Postdoctoral Research Associate in Work, Welfare & Mental Health

The post is based in the Centre for Society and Mental Health, a cross‑Faculty initiative between the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy (SSPP) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). The centre aims to better understand the complex interrelationships between society and mental health, with a commitment to:

• Ensure that the impact of social context is central to how we understand mental health;
• Work in partnership with affected communities.

This is an opportunity to do important research on mental health, work and the benefits system, which both contributes to public/policy debates, and provides high‑quality contributions to academic debates. You will work closely with Prof. Ben Geiger and Prof. Karen Glaser as part of the Centre’s ‘Work, Welfare Reform and Mental Health’ programme. This involves collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary team of researchers as well as the Centre’s academic and community partners, as part of the Centre’s wider ethos of coproduction.

Using your experience in quantitative data analysis, you will examine the links between mental distress and work, care and welfare. You will take forward some selected pre‑existing projects (e.g. on the relationship between mental distress and the evolving nature of work), can choose to contribute to other existing projects (e.g. the WelfareExperiences project), and take forward new ideas of your own that relate to these topics. There is an expectation that the post holder will develop independent research (including fellowship applications), with the support of Ben, Karen and the wider Centre. The post holder will commit 0.2 FTE of their time to the delivery of teaching in their faculty. This will be agreed with your line manager and may include teaching on a module and supervising dissertations and student projects. This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract until April 2028 in the first instance, with a view to extending subject to funding.

We are asking candidates to demonstrate their experience on the following criteria:

• PhD, or in the final stages of obtaining a PhD, in a relevant area of social science (e.g., social policy, economics, demography, sociology, social statistics, social epidemiology).
• Advanced knowledge of contemporary policy and research debates on welfare policy and/or employment.
• Knowledge of advanced statistical approaches and data management best practice for longitudinal data analysis.
• Experience in analysing quantitative data using advanced statistical, econometric or policy evaluation methods.

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

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with research teams and people with lived experience, including good interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
• Demonstrated organisational and time management skills, to be able to work independently and to deadlines.
• Effective communication skills, including experience of presenting / disseminating research findings.
• Experience of preparing and publishing papers in refereed journals.
• Knowledge of research in the intersection between social sciences (such as social policy, economics or quantitative sociology) and mental health.
• Relevant previous experience of working on interdisciplinary and/or international research projects.
• A desire and capacity to communicate effectively with, and influence, wider research, business, NGO and policy communities.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with experts-by-experience or individuals from affected communities.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting the award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances, the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

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.