Postdoctoral Research Associate in Design Research

About the Role

This new post will be at the forefront of interdisciplinary medical research contributing to the design-led development and evaluation of patient-centred risk-communication tools for medicine use before and during pregnancy. This postholder would work primarily on a recently funded programme of work to develop a novel approach to understanding and communicating the Safety of Medicines in Pregnancy. Current risk-communication materials in maternity care are often text-heavy, numerically dense, and disconnected from the lived experiences of women and families. Building on prior epidemiological and clinical work, this post will support a design-led, experience-prototyping approach to co-design communication tools that help women, their families, and clinicians navigate complex benefit–risk decisions during the pre-conception, antenatal, and post-partum periods.

The post-holder will undertake original, practice-based design research, drawing on participatory and co-design methods, as well as qualitative approaches including semi-structured interviews with women, families, and clinicians. These interviews will inform the design process and deepen understanding of the everyday contexts and sociomaterial practices that shape decision-making around medicine use in pregnancy. The research will be informed by theoretical perspectives such as Science and Technology Studies (STS), including concepts such as the co-production of knowledge, more-than-human entanglements (e.g. mother, fetus, medicines, and data), and the situated nature of risk communication in healthcare.

The post-holder will be responsible for planning and delivering design research activities, conducting and analysing interviews, developing prototypes, facilitating workshops, and documenting participatory design processes. They will lead on the preparation of peer-reviewed publications and contribute to reports for funding bodies, policymakers, and public audiences.

About You

The post would be ideally suited to someone proactive and ambitious who has obtained their PhD, has a strong portfolio of design practice and has begun an academic career in health research. The post holder will provide guidance to junior members of the research group including research assistants, PhD and MSc students, project volunteers and other members of the team.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

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