Skills, knowledge, and experience

​​Essential criteria

1. Doctoral level professional qualification in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy or equivalent) and PhD in Psychology or closely related discipline. 2. Established record in attracting research grants and publishing internationally excellent peer reviewed outputs in mental health and/or neurodevelopmental disorders. 3. Capacity to build & maintain relationships at all levels of organisations & the skills to work effectively. 4. Ability to deliver high quality teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels within their specialist area. 5. Ability to successfully supervise undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral level students to completion. 6. Experience in leading and managing a research team and supporting others effectively. 7. Ability to value, relate to and support colleagues, other staff, visitors, and students and to contribute to a healthy and cooperative team ethos. 8. Experience working as a clinician in a mental health service. 9. Advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of adult mental health and/or neurodevelopmental disorders and of specialist interventions in these fields. 10. Evidence of providing clinical leadership and contributing to the strategic ambitions/directions of a clinical service.

​Desirable criteria

11. Fellow (or higher) of the Higher Education Academy (or equivalent) or eligible for membership. 12. Organised and systematic approach to work on multiple areas of commitment. 13. Commitment to continuing professional development and partnership working. 14. At least 4-6 peer reviewed publications in the last five years (of full-time employment), of “internationally excellent” quality (with substantive and critical authorship contribution). 15. Sufficient PI and/or CI grant income with a percentage of salary recovery over the last 5 years to maintain a substantive research team. 16. A track record of supervising PhD’s to completion and post-doctoral mentorship. 17. Substantive esteem indicators such as routinely invited to speak at international meetings, chair and organiser of national/international meetings, chairing and serving on professional and scientific grant committees and Editorial Boards. 18. Demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines.

Additional information

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance. Level of DBS clearance required: • Carrying out regulated activities with children and adults. • No regulated activity but contact with vulnerable groups. • Situated in a regulated environment ie NHS premises.

About the Department of Psychology

Since the Department of Psychology was founded in 1950, it has carried on a distinguished programme of research, teaching and clinical practice, with a long-standing link with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). In 2004, the psychology sections of Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine merged with the Department, creating one of the world’s largest groupings of clinical and health psychologists. Today, Psychology is one of the largest departments in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). The Department’s research interests span a wide range of mental health disorders and physical health problems, including anxiety disorders, trauma, somatoform disorders, pain, psychosis, depression, antisocial personality, disorders in childhood and adolescence, emotion and personality, and neurodegeneration. In physical health, we work at the interface between physical health and mental health and wellbeing, focusing on the development and evaluation of new psychological treatments and on understanding the mechanisms that maintain psychological distress. Much of our past work has informed UK national treatment guidelines in mental and physical health. The breadth of research expertise has broadened considerably with the recruitment of ‘basic’ cognitive and social psychologists whose interests intersect with and extend our existing profile in translational and applied research.

Research Themes

• Basic Psychological Science Investigating the psychological processes that are the foundations of human behaviour. • Childhood & Lifespan Development Researching early development, spanning infancy through to the early stages of adult life. • Emotion & Emotional Disorders Examining the psychological and physiological processes that underpin our emotional experiences. • Health Psychology & Behavioural Medicine Improving health by understanding the complex interplay between biopsychosocial processes, mental and physical health. • Mental & Physical Health Disparities Investigating disparities in physical and mental health. • Neuropsychology Exploring the impact of brain function on cognition and behaviour. • Psychological Approaches to Psychosis Increasing our understanding of psychotic experiences. • Student Mental Health & Education Research Conducting research into pedagogy, educational effectiveness, student and staff wellbeing, inclusive and accessible education and widening participation.

About the School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences

Our School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences is at the forefront of international scientific research on psychology, mental health and neurological disorders. The School is made up of four departments: • Biostatistics & Health Informatics • Health Service & Population Research • Psychology • Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry With over 100 Principal Investigators, our research spans development from childhood to old age, encompassing basic research through to the development and implementation of treatments, services and policy. Our researchers delve into a huge range of fields, from psychology, genetics and mental health to health economics, statistics and informatics. Our scientific breakthroughs have an impact on both individuals and their families, as well as health services and society. As part of King’s Health Partners, we maintain strong collaborative ties with three major NHS Trusts in London, particularly the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The School embraces research, education and clinical translation aiming to further understand and improve mental health and brain disease and train the next generation of researchers and practitioners.

About the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is Europe’s largest centre for research and education in psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience. As the premier centre for mental health and related neurosciences research in Europe, the IoPPN is the world’s most cited institution for psychiatry/mental health research, and is ranked fourth in the world for highly cited neuroscience outputs (Scival). IoPPN is home to 30 of the most highly cited scientists in their field in the world (Clarivate). Our community of academics work together to translate insights from discovery science (including neuroscience, genomics, social science, and psychology) to interventions to improve patient care and quality of life, and to teach and train the next generation of relevant healthcare practitioners. The IoPPN is a flourishing and expanding Faculty of King’s College London, with multidisciplinary expertise, across three academic Schools, and 13 departments. The work of the Institute is enhanced through strong partnerships with the South London & Maudsley, Guy’s & St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts, within the academic health sciences centre, King’s Health Partners. A key partnership is the recent King’s Maudsley Partnership, which will have its home at the £90m Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, bringing together clinical and academic excellence in a unique collaboration between SLaM, the IoPPN and the Maudsley charity as its charity partner (alongside other leading philanthropists). Sitting at the heart of the King’s/SLaM Denmark Hill campus, the PMC is a state-of-the-art hub for mental health research focused on children, adolescents, young adults and their families. The PMC is an enterprise bringing together scientists and clinicians from a range of professional backgrounds to address the mental health of children and young people. The Partnership will deliver rapid, relevant findings on the causes of mental health problems; determining which children are most at risk of developing mental ill health and developing effective strategies on how to prevent mental health problems, and how to stop them from getting worse once they appear. It will build the evidence-base for developing personalised multi-modal treatments with avenues for scalability. The PMC is the only facility in Europe whose primary focus is on mental disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions affecting CYP.

People & Structure

The IoPPN has approximately 380 academic and over 750 research staff, over 2500 taught students with an annual turnover of £190 million, £80m of which is in research income. The IoPPN is made up of three academic Schools that allow our academic mission to be carried out across the wider context of mental health. Each school embraces research, education and clinical translation aiming to further understand and improve mental health and treat disorders of the nervous system. Academics also collaborate within IoPPN, across KCL, throughout the UK and across the globe. The Institute’s three academic Schools are: • Academic Psychiatry (Head – Professor Allan Young) • Neuroscience (Head – Professor Mark Richardson) • Mental Health & Psychological Sciences (Head – Professor Dame Til Wykes) The IoPPN has a deep commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and holds an Athena SWAN award (Silver) from 2014, which was subsequently renewed in 2019. The IoPPN 2020-25 strategy puts people at the heart of its success with equality, diversity and inclusion principles applied across all our operations. We provide an inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and parental leave, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. All Faculty meetings integrate diversity principles across the agenda, ensuring that our management culture addresses inequalities across the protected characteristics, through our work practices, research, and education. We have a very active, diverse, and multidisciplinary network of staff and students across the faculty who are involved in ensuring all underrepresented groups are given the same opportunities to thrive as everyone else. The Faculty is led by the Executive Dean, supported by the Faculty Senior Leadership Team consisting of the Director of Operations, Vice Dean (Research), Vice Dean (International), Vice Dean (Culture, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion), Dean for Education, the three Heads of School and their Heads of Departments.

