Research Assistant (Changing the Narratives)

Part-time: 14 hours per week

Fixed term: 11 months; between 4th October 2026 - 31st August 2027 

The Opportunity:

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The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. We offer the full range of academic roles and have a genuine focus on our students performance and wellbeing.

An opportunity to join a vibrant team delivering an impact project that is informing suicide prevention and self-harm policy and practice across Scotland, and beyond. 

Funded by an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Accelerator Award, we are looking for a Research Assistant to play a pivotal role in supporting the translation of critical social science research on suicide, self-harm and gender into action. The project - Gender, Self-Harm, and Suicide: Changing the Narratives - aims to transform how gender is addressed in self-harm and suicide policies and practices.

As Research Assistant on the Changing the Narratives project, you will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of researchers, led by Professor Amy Chandler, along with project collaborators from Public Health Scotland, Penumbra and Samaritans Scotland.

The role centres research impact, and includes helping to communicate social scientific research findings to diverse audiences of policy-makers, practitioners, and people with lived/living experiences of self-harm and suicide. You will help to organise and run public engagement events, write reports, and contribute to the production of accessible outputs, such as research briefings, podcasts, and infographics. You will also support the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of project activities. 

Essential skills and experience for this role include:

• A relevant social science degree (e.g. in sociology, anthropology, psychology, social work, social policy or politics)
• A good understanding of qualitative research methods
• Experience of doing public engagement work – particularly if this relates to potentially sensitive topics (such as mental health, suicide or similar) 

The post-holder will be appointable on first point of the grade due to budgetary restrictions (£34,610), with automatic increments awarded as outlined in Conditions of Service.  

This post is part time (14 hours per week). We are open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. Regular in-person meetings are required, and there may be some in person events/travel. A small number of additional hours supporting another research project may be available to the successful candidate.

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