Research Associate

The Role

Your role as a Postdoctoral Research Associate will focus on the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work package (WP) of the LifeArc Centre for Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials (ARDT). This is an exciting opportunity for a qualitative researcher to advance their research experience and career development working on this highly innovative, interdisciplinary project. Working in the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) at Newcastle, you will be given scope to shape key aspects of the project's research design. You will co-ordinate with part-time RAs and PPIE experts across Newcastle University, Birmingham University, Queen's University Belfast, and beyond on our key PPIE Work package. You will work directly with the ARDT Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) to ensure meaningful patient and public involvement and engagement across the project and within Newcastle University more widely.

As part of the role you will be supported to develop innovative research methodologies, publish articles both independently and with other team members, and establish networks with other scholars. The project includes funding for training, regular travel, and to support fieldwork. As one of three Research Associates on the project, you will have responsibility for the Newcastle-based fieldwork and for co-ordination of activities across the WP. There will be scope for you to shape how that fieldwork will develop, alongside working with patient advocacy representatives and the LEAP, who will inform all aspects of research design, and a Young People's Advisory Group (YPAG).

The ARDT project is establishing a UK-wide rare disease clinical trials platform to enable faster and more efficient delivery of drug and treatment trials. Within the PPIE work package, the focus is on (i) conducting research on patient participation in rare disease trials, and (ii) establishing and supporting the involvement of people with lived experience of rare diseases (PLERD) across the project. Working closely with colleagues and PPIE experts at Birmingham University and Queen's University Belfast, as well as patient advocacy organisations such as Genetic Alliance UK, the team will use qualitative and participatory approaches to explore barriers to participation and embed co-design and co-production in all aspects of the Centre's work. You will be based in the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre within the Translational Clinical Research Institute of Newcastle University, joining an interdisciplinary team led by Cathy Turner, Victoria Hedley, and Professor Dave Jones, with strong links to the ARDT's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) activities.

This post is fixed term for a period of 44 months (until 31 August 2029) depending on the agreed start date.

For informal enquiries contact: catherine.turner@ncl.ac.uk

This post will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

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As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

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