Research Assistant / Associate in Mental Health Research (walking interviews) in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: Research Assistant: £33,951 to £35,608 per annum; Research Associate: £36,636 to £38,784 per annum.

Closing Date: 22 April 2026.

The Role:

Newcastle University’s Geography department invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join an ambitious project within The Social Health Hub, which sits within the UKRI Mental Health Platform. The Social Health Hub is a five‑year research programme exploring how social determinants influence the course of severe mental illness (SMI) and shape how people respond to their conditions over time. This interdisciplinary project explores how neighbourhoods, social environments, and everyday mobilities shape the experiences, recovery pathways, and resilience of people living with severe mental illness.

The project is funded through the UK Research and Innovation Medical Research Council (UKRI MRC). The overall lead is Professor Jennifer Lau, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London. The Co‑Investigator for the Newcastle University hub is Dr Ali Copeland.

We are seeking a skilled and thoughtful qualitative researcher to lead an innovative programme of walking interviews via neighbourhood tours with participants living with severe mental illness. The neighbourhood tours will form a core component of the project’s empirical work in Workstream 2, generating rich, place‑based insights into how social and spatial determinants influence wellbeing, recovery, and support needs. This is a developmental post, and the successful candidate will be supported to develop legacy research plans from this research programme if desired.

The post provides an excellent opportunity for a motivated candidate to work with leading researchers in social geography and to gain valuable experience in contributing to collaborative research, whilst developing an independent research profile. The post‑holder will be based in the Department of Geography at Newcastle University but will also work closely with colleagues at the Research and Development Department, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust; Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust, and other NHS trusts as required.

The post‑holder will be expected to contribute to the delivery of high‑quality research at Newcastle University, specifically within the Department of Geography, Politics and Sociology, focusing on the needs of the population with mental health illness in Newcastle and beyond, and contributing to the research field of health geography and mental health. They will have the opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, the life of the department and wider institution, including research events and training.

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. The post is fixed term for 18 months.

Application Process:

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter addressing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role, please contact Dr Ali Copeland at alison.copeland@newcastle.ac.uk (Will be unavailable between 10th‑19th April).

Newcastle University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

Key Accountabilities:

• Work closely with the team at Newcastle University Geography, CNTW NHS Foundation Trust, other NHS trusts and the Social Health Hub programme wider team in the coordination of ethically grounded, co‑produced research processes, ensuring consistency and care across all field sites.
• Design, conduct, and analyse walking interviews with participants living with severe mental illness following/modifying the existing field guide.
• Lead qualitative data management, analysis, and synthesis across three field sites, collaborating closely with colleagues in London, and Warwick to ensure consistency at each stage of the project including integrating research findings into the broader evidence base generated by the project. Some travel may be required.
• Work collaboratively with the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) to shape research tools, approaches, and interpretation and ensure the study is grounded in lived expertise.
• Contribute to participant recruitment in coordination with the wider study team.
• Manage and store collected data according to ethical and governance requirements.
• Contribute to the creation of project outputs including internationally recognized academic publications, and project briefs, co‑authored with project partners where appropriate.
• Develop an independent research profile with support and guidance, aligned with the needs of the project.
• Keep up to date with subject‑related and professional issues, particularly developments in the specific subject area.
• Comply with relevant University policies and regulations with due regard to financial matters, harassment, equal opportunities, public interest disclosure, health and safety, intellectual property and patenting, data protection or any other rules, regulations or codes binding on the member of staff.
• Participate in the University Appraisal Scheme and demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development.
• Contribute to academic life in Geography and the broader School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.

Research Associate:

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project.
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research.
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations.
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications.
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline.
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding.

The Person:

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• PhD in human geography, sociology, public health, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience of working with people with severe mental illness.
• Experience of conducting walking interviews or movement‑based interviews, mobile methods etc.
• Effective interpersonal skills including evidence of working collaboratively within a team and with diverse audiences, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently and well as in a team.
• Good organisational skills, including coordinating contributions from diverse team members based in different places, maintaining organised data and archives, and producing research outputs to deadlines.
• Experience of writing up research for publication and ability to publish, either as a sole or joint author, in high‑quality academic journals.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with interdisciplinary approaches to mental health, geography, and social determinants of health.
• Experience of transcribing/coding interviews.

Research Associate:

• Awareness of the research environment.
• High level of analytical and problem‑solving capacity.
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity.
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high‑quality publications.

Attributes and Behaviour:

• Commitment to carrying out research, engagement, and impact both as a member of a team and independently.
• Collaborative ethos.
• Positive attitude to colleagues and research participants/partners.
• Commitment to personal development and updating of knowledge and skills.
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines.
• Understanding of and commitment to good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity.

Qualifications:

• Close to submitting PhD (i.e. thesis submitted and awaiting viva or thesis submitted for internal review).

Research Associate:

• PhD in human geography, sociology, public health, or related discipline.

Newcastle University is a global university where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.