KCMHR – Research Associate (Post-doctoral) in the Department of Psychological Medicine

About us

The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) is the leading civilian UK centre of excellence for military health research, independent of the UK Ministry of Defence and Office for Veterans’ Affairs. KCMHR sits within the Department of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and is directed by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Nicola Fear.  KCMHR’s work has a strong track record for helping shape UK Government policy for military personnel, veterans and their families, as well as informing support and interventions for the Armed Forces community.

About the role

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to lead the day-to-day coordination and running of the AFTER Study: Armed Forces genital Trauma and psychosexual Experiences Research. This is a two and a half year mixed methods participatory research project investigating the long-term psychosocial and sexual impact of conflict-related genital injuries, including the development of possible interventions/support materials. This project is a collaboration with RAND Europe and Manchester Metropolitan University and is funded by the Scar Free Foundation.

The successful candidate will have experience of running large scale mixed methods research on sensitive topics and will have a PhD in psychology or a similar relevant area of expertise. The post holder will line manage a research assistant and should have experience of effectively managing a research team to deliver on a multi-stage project. The post holder will report to the study’s senior management team consisting of the KCMHR Director (Professor Nicola Fear), and collaborators at RAND Europe (Dr Mary Keeling) and MMU (Dr Natalie Hammond).

This is a part-time post (24.5 hours per week) and will be offered on a fixed term contract until 31st August 2027. The post will be based within the Weston Education Centre at the Denmark Hill campus for two days a week, with the opportunity to work from home for 1.5 days.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified in (health) psychology or subject area relevant to the research project.
2. Experienced in successfully conducting research on sensitive topics.
3. Highly organised and competent in project management and delivery of high-quality research, including successful recruitment of participants for research on highly sensitive topics.
4. Knowledge and experience of qualitative research methods, including conducting interviews on sensitive topics, and conducting high-quality qualitative analysis.
5.  Knowledge and experience developing and conducting online surveys, using STATA and conducting relevant statistical analysis.
6. Dedicated to conducting research inclusively and committed to promoting equality and diversity in all aspects of work.
7. Excellent written and verbal communication skills for a variety of audiences with high standards of accuracy and attention to detail.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience and interest conducting research with the Armed Forces community.
2. Experience and interest conducting research on topics related to sexual health/wellbeing and psychosocial wellbeing
3. Experience in conducting participatory research.
4. Strong academic record (e.g. evidence of peer reviewed papers, conference presenting, other research conduct and dissemination)

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King’s.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held on 16 April.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearance.

Click here to apply.