Research

Our major strengths in psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience across clinical and basic science disciplines is supported through a range of networks within health. This incorporates King’s Health Partners, including a historical partnership with the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (the largest mental health trust in the country), that serves the communities of South London, and provides specialist services for people from across the UK and beyond. There are six Mental Health Clinical Academic Groups (CAG) based at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (for Addictions, Psychosis, Psychological Medicine & Integrated Care, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Behavioural & Developmental Psychiatry, and Older Adults & Dementia); as well as the Clinical Neurosciences Clinical Academic Group within King’s College NHS Trust Hospital. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre brings together scientists, clinicians, allied health professionals, service users and carers from across SLaM NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. King’s Health Partners Neurosciences comprises the second largest UK academic neuroscience department along research themes of neurodevelopment and disorders; sensation, pain, and hearing loss; injury regeneration and repair; neurodegeneration and dementia; and neuroimaging and computational neuroscience. The clinical research facilities include the National Institute for Health Research-King’s Clinical Research Facility, and the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute (with over 250 clinicians and research scientists, incorporating the UK Dementia Research Institute at KCL). Our King’s Health Partners networks also provide opportunities for further research projects and clinical trials as well as world-class undergraduate and postgraduate training in clinical and academic psychiatry and neuroscience. The 2021 REF results confirmed the faculty's position at the forefront of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience research. The overall quality was rated as 90% either world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*). Our research environment was assessed as 100% at the highest rating of 4* indicating its potential to produce world leading research. Our research also has impact on the world with 100% of our research impact case studies scoring 4* (outstanding) or 3* (very considerable) in terms of its reach and significance. Research income in academic year 2022/23 was approx. £67m, and our new awards topped £106m. Our world-leading research influences policy, care and practice. To make such impacts our academics not only work with other universities, but they also interact with industry, healthcare providers and policy makers locally and globally. This ensures that our research is relevant and can influence policy and government on mental health care. We also make sure that service users and carers are involved in designing and carrying out our research as that makes research questions relevant to the real world. Making a difference is at the heart of what we do. Our research has led to the creation of much needed therapies for some of the most severe mental disorders and changes in how governments around the world think about mental illness. The range of impact locally, nationally, and globally encompasses influencing government policy, to co-production and empowering the patient voice and local communities in their own mental healthcare; to enhanced and innovative training for health practitioners; and economic investment in new drugs, models of treatment and care.

About King’s College London

King’s vision is to make the world a better place through world-leading education, research and service to society. King’s provides world-class education which enables students to become rounded critical thinkers, set up for success and with the character and wisdom to strive for social change. Through enquiry-driven research, King's delivers transformative insights and solutions that have the power to advance and accelerate global progress. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 exercise, King’s maintained its 6th position for ‘research power’ in the UK, 6th by Quality Index, and was ranked 3rd amongst multi-Faculty universities for impact. “King’s aspires to tackle global challenges and serve society in a way that is contemporary, forward-looking and unrestrained.” Vision 2029 King’s comprises nine faculties, each with an academic leader and professional services lead: Executive Dean of Faculty and Director of Operations. Professional Services are provided in every Faculty as well as centrally to deliver support services for students and staff. Our Faculties • Faculty of Arts & Humanities • Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences • Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine • Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences • Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy • Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care • Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience • The Dickson Poon School of Law • King's Business School

About South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

The Trust has close links in education and research with the Institute of Psychiatry and Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, both of which are part of King's College London. Clinical links are particularly strong with Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, The Evelina Children’s Hospital and King’s College Hospital. This close collaboration involves working to ensure that developments and research feed directly into clinical practice. Its academic links with King's College, London, which also include the Nightingale Institute and South Bank University, enables us to ensure that our health care staff receive high quality clinical training at both pre-qualification (or registration) stage and in specialist skills (post qualification).

To apply for this post you will need to register on the King’s College London job opportunities page and submit the application form, along with the following: • a concise statement setting out your reasons for applying for the post and highlighting the particular skills and experience which you feel you would bring to the role (two pages maximum) • a curriculum vitae Please ensure you quote reference number: 095062

Equal opportunities

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion are central tenets of King’s Vision 2029 which sets out the roadmap for King’s ambition to provide an exceptional student experience and to be an employer of choice. Integral to this is ensuring equality of opportunity and outcome, recognising, celebrating and improving our diversity and inclusion. As a responsible employer we aim to provide and promote a positive working, learning, and social environment which is free from prejudice, discrimination and any forms of harassment, bullying or victimisation. Our commitment to inclusion means that King’s aims to create an environment where differences are not just respected, but also valued and celebrated. Everyone should be able to bring their whole self to King’s. All King’s students, staff and affiliates are responsible for meeting these commitments to value diversity and create an inclusive environment. King's will support and equip all members of its community to do this, embedding inclusion throughout the university’s policies, procedures, and practices.