Research Assistant

About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity for a postgraduate in psychology or a related field such as statistics to develop their research skills as part of a team under Prof. Claire Lomax and will be based in the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), one of the most esteemed clinical research centres worldwide. You will contribute to an exciting new research project commissioned by the Board of the Clearing House for Postgraduate Courses in Clinical Psychology, whose strategy includes promoting the profession of clinical psychology, and your work will be broadly encompassed within this remit.

In this role as Research Assistant you will join a project exploring the areas of workforce evaluation, planning and strategy, including pathways into the profession of clinical psychology This research will be used to support NHS commissioners and the training community in the development of a long-term workforce strategy with respect to clinical psychology, and support applicants to entry into clinical psychology training programmes. The work will be undertaken through the evaluation of existing data held by the Clearing House, collection of new data from recent clinical psychology graduates and from training programmes. There will be a Steering Group which will lead the strategy of this work, constituted of senior stakeholders to discuss and shape research questions and then to disseminate work and findings.

Working in close collaboration with other researchers involved in this project, you will organise research activities, including cleaning and organising data sets ready for analysis; plan data collection methods for DClinPsy programmes and graduates; and disseminate information and contribute to outputs. You will engage in all aspects of the project, including developing engagement with prequalification groups, the Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology community, graduates of training programmes and NHS commissioners. Consultation and communication with all of these groups would be at the very centre of this work. You will be managed on a day-to-day basis by a research clinical psychologist alongside an academic team.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week) and you will be offered a fixed-term contract for 24 months.

About you:

Essential criteria

• 2:1 or above at degree level in psychology or a related topic
• Experience of writing scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals or dissemination at conference
• Skills and experience in project management
• Experience of working with large data sets
• Excellent attention to detail in communication, data management and reporting results.
• Strong interpersonal skills, evidence of experience in consultation, communication and engagement with stakeholder groups.

Desirable criteria

• Hold a relevant master’s degree or be close to completion with expectation of Merit or above
• Experience of collaborative research, supporting a wider team to achieve their goals
• Experience of developing communication strategy

Further information:

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

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