King's College London

About us

The King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) is the leading civilian UK centre of excellence for military, veteran and family health and wellbeing 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 Research Assistant to support 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 working on research studies, will be enthusiastic, organised, with great attention to detail, a desire to grow their skills and experiences as a researcher, and an ability to work on research about sensitive topics. They will ideally have some experience with both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. They will successfully manage their time and workload and demonstrate initiative in handling demanding deadlines and targets when needed. The successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding and practice of equitable and inclusive research practices. Ideally the post holder will have an interest and experience in working with the Armed Forces Community or in sexual health and wellbeing.  

The post holder will work under the direction of the study’s post-doctoral research associated and report to the 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 offered at either 3 or 4 days (21 or 28 hours per week),  on a fixed term contract until 31 August 2027. If accepted at 4 days a week the post-holder would spend one day a week supporting the work of the Forces in Mind Trust Research Centre.

The FiMT Research Centre (https://www.fimt-rc.org/) aims to ensure that evidence is at the heart of decision making for the benefit of the Armed Forces community. It works towards achieving this by providing and producing various outputs with the aim of increasing accessibility to evidence in digestible formats. The FiMT Research Centre (https://www.fimt-rc.org/) aims to ensure that evidence is at the heart of decision making for the benefit of the Armed Forces community. It works towards achieving this by providing and producing various outputs with the aim of increasing accessibility to evidence in digestible formats. 

The post will be based within the Weston Education Centre at the Denmark Hill campus for one or two days a week, depending on if the role is taken at 3 or 4 days, with the opportunity to work from home for two days. 

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.  2.1 or above degree in psychology or other relevant social or health science.
2.  Knowledge of literature reviews, and qualitative and quantitative research methods including participant recruitment, data collection, and data analysis.   
3. An ability to work on research about sensitive topics.
4.  Interest in conducting research with the Armed Forces community.
5. Produces high-quality work efficiently and prioritizes their workload to meet deadlines. 
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, attention to detail, and about sensitive topics.  
8. Able to work independently and use their own initiative as well as take direction and know when to seek support. 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience working with the Armed Forces community
2. Experience working in areas related to sexual health/wellbeing and psychosocial wellbeing.
3. Postgraduate degree in a related field.
4. Experience of conducting qualitative, quantitative, and/or participatory research.
5. Experience using research analysis programs such as NVivo and STATA.

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 16th April 2025

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

  This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearance.