Postdoctoral Research Associate in Design

About the Role

The post holder will work with the Principal Investigator to deliver practice-based, design-led research developing and testing inclusive co-design across healthcare.

A central strand is an NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) project developing culturally sensitive co-design tools for minority ethnic communities’ involvement in intervention design. This includes leading workshops and producing accessible toolkit resources, with a proof-of-concept focused on diabetes prevention for women of South Asian and Black African heritage.

In parallel, the post holder will work on Digesting Science, co-designing a schools programme with drama practitioners, teachers, children and families affected by Multiple Sclerosis, developing and testing participatory activities, prototypes and learning resources towards delivery at scale.

The role suits someone with strong facilitation skills, confidence in making and visual communication, and experience writing up design-led work for academic and partner audiences.

About You

You will bring experience of practice-based, design-led research and be able to plan and facilitate inclusive co-design with communities and stakeholders across healthcare and/or education settings. You will be confident designing and delivering participatory workshops, recruiting and working sensitively with diverse groups, and turning workshop activity into clear, usable resources.

You will have strong making and visual communication skills  and be able to document co-design rigorously through recording, note-taking and design synthesis. You will engage critically with relevant literature and existing toolkits, and communicate learning through accessible public-facing outputs and academic writing. You will work well within a multidisciplinary team, follow research governance and data protection requirements, and contribute to a supportive research culture.

About the School/Department/Institute/Project

The WIPH is an exciting and dynamic environment, home to 450 staff, 100 PhD students and c500 postgraduate taught students. It harnesses expertise across a wide range of population-based research and education activities and aims to be an internationally recognised centre of excellence in population health, primary care and preventive medicine. The Institute is organised into six separate research centres which, though complementary and following the Institute strategic plan, also have Centre-specific objectives and requirements.

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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