King's College London

About Us

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place. The impact of the Institute's work was judged to be 100% 'world-leading' or 'internationally-excellent' in the Research Excellence Framework 2014. The IoPPN has a rich history of pioneering research, enhancing patient care, influencing policy change, raising awareness of conditions affecting the brain or sharing knowledge through education.  Visit here for more information: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn

About The Role 

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Associate/Assistant to join our global mental health team, led by Professor Melanie Abas. This is a maternity cover post. The candidate will work on a variety of global mental health projects led by Prof Melanie Abas including an NIHR Global Health Research Group on Interventions for young people with Depression in Ghana and Zimbabwe. There will also be opportunities to engage in a range of complementary projects within Prof Abas’s group, and to support the development of new grant applications.

The Research Associate/Assistant will support in the delivery and research project management of ongoing and new projects. Their responsibilities will include assisting with grant applications, contributing to analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, contributing to publications, supporting the dissemination of study findings at multiple levels, and managing the monitoring  of project deliverables and study close down. This will include ensuring compliance with ethical standards across all activities. They will be capable of working autonomously and liaising directly with research investigators, external partners and stakeholders. They will be expected to display initiative and independence.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Contribute to the development of publications and research outputs.
• Assist with the preparation of grant applications led by Prof. Abas.
• Facilitate the dissemination of study findings at local, regional, and international levels.
• Support investigators in drafting research protocols, ethical approval applications, and research questionnaires.
• Ensure ethical approvals are maintained in alignment with ongoing project activities.
• Gather relevant data on dissemination, impact, and other indicators relevant to the monitoring and evaluation or the project and coordinate the drafting of reports, as necessary. 
• Manage the close down of study activities across multiple sites.

Position Details: 

• Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week).
• Contract: Fixed-term, ending 30 September 2025, with the potential for extension until March 2026, subject to the project extension being approved. This is a maternity cover post.
• Location: London, with a hybrid working arrangement, split between office and remote work. The office is based at Denmark Hill.

Due to the contract length sponsorship cannot be offered for overseas candidates.

About You

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

Essential criteria

1. Only applicable for Grade 6 Research Associate: PhD qualified in relevant subject area  e.g. public health, global health , epidemiology, public mental health, global mental health (or pending results) 
2. For Grade 5 Research Assistant: A relevant higher degree (e.g MSc global health or global mental health, MSc in epidemiology or public health), or equivalent 
3. Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies relevant to epidemiology and/ or global health and/or public health
4. Experience working on pilot trials, or clinical trials, or sound understanding of clinical trial methodology 
5. Proven ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders 
6. Experience writing for peer-reviewed publication 
7. Ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team

Desirable criteria

1. Track record of peer reviewed publications 
2. Proven ability to draft research protocols and manage ethical approval applications
3. Experience managing a varied workload with conflicting priorities 
4. Experience working on research projects conducted in low-resource settings  
5. Proven ability to contribute to successful research grant applications 

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.

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 the afternoon of 20th January 2025.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.