Postdoctoral Researcher: Immune-Metabolic and Severe Mental Illness Group

Location: Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX

The University of Oxford is a stimulating work environment, which enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence. Our research plays a key role in tackling many global challenges, from reducing our carbon emissions to developing vaccines during a pandemic.

The Department of Psychiatry is based on the Warneford Hospital site in Oxford – a friendly, welcoming place of work with an international reputation for excellence. The Department has a substantial research programme, with major funding from Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and provides highly rated medical training in psychiatry. The Head of Department is Professor Belinda Lennox.

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the Immune-Metabolic and Severe Mental Illness Group in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, to analyse clinical, biomarker and neuroimaging data from major MRC and NIHR funded studies of psychosis.

About the Role

The post is funded for 12 months and is based in the Department of Psychiatry at the Warneford Hospital. It is full-time with consideration given to candidates wishing to work part-time (minimum 80% FTE). This post is available on a flexible hybrid basis. The minimum on-site time is 3 days/week for a full-time post.

Reporting to Professor Rachel Upthegrove, you will work specifically on analysis of two completing trials with clinical, biomarker and imaging data: Psychosis Immune Mechanism Stratified Medicine Study and the Antidepressant for Prevention of Depression in First Episode Psychosis. 

You will be a key member of a research group whose broad aim is to develop evidence for novel treatment targets, repurposed therapeutics and stratified subgroups of patients with psychosis.

The work will focus on primary and secondary analysis of experimental medicine studies focused on inflammation in schizophrenia and funded by MRC and NIHR. Projects will fully exploit outputs, scope further targets and progress future grant capture. This will include data analysis, developing pipelines, report writing and co-development of new study protocols.

About You

You will have or be close to the completion of a relevant PhD/DPhil e.g., neuroscience, together with relevant advanced analysis experience. Sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline and experience of advanced multimodal data analysis is essential, along with demonstrable relevant experience within the topic of psychosis.

Experience of working with clinical trial data and/or experimental medicine studies would be desirable.

Diversity

Committed to equality and valuing diversity

Our active Psychiatry People and Culture teams  and initiatives including our values and behaviours framework, work to make the Department of Psychiatry as supportive, welcoming and inclusive as possible.

Application Process

You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application. Please see the University pages on the application process at https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/application-process

The closing date for applications is 12:00 midday on 18 August 2026

It is anticipated that interviews will take place on 11 September 2026.

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