Postdoctoral Research Associate

College of Life and Environmental Sciences

This part-time (0.5 FTE) post is available immediately on a fixed term basis until 28 February 2023. This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

The post

The College wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Professor Heather O’Mahen. This National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) funded post is available until 28th February 2023.

The successful applicant will be part of the ESMI-II project, a national NIHR HSDR funded study funded to evaluate the impact of community perinatal mental health services (CPMHs) in England. This project is an extension of ESMI-II focusing on working collaboratively with Black/African and/or Asian women to build an understanding of what types of perinatal mental health support and ways of delivering that support are acceptable to them. We are especially interested in applicants who have knowledge and experience of Black/African and/or Asian values, and would encourage applications from a wide set of employment backgrounds and skills. Remote only working on this project is possible, though applications from individuals geographically co-located in diverse communities is desirable. We are a collegial team that aims to support the development and growth of each member of our team.

The post will include working closely with community groups and organisations who support Black/African and Asian women; recruiting and interviewing women about their experiences of mental health support in the perinatal period; and coding and analysing qualitative data in line with a realist approach; working closely with other members of the research group and with women with lived experience of perinatal mental health disorders to disseminate findings. We will support the right candidate with building skills in realist qualitative approaches.  

About you

The successful applicant will be committed to improving equality for women from diverse backgrounds. We are looking for a dynamic person to collaboratively engage with communities to help shape a vision of wellbeing support and care for diverse perinatal women and their babies. This person will have excellent communication skills, be aware of and able to sensitively and flexibly respond to the engagement needs of individuals from diverse communities. They will be able to demonstrate an ability to analyse and clearly communicate about complex human factors information orally, in writing and electronically, to present information on research progress and outcomes, and to prepare policy briefs to external bodies.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD (or be nearing completion) or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study or have management /leadership experience in human services related sector with demonstrated evidence of using quality-improvement methods and outcomes in organisational growth. They will be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will have experience of recruiting and working with people from diverse backgrounds; be able to successfully build relationships and engage with a wide range of stakeholders from different communities; and have excellent project management skills to ensure the planning and execution of this stage of the project.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role by clicking on the attachment.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
• A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a new Fertility Treatment Policy
• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 150 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and QS World University Ranking 2022). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2017.

Our research income in recent years means we’re the fastest growing UK Research University with some of the world’s most influential scientists, and we seek to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today through this. 98% of our research is of international quality (2014 Research Excellence Framework). We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Further information

For further information please contact Heather O’Mahen, e-mail [email protected] or telephone (01392) 724651.

This role may be subject to additional background screening.

Please note that as of 1 September 2022 our colleges and schools will be moving into a new structure which will consist of the following three Faculties – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, and Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.