Research Associate

Are you a qualitative or mixed methods researcher? Do you want to work with an enthusiastic group of world-leading researchers on a new Arthritis UK Consortium to address critical gaps in existing knowledge? Do you want to work at an institution where flexible working and hybrid working is a possibility, with generous annual leave allowance? If so, keep reading…

Why Join Us?

Be part of a friendly and inclusive team that values diverse perspectives and supports career development.Contribute to a nationally significant research programme with real-world impact.Help build and support communities of practice, engage with patient partners, and contribute to knowledge mobilisation across the consortium.Work in a role that offers variety, autonomy, and the chance to grow, with opportunities to shape how the role evolves over time.

About The Arthritis UK Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Consortium

This is a new and exciting opportunity to join the Arthritis UK Consortium \”Better Lives, Safer Journey\”, a major UK-wide research initiative funded by Arthritis UK (formerly known as Versus Arthritis). The consortium brings together leading academic institutions—including Manchester, Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele, and Nottingham—to deliver impactful research aimed at improving lives and making journeys through musculoskeletal care safer.

Launched in July 2025, the consortium work spans five dynamic research themes, each using existing data to address critical gaps in musculoskeletal research. Each workstream is co-led by academic and patient partners and designed to address priority areas identified by people living with arthritis (PlwA). Together, they aim to generate evidence that improves care, reduces inequalities, and informs policy.

Workstream 1. Health Inequalities – Identifying and addressing disparities in access to musculoskeletal care and outcomes.

Workstream 2. Lifecourse/children and young people – Understanding early life factors and the onset of chronic musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents.

Workstream 3. Menopause and Musculoskeletal Health – Exploring the impact of menopause on MSK symptoms, especially in women with inflammatory arthritis.

Workstream 4. Dependence and Risk of Analgesia – Investigating the use, monitoring, and risks of analgesics in musculoskeletal conditions.

Workstream 5. Burden of Drug Monitoring – Evaluating the clinical and administrative burden of drug monitoring in musculoskeletal care.

As a Research Associate, you\’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive, and forward-thinking team based at the University of Manchester. You\’ll work alongside researchers, clinicians, patient partners, and knowledge mobilisation specialists to help shape the future of musculoskeletal research.

The research associate will be working in Workstream 1 to investigate \’Health Inequalities – Identifying and addressing disparities in access to musculoskeletal care and outcomes\’. There is increasing evidence that socioeconomic status drives differences in outcomes for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Key research from centres within the Consortium has demonstrated examples of this, including differential outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on rural vs urban living, and less frequent hip replacements for people with osteoarthritis (OA) from more deprived backgrounds, despite similar or greater levels of disease severity. These data suggest there are groups of people with RMDs who are more likely to experience fragmented and poorly coordinated care. However, the intersection between these inequalities and other health determinants and outcomes, and the mechanisms underlying this, is poorly understood. We aim to address this gap, and further, provide a health inequalities lens across the consortium, leading to vital improvements to the design and delivery of services for all people with RMDs.

We are looking for an enthusiastic researcher with a PhD (or equivalent experience) in psychology, sociology, public health, or a related discipline. The successful candidate will contribute to priority-setting activities to identify areas of unmet need and support the development and delivery of focused qualitative research projects addressing health inequalities.

Working closely with patient partners and the wider consortium, the postholder will help ensure that qualitative research is well aligned with consortium priorities and informs the focus of related quantitative work, bringing a clear health inequalities perspective. For this project, the Research Associate will be based at the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research (CfMR), Centre for Epidemiology, University of Manchester, UK.

There is a choice of three FTE options for this post: Option 1: 0.2 FTE for 3 years; Option 2: 0.4 FTE for 18 months; Option 3: 0.5 FTE for 1 year. We have a genuine commitment to equality of opportunity for our staff and students and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve. As a global institution, situated at the heart of a lively, culturally diverse city, we welcome applicants of all nationalities.

What will you get in return:

Fantastic market leading Pension schemeExcellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance ProgrammeExceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidaysAdditional paid closure over the Christmas periodLocal and national discounts at a range of major retailers

Our university is positive about flexible working – you can find out more here

Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.

Please be aware that due to the number of applications we are unfortunately not able to provide individual feedback on your application.

Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.

Any recruitment enquiries from recruitment agencies should be directed to people.talent@manchester.ac.uk

Any CV\’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Jenny Humphreys

Email: jenny.humphreys@manchester.ac.uk

General enquiries:

Email: recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk

Technical support:

https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home

This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.

Please see the link below for the Further Particulars document which contains the person specification criteria.

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