I-REACCH Empathy Research Associate

About the role

Are you passionate about improving research culture across the Higher Education sector? The Wellcome Trust has funded a team of researchers to find new ways to innovate, influence policy, and make a difference to staff and student participation in how we work together and empathise with each other.

You will pro-actively help to shape the future direction of research culture at the University of Leicester. Our shared aim is to be inclusive, promote equity and extend diversity. Five workstreams are going to test new ideas and ways of enhancing the progression of people who often feel excluded from a university career structure.

Funded by the Wellcome Trust as part of its Institutional Funding for Research Culture scheme, you will be joining a dedicated team to deliver the I-REACCH (Inclusive Research Culture Achieved through Culture Change) project. As Empathy Research Associate for I-REACCH, you will bring your research skills to support the delivery of a new and exciting piece of work for the University of Leicester.

We are seeking someone to take on a Research Associate role for a work stream that aims to engage with research leaders to create empathic models of inclusive leadership that lead to sustained change. In this role you will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of the I-REACCH empathic research culture toolkit (liaising with an EDI consultant) and the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare using a range of methods including a review of existing literature and focus groups with a range of stakeholders. 

About the I-REACCH programme

I-REACCH is a range of complementary pilot projects, focused on under-represented groups, which will combine data collection/analysis, bespoke intervention development, engagement and evaluation through five objectives (O).

O1. Trial active inclusive recruitment practices for increased diversity

O2. Develop bespoke inclusive tools for career progression

O3. Boost citizenship engagement and advocacy to enhance an inclusive culture

O4: Engage with research leaders to create empathic models of inclusive leadership for sustained change.

O5: Robustly evaluate each of the pilot projects

About the Empathy Centre

The Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare is a new centre whose mission is to improve patient outcomes through enhanced empathy. It is a small friendly team of eight people who conduct empathy research and deliver teaching to the medical school and healthcare professionals. A current priority of the Centre is to explore how different cultures and ethnicities express, interpret, and benefit from empathy.

About you

Joining us with a PhD and relevant research experience, you will play a vital role in the  co-design, co-development and co-delivery of the I-REACCH work package focused on empathic leadership, as well as conduct research into the cultural and ethnic facilitators and barriers to empathy in an increasingly diverse world. Your leadership skills will ensure that the provision meets (and where possible exceeds) Wellcome Trust requirements and expectations including reporting milestones. The daily tasks will involve you liaising with colleagues to develop a robust empathic leadership toolkit, reviewing literature and undertaking focus groups as well as developing process evaluation measures. You will need to be highly pro-active and energized to develop your research skills to deliver our vision for a more inclusive research culture.

To deliver impact in these projects you will work closely with five other staff employed on the project  including a Project Manager, Project co-ordinator, Research Culture Officer, Data officer and one other Research Associate, each with defined duties associated with specific objectives.

You will be supervised by experienced Project investigators, Prof Kate Williams Dr Anveesha Singh, and Professor Jeremy Howick and work closely with our newly formed, innovative ‘Mirror Co-Investigator’ team comprising researchers, technicians and staff with lived experience of research culture challenges who are uniquely placed to shape our research activity and developments.

We want this post to add value to your career and offer a meaningful enhancement to your skills and experience through active mentorship, upskilling and career development.

Additional information

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Kate Williams: [email protected]

As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role will also be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Please ensure this is discussed with your line manager prior to applying. More information regarding secondments can be found here
 
The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change , which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.
 
As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.
 
We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.