Research Assistant/Associate

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Job description:

The Role

We are excited to launch this opportunity for a Research Assistant/Research Associate in Delirium and Parkinson's Disease Research to join us in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University.

You will be based in the Biomedical Research Building at Newcastle University within the Faculty of Medical Sciences and join the Delirium and Translational Research in Neurodegeneration (DELTA) Team. led by Dr Rachael Lawson. DELTA is a multidisciplinary research group focused on improving the identification, characterisation, and longitudinal tracking of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease and older adult populations. The group combines clinical research, epidemiology, digital health, and data science approaches to better understand symptom progression and outcomes in real-world clinical settings.

This post forms part of an established programme of research investigating delirium in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and older adult populations. Delirium is common in people with Parkinson’s and is associated with significant adverse outcomes, including increased mortality, dementia risk, and loss of independence. However, it remains under-recognised, partly due to its heterogeneous presentation and overlap with underlying neurological conditions. Recent work from the DELTA Team has demonstrated that delirium in Parkinson’s disease has distinct symptom profiles and subtypes, but how these evolve over time remains poorly understood.

You will contribute to longitudinal analyses examining heterogeneity and trajectories of delirium symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease and in older adults, using data from large, prospectively collected cohort studies including DELIRIUM-PD and DECIDE. The role will involve working with complex clinical datasets, harmonising data across studies to enable integrated analyses, and applying advanced statistical approaches to understand symptom progression and outcomes over time.

You will work closely with clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience to ensure that research questions, analyses, and outputs are clinically meaningful and impactful. The role will also involve contributing to patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities, including co-design of dissemination materials and research outputs.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to high-impact translational research with clear potential to improve the recognition, monitoring, and management of delirium in clinical practice.

The post is available full time, on a fixed-term basis for 24 months.

You will report to Dr Rachael Lawson. We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you would like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact rachael.lawson@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide adjustments to support your application.

How to apply

Please submit:

• A CV
• A cover letter outlining:
  • Your experience working with complex clinical or epidemiological data
  • Your experience with statistical or data science tools
  • Your interest in Parkinson’s disease or related research
  • Examples of collaborative working
  • How you meet the essential criteria 

What happens next

Interviews will be held in June

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: Faculty of Medical Sciences

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: Research Institutes

Contact for the post is: rachael.lawson@newcastle.ac.uk 

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