Research Associate - Post stroke communication disorders in Sheffield

• Job Title
• Research Associate – Post stroke communication disorders
• Job Details
• Location: Sheffield
• School/Department: School of Medicine and Population Health
• Work Arrangement: Part‑time (21 hours per week)
• Contract Type: Fixed‑term (August 2026 – 28 February 2031)
• Line Manager: APT Project Chief Investigator
• Direct Reports: Implementation work‑package leads
• Overview

We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate interested in post stroke communication disorders to join the School of Medicine and Population Health to work on a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded programme of work to co‑design and evaluate a new Aphasia Partnership Training intervention.

The intervention aims to help people with the communication disorder “aphasia” and their family members communicate better together.

The post holder will be responsible for delivering work that aims to understand the context of implementing the new intervention.

This will include conducting a national survey of current family communication partner training provision and exploring feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, adaptation and implementation of the new intervention alongside successive phases of evaluation/trial.

The mixed methods process evaluation will include qualitative interviews, focus groups, self‑report measures and video observations.

It is essential that the post holder has some experience of qualitative and/or mixed methods research, and experience communicating with people with communication disorders.

This role offers excellent professional development opportunities alongside an experienced research fellow, and benefitting from tailored training provided by the NIHR and the University of Sheffield, as well as project‑specific opportunities.

Excellent communication skills are essential alongside a proven ability to work well in an interdisciplinary team.

The role will contribute to the Faculty and University focus on applied research that has a positive impact on the delivery of health services to patients and staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Work independently and with the implementation work package leads to initiate and undertake a range of research activities.
• Use accessible communication strategies in interactions with patients.
• Contribute to ethics applications for work packages to which the implementation work contributes.
• Lead on organising, recruiting to and conducting qualitative research interviews with patients who have aphasia (communication disorder) after a stroke, their family members and speech and language therapists.

This may require some travel for participants who cannot participate online.

• Watch videos of intervention sessions and rate fidelity using a checklist.
• Collect and analyse self‑report measures.
• Coordinate research activity and liaise with members of the research team within the University of Sheffield and partner organisations to ensure delivery of research to study deadlines.
• Analyse qualitative data, supported by senior researchers in the team.
• Contribute summary fidelity and implementation findings in a timely manner to support stop/go decisions for trialling the intervention and any required improvements to the intervention or its training.
• Ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with relevant legislation and within the requirements of research ethics and governance, including recruitment of participants and obtaining informed consent.
• Contribute to writing study reports, conference abstracts and other dissemination materials.
• Liaise with the Patient and Public Involvement group and clinical reference group to ensure materials used are accessible, emerging findings are discussed and dissemination activities are inclusive.
• Attend team, research group and other section or School meetings as required.
• Make a full and active contribution to the principles of the “Sheffield Academic”, including ethical decisions and the One University strategy where possible.
• Carry out other duties commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds and beliefs of all.

We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected.

Even if your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with this role’s criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply.

Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential Criteria

• Experience of planning, recruiting, conducting and analysing qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals and/or patients and carers.
• Experience of communicating with people with communication difficulties.
• Excellent IT skills and experience in the use of relevant software including SPSS, NVivo, Qualtrics, Google Suite, Word (or other similar software).
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor style to different audiences (e. g., academic articles and plain‑English summaries).
• Project management skills and ability to work independently and undertake multiple tasks in a time‑sensitive manner.
• Practices in line with NIHR equality, diversity and inclusion principles (e. g., participant identification, recruitment and interviewing).
• Knowledge of a wide range of research methods and understanding of ethical and open‑access research principles.
• Collegiate attitude and ability to work well within a team.
• Ability to work sensitively and effectively when dealing with complex or sensitive research issues.
• Experience of working in stroke care with people with aphasia.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of survey design, implementation research and/or quantitative data analysis using statistical analysis software.
• Right to Work in the UK

If you do not currently hold the right to work in the UK, you can find more information here to help determine your visa eligibility.

Additional guidance is also available on the UK Visa & Immigration website.

Criminal Record

An enhanced DBS check will be needed for this role.

Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield.

We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right.

Benefits

• Annual leave: 41 days (pro‑rated for part‑time) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• Supportive staff networks (e. g., Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• Access to learning and mentoring schemes, including paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, menopause support and fertility treatment support.
• Contact

For informal enquiries about this job contact Prof Rebecca Palmer, APT Chief Investigator – at .

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