Research Associate

Salary

The salary range for Research Assistant is £31,236 to £37,694 per annum.

The salary range for Research Associate is £38,784 to £46,049 per annum.

The University of Bath is seeking a suitable postdoctoral researcher to work on an exciting new project developing and user testing very brief digital interventions (‘microinterventions’) for reducing eating disorder risk among adolescents in schools. 

The project will explore digital technologies for mental health prevention, adopt person-centred intervention design principles, and work together with young people and school staff to co-design a flexible digital toolkit suitable for schools. The project is funded by the Medical Research Foundation, and supported by the newly developed Disorders of Eating and Body Image research group within the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath.

The project has three main objectives/work packages: 

1. Establish what secondary school students, teachers, & eating disorder prevention researchers agree are priority intervention targets, strategies, and delivery options.
2. Iteratively co-design a package of digital microinterventions & associated guidance with students and teachers so that it is relevant, credible, and engaging.
3. Assess whether this digital microintervention package is feasible to deliver in UK schools, and address key uncertainties related to implementation and evaluation.

About the role

The successful applicant will take a lead in managing all three work packages and be involved in the entire research cycle, involving quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, stakeholder management, and reporting and dissemination activities. 

Particular responsibilities will include, but are not restricted to:

• Managing advisory panel of stakeholders (i.e., students, school staff, lived experience expert) and guiding integration of perspectives throughout 
• Collaborating with research team to adapt existing evidence-based intervention strategies into brief interactive digital tools
• Developing the digital platform and technological features with support from technical experts
• Preparation of research materials and ethics applications
• Leading participant recruitment and management across studies, including a multistakeholder survey (Delphi) study, co-design workshops and think-aloud interviews with young people and school staff, and a feasibility trial in secondary schools
• Facilitating co-design workshops and think-aloud interviews, and guiding iterative refinement of the intervention package
• Conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses
• Contributing to academic publications and future funding applications
• Presenting research at national and international conferences
• Developing suitable materials for disseminating findings to non-academic audiences

About you

We wish to recruit someone with enthusiasm and interest in young people’s mental health, and eating disorders in particular. 

Previous experience of research in these areas is desirable, but not essential, as we are primarily looking for candidates with relevant research skills. 

The appointed candidate will ideally have a background in Psychology and/or Human Computer Interaction to guide the design and evaluation of the digital intervention. 

We are looking to recruit someone enjoys working as part of a team, values person-centred design principles, and can engage with diverse stakeholders. Ideally, you will have:

• A PhD in Psychology or background relevant to the project (essential)
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods (essential)
• Previous experience with developing digital health interventions and/or participatory research methods (desirable)
• Experience of conducting multi-stakeholder projects (desirable)

Additional information

This role is offered on a part-time basis (0.5FTE) for 21 months.

As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Melissa Atkinson (ma2293@bath.ac.uk).

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