Research Associate in Lung Health and Wellbeing

About the role

We are looking for a Research Associate in Lung Health and Wellbeing to support the Asthma & Lung UK funded study “Development And Feasibility Of Social Prescribing Of LAughter ClaSses For People With BroncHiectasis (SPLASH)”. The study is led by researchers from Kings College London, with collaborators from University of Southampton. The study will develop a novel intervention of laughter classes as social prescribing for people with bronchiectasis, and will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the new intervention.  It is possible that joining a local group to do laughter “exercises”, can help people with bronchiectasis remove phlegm and improve their mood and quality of life. Before we can test if laughter has these benefits, it is essential to develop and check the best ways that we can run these classes.

The appointment will be at the grade of Research Associate. The postholder will be a researcher with a strong interest in intervention development, community therapies and co-design. The appointee will have a MSc (or equivalent experience) in health research or social sciences.

The postholder will be supported to run the day-to-day activities of the study; including the set up the delivery of the intervention site, recruit participants and act as a contact point. They will support the classes in a community setting and complete baseline and follow up assessments. They will also support the development, delivery and analysis of the intervention and continuous refinement and explore the acceptability and fidelity of the intervention. They will also have administrative duties including scheduling, preparing materials, and taking minutes for research and stakeholder meetings. Furthermore, they will support the preparation and dissemination of outputs from the study.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an  fixed term contract until 31/10/2026.

About You

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

Essential criteria

• BSc in Physiotherapy or Speech and Language Therapy or Psychology
• PhD qualified in a relevant subject area *
• Experience with study logistics, including recruitment, ethics/governance processes, data collection and analysis, and liaising with stakeholders
• Experience working with individuals with chronic health conditions and/or in community-based settings
• Experience in Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and/or community engagement in health research
• Experience in writing for peer-reviewed publications
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, actively addressing areas of potential bias

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Desirable criteria

• Experience in delivering or co-developing health or wellbeing interventions, particularly in community-based or psychosocial contexts
• Training or practical experience in behavioural science, group facilitation, or psychosocial interventions (e.g., laughter therapy, CBT, mindfulness)
• Experience in interacting with patients with respiratory conditions

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