Research Fellow (Mental Health Mission MTC) - School of Psychology - 107682 - Grade 7 in Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822. As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £38,784.

Part Time (18.75 hours per week)

Fixed Term contract up to December 2027

Closing date: 6th August 2026

Background

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing outputs (funding applications, academic publications, evidence of impact for NIHR).
• Support with data analysis and dissemination of findings in severe mental illness.
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results and prepare for publication.
• Support collection of pilot data for funding applications.
• Critical analysis of data and supporting analytical pipelines.
• Contribute to generating funding.
• Operate within area of specialism.
• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar.

Main Duties

• Work closely with the Mental Health Mission Midlands Translational centre directors and theme leads to develop research objectives and proposals for joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required.
• Lead in disseminating research findings for publication, further funding, research seminars etc.
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding.
• Analyse and interpret data and to prepare papers for submission for publication.
• Navigate publication approval processes for large consortium studies.
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding.
• Support large multidisciplinary international research projects.
• 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 such as psychology, medical sciences, biological sciences, data science or similar and PhD completed or close to completion in a relevant subject area.
• 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.
• Interest and background in biological psychiatry and/or early psychosis.
• 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.

Desirable

• Experience working with multidisciplinary datasets including numerical data from varied sources such as questionnaires, biological samples, behavioural tasks.

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

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

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. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.