Research Assistant in ADHD Remote Technology and ADHD transition

About us:

The Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Department's focus is on common psychiatric disorders that emerge in childhood, such as mood disorders (anxiety and depression), 'externalising' disorders (disruptive behaviours, ADHD and addictions), and cognitive disorders (learning disabilities and the autistic spectrum). Collaborative interdisciplinary research and training are hallmarks of the SGDP. [AB1] 

The ADHD Remote Technology (ART) research programme, led by Professors Jonna Kuntsi and Richard Dobson, focuses on the development and application of a novel remote measurement technology system for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated conditions and traits. Projects include, for example, the MRC-funded research programme ADHD Remote Technology, the ADHD transition: predicting and preventing negative outcomes (ART-transition) study, and the EU-funded project, ADHD Remote Technology study of cardiometabolic risk factors and medication adherence (ART-CARMA).

The ART-transition study will involve remotely monitoring 250 young people with ADHD over a two-year continuous assessment period, using both active and passive monitoring. The active monitoring involves the participant completing questionnaires and a speech task on a purpose-built smartphone Active App and completing cognitive tasks on a home computer. Passive monitoring involves data collection using a wearable device and a purpose-built smartphone Passive App (for example, data on physical activity, sleep, social interaction, relative location and digital usage). The data will enable the team to address three core questions on the transition to adulthood for individuals with ADHD: What changes take place? What predicts these changes? How can we prevent negative outcomes and support healthy lifestyles? The team will then work with young people with ADHD to co-design a prototype for a new ADHD-transition smartphone app. It aims to prevent negative outcomes and support healthy lifestyles by facilitating self-management, personalisation of treatment and engagement with adult services.

About the role:

We are looking for two highly motivated and enthusiastic Research Assistants to work on the ‘ADHD Remote Technology and ADHD transition: predicting and preventing negative outcomes’ (ART-transition) project. The post-holders will work with Professor Jonna Kuntsi and Dr Aislinn Bowler, Postdoctoral Research Associate, in the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. They will also work closely with Professor Richard Dobson and his team.

The post-holder will be involved in the recruitment and data collection of ART-transition. We aim to recruit 250 adolescents to the project. Baseline assessments involve taking consent, carrying out psychiatric interviews and cognitive assessments, completing questionnaires and introducing the devices (smartphones and wearable devices) that participants will be using for the remote monitoring. The post-holder will be required to manage and support participants throughout the participants’ 24-month study period. The post-holder will also support other aspects of the day-to-day running of the study, including database management, writing newsletters, attending meetings, and liaising with clinicians.

The post-holders will report to Dr Aislinn Bowler and Professor Jonna Kuntsi but will also work with other research staff and students working on the ART research programme, including research assistants, PhD students, postdocs, and software developers.

Good time management, attention to detail, communication, and organisation skills are essential. The successful applicants will have good quantitative skills. Enthusiasm for science, and psychology/mental health in particular, is essential.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31st January 2028.