KINGS COLLEGE LONDON: Research Assistant in Population Mental Health

About us

In April 2024, IoPPN, King’s College London established a national Population Health Improvement Cluster (PHIC) with a focus on mental health, funded by UKRI. This post will be situated at KCL, working with and across this large disseminated UK-wide partnership spanning 10+ universities and other organisations across the country, alongside people with lived experience.

This post is an exciting opportunity for a research assistant to work across a range of projects relating to mental health and inequalities. You will join a team committed to tackling mental health inequalities through the application of rigorous evidence-based approaches which maximise insights from large-scale data, and which draw upon other methodologies (qualitative evidence, systematic reviews). You will be conversant in mental health population sciences, epidemiology, public health, data sciences, or a related discipline (a good MSc-level degree in one of these areas would be highly desirable). You will be committed to working with people with lived experience of mental health difficulties. You will be able to evidence strong skills in written and verbal communication and have a flexible mindset, able to work with a range of stakeholders and partners, at times under pressure, and to tight deadlines.

About the role

The job will support a range of projects focussing on mental health inequalities. This currently includes the ‘Social and Economic Predictors of Mental Disorders’ study (SEPMD),  and the work of the UK Population Health Improvement (UK-PHI) Population Mental Health Consortium.

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months.

 Post-holders will be expected to work on site (Denmark Hill Campus, IOPPN, KCL)_and may occasionally need to travel for work nationally (travel expenses for work-related trips will be covered).

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.      Good undergraduate degree in a relevant topic area.

2.      Knowledge / experience of mental health research. 

3.      Evidence of independent research, using quantitative or qualitative methods. 

4.      Knowledge/ experience of working with people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, for research studies. 

5.      Clear and legible writing style, able to formulate plain English summaries, reports or other outputs. 

6.      Able to independently organise and convene meetings with stakeholders, overseeing all elements (agenda setting, minute taking, inviting speakers, organising payments for people with lived experience, etc). 

Desirable criteria

1.      MSc qualification (already awarded or to be awarded this academic year) in a relevant discipline (e.g. epidemiology, public health, mental health sciences, etc). 

2.      Evidence of publication of research in peer-reviewed journals 

3.      Evidence of prizes, awards, or distinctions in academic work. 

4.     Experience of working in a public health related field. 

5.      Experience of working in a mental health related field.  

Full details of the role and the skills and experience required, can be found in the attached job description which provided on the next page.

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 review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

This role does meet the requirements of the Home Office and therefore we are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who require the right to work in the UK.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.