Research Assistant/Associate School of Psychology 2025

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate to join the School of Psychology and deliver cutting-edge research in student mental health.

The Team

Funded by a UKRI programme grant, the work will: evalute new interventions for students including mental health literacy training for undergraduates; prepare and deliver longitudinal surveys focused on mental health and student experience; evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectivness of digital tools to support mental health in young people; and associated research into young people's mental health.

This full-time funded post is available on a fixed term basis until August 2025. Especially suited to candidates with an applied clinical background or interest, joining this ambitious project that spans 6 British universities, is a fantastic opportunity to develop your research skills and academic networks to assist you on the next step in your career.

Key Accountabilities

• Working under the general guidance of the study’s Investigator at Newcastle University (Dr Lucy Robinson), you will help deliver/evaluate a biannual student survey, a curriculum-embedded mental health literacy programme, and a digital tool for self-monitoring and sign-posting. The postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value'.
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment. This will involve activities such as: completing research ethics applications, gathering stakeholder and student views, research project design and implementation, collection, management and analysis of data, write up and dissemination in a variety of formats (both academic publications and reports targeting a range of audiences)
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and 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.
• Participate in the programme steering group and other network activities
• Develop funding applications in the field of wellbeing and mental health, contributing to grant applications submitted by others and, in time, develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of and detailed subject knowledge in the area of research (applied mental health, student wellbeing, young people’s mental health) or of research with clear transferable skills to this research area
• High level of proficiency in data collection and analysis, especially in the use of packages such as R, Matlab, or SPSS (proficiency in R is highly desirable)
• Experience of patient and public involvement in research design and conduct (desirable)
• Experience of completing research ethics applications, data management plans and data sharing agreements
• Excellent awareness of the ethical and governance issues involved in research
• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• High level of analytical and problem-solving ability
• Excellent verbal communication skills, able to adjust communication appropriately to the target audience
• High standard of written communication in both formal academic writing and less formal platforms (e.g. social media, website content)
• Capable of working well in a team (i.e. community-minded, respectful and kind to colleagues, able to contribute considerately to team discussions)
• Highly-organised and efficient

Qualifications

• Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in the relevant area (Research Assistant). A degree in psychology is strongly preferred.
• A PhD in the research area required (Research Associate). Relevant research areas include applied mental health, student wellbeing, and young people’s mental health.
• Evidence of presentations at conferences and/or high quality publications appropriate to career stage

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 silver 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 REC. 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.