Research Fellow (National Evaluation of Weight Medication Access: NEWA)

Would you like to be a postdoctoral research fellow on the NIHR evaluation of new treatment models for people living with obesity? We are recruiting!

About the role:

The research aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of the new models of care for people living with obesity in receipt of obesity management medications.

The research is being jointly led from Universities of Bristol and Plymouth, and the successful applicant will work closely with an existing researcher who is based at University of Exeter. The role involves assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the new models for both service users and providers with a particular focus on their potential to impact patients’ behaviour and weight management across socio-demographic groups.

Due to the nature of this role, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check plus an Adult’s Barred List check will be required.

For this role, you will need to be on site 1 days a week. Although we can accommodate hybrid working, flexibility to be on-site will be expected depending on business needs.

There is an essential requirement within this role that you will be required to travel to and work at different University sites and/or other business locations that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Please refer to the job description for further information.

What we’re looking for:

You will:

• Be required to work closely with clinical staff, commissioners, PPIE contributors and community researchers across sites who are delivering the new treatment models.
• undertake data collection and analysis using predominantly qualitative methods.
• be expected to build relationships with providers / commissioners in order to understand the secondary and primary care context in which the models function.
• have excellent communication skills and be willing to travel and stay in sites across England for short periods of time.

This is a full-time fixed term contract, from 2^nd November 2026 until the 31^st July 2027 (or as soon as possible thereafter) as maternity/adoption cover in the Faculty of Health.

For more information about the job and the person specification, please refer to the job description.

About us:

The Faculty of Health holds four Silver Athena Swan awards, which recognise our commitment to supporting gender equality within higher education.

The University of Plymouth has a strong interdisciplinary research ethos which is supported by our two strategic Research Institutes; the Marine Institute and the Sustainable Earth Institute.

For more information on School of Psychology please visit our dedicated webpage at https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools

Informal Enquiries:

Before submitting an application, you may wish to discuss the post further by emailing either:

Professor Mark Tarrant, Professor of Psychology, University of Plymouth: mark.tarrant-5@plymouth.ac.uk 

Dr Jenny Lloyd, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Research, University of Exeter: j.j.lloyd@exeter.ac.uk. 

Application Process:

Please apply online, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training, skills and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.

Our Offer:

Staff appointed within the Faculty of Health may be able to join the NHS pension scheme subject to eligibility criteria.

A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed here.

Closing Date: Sunday 27^th September 2026 - 12 o’clock midnight

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