Clinical Research Fellow

About us:

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London is a world-leading centre for research and education in mental health and neuroscience. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Research Fellow to contribute to a cross-disciplinary programme within the Department of Psychosis Studies at the IoPPN in collaboration with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The Recognition and Evidence Based Management of Bipolar Disorder in Psychosis Pathways project is a Maudsley Charity-funded programme designed to improve the recognition of bipolar affective symptoms and access to evidence-based care for people presenting through non-affective pathways. The project will introduce routine screening, develop and implement clinical training and diagnostic resources, refine standards of care for bipolar and schizoaffective disorders, and evaluate the current pathways and outcomes and the impact of these changes using routinely collected clinical data and qualitative methods.

About the role:

The Clinical Research Fellow will provide the principal medical input into the day-to-day delivery of the programme and clinical input to the interpretation of large-scale observational data. The post-holder will lead the development and delivery of training for clinicians in the recognition, differential diagnosis and evidence-based management of bipolar affective symptoms in people presenting with psychosis. This will include face-to-face teaching and development of accessible digital training resources.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 01 Jan 2028 and you will be offered a fixed term contract for one year (with potential to extend). We recognise the importance of flexibility and would also welcome applications from candidates who wish to be considered for the role on a part-time basis. The precise working pattern can be discussed with the successful candidate, taking into account both individual circumstances and the requirements of the role.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development

About you:

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

Essential criteria

1. Full GMC / NMC / other relevant body registration with valid license to practice.
2. Clinical experience in psychiatry at ST3 level or above, or equivalent, with substantive experience of working within UK NHS mental health services.
3. Good clinical knowledge of the assessment and differential diagnosis of major mental disorders, including psychotic and affective disorders.
4. Ability to understand and critically interpret quantitative clinical research and routinely collected healthcare data and to contribute clinical expertise to statistical analyses.
5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience and other stakeholders.
6. Experience of scientific or clinical writing, such as research papers, reports, conference abstracts, guidelines or educational materials. 

Desirable criteria

1. Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych), or substantial progress towards membership. 
2. Clinical experience in psychotic and affective disorders and/or forensic psychiatry. 
3. Experience of developing and delivering structured clinical education or digital training materials. 
4. Experience of working with electronic health record data, CRIS, clinical informatics, audit or large observational datasets. 
5. Prior involvement in research grant applications.

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