Research Fellow (Qualitative) - Department of Applied Health Sciences - 106832 - Grade 8 in Birmingham

The Department of Applied Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health at the University of Birmingham is seeking a Research Fellow (Qualitative). This position is full-time with a starting salary range of £47,389 to £56,535, with potential progression to £63,606. It is a fixed-term contract up to September 2030.

This post will support the delivery of the NIHR Research Professorship awarded to Professor Joht Singh Chandan. The Research Professorship aims to optimise the health sector response to violence against women and children by:

• advancing multi-sector data linkage using Secure Data Environments
• estimating the health and economic burden of violence
• evaluating trauma-informed models of care
• improving maternity outcomes and reducing inequalities
• strengthening survivor engagement

The post will deliver the qualitative work packages one and three:

• WP1 ‘Survivor Engagement & Lived Experience Leadership’ includes co-production, survivor engagement, trauma-aware governance, ethical and safe involvement models, and ensuring surviving communities shape research, practice, and policy.
• WP3 ‘Trauma-Informed Care & Health Systems Change’ includes qualitative studies with clinicians, survivors, maternity teams, and service leaders, evaluation of trauma-informed care pathways, implementation science, understanding organisational, behavioural and structural barriers to improving care, and supporting inequalities-focused maternity improvement activities.

The Fellow will also contribute to aligned programmes within Professor Chandan’s portfolio, including the Hub for Health Inequalities and the NIHR Challenge: Maternity Disparities Consortium. The role will involve planning and leading qualitative research in complex and sensitive settings, designing survivor-engaged, ethically robust research governance, overseeing interviews, ethnography, focus groups, observation, case studies, and participatory methods, supporting co-production frameworks and lived-experience advisory structures, and synthesising findings to inform the design, refinement, and evaluation of trauma-informed care models.

This post is particularly suited to an experienced applied qualitative researcher with strong grounding in criminal justice, vulnerability, safeguarding, violence, evaluation practice, and multidisciplinary teamwork.

Role Summary:

• Initiate and conduct original qualitative research which has measurable outcomes and is reflected in a growing national and often incipient international reputation.
• Plan, design, and co-ordinate research activities and programmes.
• Contribute to the development of research strategies.
• Publish results of own research.
• Supervise PhD students.
• Contribute to the Department/School through management/leadership.
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, public engagement activities, widening participation, schools outreach or similar activities at Department/School level or further within the University.

Main Duties:

• Pursue personal research including developing research ideas and winning support, including financial support.
• Plan, publish and/or execute high quality qualitative research.
• Project manage research activities, and/or supervise other research staff.
• Present high quality findings in publications and conference proceedings.
• Develop novel methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued.
• Supervise and examine PhD students, both within and out with the University.
• Provide expert advice to colleagues and students within discipline.
• Contribute to the administration/management of research across the Department/School.
• Develop and make substantial contributions to knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement, and public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University.
• Contribute to some administrative activities within the University, typically relating to research.
• Apply knowledge in a way that develops new intellectual understanding.
• Actively manage equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.

Person Specification:

• Normally, a higher degree relevant to the research area (normally PhD in social research, sociology, criminology, public health, psychology or related discipline) or equivalent qualifications.
• Extensive research experience and scholarship conducting high-quality qualitative and/or mixed-methods research.
• Strong track record of research in criminal justice, violence, vulnerability, trauma-informed practice, youth justice, policing or community safety.
• Experience and achievement reflected in a growing reputation.
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning, undertaking and project managing research to deliver high quality results.
• Extensive experience of applying and/or developing and devising successful models, techniques and methods.
• Extensive experience and achievement in knowledge transfer, enterprise and similar activity.
• Experience working with vulnerable populations or sensitive topics is highly desirable.
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied.
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

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 DBS clearance prior to appointment.

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.

Contact:

Informal enquiries to Joht Chandan, email: j.s.chandan.1@bham.ac.uk