Junior Research Data Scientist

About us:

The role sits within the NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley, which supports large-scale mental health research and participant recruitment for studies including the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study and the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI) UK. These studies generate rich questionnaire, clinical, recruitment, linked health & biological data.

About the role:

We are seeking a motivated Junior Research Data Scientist to support the preparation, management and documentation of research data across large-scale mental health cohort studies, including GLAD, EDGI UK and related BioResource projects. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong quantitative or technical skills who is interested in developing a career in research data science, health data, bioinformatics or mental health research.

Working under the direction of the Senior Data Manager and Senior Data Analyst, you will help clean, validate, organise and document research datasets so they are ready for analysis and approved research use. This will include working with survey, recruitment, phenotypic, genomic and linked data; extracting and checking data from research platforms such as REDCap, Qualtrics and study databases; and using tools such as R, Python and SQL to support reproducible data processing.

You will contribute to developing and maintaining clear data workflows, code, data dictionaries, processing logs and standard operating documentation. You will also support quality control checks, investigate data inconsistencies, prepare routine summaries and extracts, and help ensure datasets are managed securely, accurately and in line with information governance, ethical approval and study protocol requirements.

The postholder will work closely with data, research, recruitment and programme management colleagues and will be expected to communicate progress, issues and risks clearly. The role would suit someone who is detail-focused, organised and keen to apply coding and data management skills to real-world mental health research.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), offered on a fixed-term contract from 1st October 2026 until 30 September 2029, extendable subject to funding.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• Degree, or equivalent experience, in data science, statistics, computer science, bioinformatics or another quantitative, technical or analytical subject. 
• Working knowledge of R or Python, including the ability to write, test and document code for data processing or analysis. 
• Knowledge of SQL or another database query language, and at least one research data capture or management platform such as REDCap or Qualtrics. 
• Ability to clean and check data, including identifying errors, missing values and inconsistencies in survey or tabular datasets. 
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to follow agreed procedures accurately when handling confidential or sensitive research data. 
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to manage allocated tasks, keep clear records and work to agreed deadlines. 
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain routine data processes and issues clearly to colleagues.

Desirable criteria

• Experience with version control, reproducible workflow or containerisation tools, such as Git, Snakemake, Nextflow or Singularity/Apptainer.
• Experience of working with research data in a university, NHS, health, mental health, genetics, epidemiology or cohort study setting.
• Experience of working with survey, questionnaire or longitudinal data, or with genomic or other omics data.
• Understanding of data protection, information governance, ethical research practice or reproducible research principles.
• Interest in psychiatric genetics, mental health research, longitudinal studies or large-scale cohort studies.

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