with the researchers at the University of Sheffield (led by Professor Scott Weich), as well as our Lived Experience Advisory Panel.  

This role is about helping to recruit a cohort of people with experiences of complex emotions to participate in studies being led by the Hub, and to specifically support the qualitative study. The qualitative study intends to generate a better understanding of people’s experiences of complex emotions, and experiences of care to develop improvements to care and support. Experience of undertaking research on sensitive topics and with vulnerable and seldom heard groups is a key part of this role. You will work collaboratively with people with lived experience of mental illness as research partners, so previous experience of this is essential, along with experience of recruiting mental health service users and mental health professionals to research studies. 

This role offers excellent professional development opportunities alongside an experienced research team, and benefitting from further opportunities provided by the UKRI Mental Health Platform and the University of Plymouth, as well as project-specific opportunities. 

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role please contact Becky Hardwick via email at rebecca.hardwick@plymouth.ac.uk and cc Richard Byng at Richard.byng@plymouth.ac.uk. 

This is a part-time post working 0.8 FTE, 29.6 hours per week, on a fixed-term basis up until 31^st March 2029 due to funding. The days of the week these hours can be worked can be discussed at interview or on notification to the successful applicant. 

For this role, you will need to be on site 1 day a week. Although we can accommodate hybrid working, flexibility to be on-site will be expected depending on business needs. 

The successful candidate may be required to obtain an ATAS Certificate prior to this research being undertaken. 

What we’re looking for 

Applicants will hold a Research-based Masters or PhD in health-related discipline (or equivalent experience). It is essential to have experience of undertaking qualitative research with people with serious mental health problems (including experience of study design, participant recruitment, data collection, analysis and reporting), and experience of undertaking quantitative research (including study design, participant recruitment, data collection using surveys and repeat measures, analysis and reporting). 

For more information about the job and the person specification, please refer to the job description. 

About us 

The Faculty of Health holds four Silver Athena Swan awards, which recognise our commitment to supporting gender equality within higher education. 

Application Process 

Please apply online, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training, and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement. 

Following the closing date of the vacancy, you will be notified on the outcome of your application in due course. 

Anticipated Online Interview Date: 8^th July 2025

Advert information