Research Fellow (Mental Health Mission MTC - Psychosis) - School of Psychology - 107564 - Grade 7 in Birmingham

Position within the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom. The role is a full‑time, fixed‑term contract (up to December 2027) at Grade 7 with a maximum salary of £38,784. UK travel may be required. Closing date: 9 July 2026. The position may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Background: People with severe mental illness (SMI) die 15 years earlier than the general population, largely from preventable physical conditions including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Reducing this inequality is a major priority for patients and policy‑makers. While prediction tools have been a cornerstone of physical health prevention approaches in the general population for decades, existing tools are inaccurate in young people with SMI. As a result, an underserved, high‑risk population miss critical opportunities for prevention. The Psychosis Metabolic Risk Calculator (PsyMetRiC) project addresses this gap. PsyMetRiC is the first physical health prediction tool specifically developed for young people with SMI, and rests on a strong interdisciplinary evidence base comprising data science, epidemiology, and qualitative research. Through extensive co‑production with patients, clinicians and other stakeholders, PsyMetRiC has now been translated into a user‑friendly web application prioritising understandable risk communication and shared decision‑making. Recently, PsyMetRiC became the first prediction tool in psychiatry to receive regulatory certification by the UK healthcare regulator, meaning it is the first to be available for real‑world clinical use. PsyMetRiC is already included in several current and upcoming national clinical guidelines and policy statements.

Role Summary:

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids.
• Operate within area of specialism.
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results.
• Contribute to generating funding.
• Contribute to licensing or spin‑out deals with demonstrated commercial success and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar.

Role Description: We are seeking to appoint a full‑time Research Fellow with a background in implementation science and/or project management to join the psychosis theme of the Mental Health Mission Midlands Translational Centre. The post holder will work primarily on the PsyMetRiC project and provide support to the psychosis research portfolio. They will have a key role in developing and leading implementation and impact evaluation studies of PsyMetRiC, generating critical evidence that has traditionally been overlooked with existing population‑based predictive AI tools. This evidence will feed directly into the research–implementation cycle in which evidence, design and impact continuously inform one another. The post holder will join the multi‑disciplinary PsyMetRiC research team, led by Dr Benjamin Perry (Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Consultant Psychiatrist in the Birmingham Early Intervention Services), with opportunities to develop experience and skills in epidemiology, data science, qualitative research, regulatory compliance for digital/software/AI products, and the commercialisation of research.

The post holder will also be embedded within the broader Mental Health Mission – Midlands Translational Centre (MHMTC) Psychosis Theme – a growing, friendly team of multi‑disciplinary clinical and non‑clinical translational researchers. The theme is led by Dr Jack Rogers (Associate Professor in Neuroscience and Youth Mental Health), and has produced numerous leading studies into clinical outcomes in mental health disorders using real‑world data derived from electronic health records (EHRs), diverse clinical populations and using multi‑modal data approaches (neuroscience, epidemiology, public health, immune‑phenotyping, risk prediction). The post holder will be afforded unique opportunities to support leading research and develop skills in multi‑modal mental health and neuroscience research, epidemiology, data‑analysis and healthcare service research.

Support and Career Development: The post holder will be actively involved and supported in all stages of the research pathway, from protocol development, data access, analysis, and manuscript writing, and will be recognised on all consequent academic outputs including primary authorship on academic outputs, and opportunities to present at national and international academic conferences. The appointee will be supported to bring together multi‑disciplinary experts straddling clinical practice, patient and public involvement and engagement, biostatistics and data science, regulatory science, implementation science and clinical trials. The post holder will join a supportive environment, will have the opportunity to co‑supervise junior researchers and PhD students, contribute to teaching, and will be encouraged and supported with their own career development ambitions, including but not limited to applying for grants and/or postdoctoral fellowships.

Main Duties:

• Plan and co‑ordinate key research activities including implementation and impact evaluation studies for PsyMetRiC.
• Directly contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of PsyMetRiC.
• Have a recognised leading role in output generation and dissemination of findings from the above across academic, policy, and public settings.
• Work closely with the PsyMetRiC lived experience advisory panel and broader lived experience involvement initiatives within the MHMTC, Midlands region and nationally to help develop co‑production and lived experience engagement in psychosis research.
• Have ample opportunities to support projects and develop research skills of systematic reviewing, and epidemiological analysis of large population datasets to advance knowledge in the field of psychosis research.
• Managing project data in accordance with relevant governance policies.
• Help compile ethical applications that comply with ethical review boards (REC) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA).
• Work with the Centre leads and Deputy theme leads to develop and deliver funded objectives.
• To work towards deliverable outputs and milestones from the Mental Health Mission Midlands Translational Centre.
• Be well supported with career development and opportunities for progression.
• Provide support across multiple concurrent psychosis research projects, including managing data access requests, ensuring compliance with ethics and governance requirements, and contributing to analysis planning and outputs using large‑scale cohort and registry datasets.
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required.
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding.
• Analyse and interpret data.
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding.
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc.
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline.
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods.
• Undertake management/administration arising from research.
• Contribute to Departmental/School research‑related activities and research‑related administration.
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader.
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews.
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters.
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research.
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
• Foster a fair and equitable workplace for all staff.
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures.

Person Specification:

• First degree in area of specialism and PhD completed or close to completion in a relevant subject area.
• Experience managing projects to success, which could include clinical trials, experimental studies, independent research projects, or grants.
• Motivated and self‑disciplined with an enthusiasm for healthcare research.
• High level analytical capability.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones.
• Experience and understanding of project data management and governance.
• Good understanding of the principles of mental health epidemiology and understanding of the field of mental health research.
• Experience of networking and collaboration with a diverse range of partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively.
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes.
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project.
• Co‑ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010.
• Requirement for DBS, Occupational Health Check and awareness of the Data Protection Act (DPA).

OH & DBS Required: The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre‑employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Occupational Health and DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal Enquiries: Informal enquiries to Shahara Choudhry, email: s.h.choudhry@bham.ac.uk

Diversity and Inclusion: We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.