Research Associate Diabetes UK

Job id: 087125. Salary: £43,205 to £50,585 including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 02 April 2024. Closing date: 16 April 2024.

Business unit: Social Science & Public Policy. Department: Education, Communication & Society.

Contact details:Chris Tang. [email protected]

Location: Waterloo Campus. Category: Research.

We are seeking to recruit an organised, reliable and enthusiastic qualitative researcher with a background in linguistics to work on the Diabetes UK-funded project: Multimedia messaging to reduce diabetes related stigma. The project will develop and explore the impact of multimedia messaging resources and communication tools to address the impact of stigma in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM involves high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy and usually resolves following birth. Stigma plays a significant role in the health behaviours of women during and following GDM pregnancies, impeding engagement with personal health.  

Drawing on cognitive linguistic theories, the study will identify the linguistic and contextual triggers of stigma and their emotional and behavioural consequences. The analysis will be used to generate a model of the key triggers so they can be mapped onto anti-stigma interventions.  

The successful candidate will be based in the Centre for Language Discourse and Communication, a research centre within the School of Education Communication and Society and will join an interdisciplinary team made up of linguists, health researchers and film specialists.  

The responsibilities of the post will be to lead 10-12 focus group discussions with women who have experience of GDM, their family members and partners, and healthcare professionals. The postholder, supported and trained by the linguists on the team, will conduct a qualitative, cognitive linguistic analysis of the transcribed audio recordings. They will work within a team of health researchers and film specialists in drawing out the implications of the analysis for anti-stigma modelling and interventions.  

The successful candidate will have a PhD* in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics or Discourse Analysis, a background in qualitative analysis and an interest in interdisciplinary, high impact research. They will show evidence of excellent communication skills in written and spoken English and high-quality academic writing.  

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds.  

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 1 year 

This is a full-time  post

• Contributing to the design of the discussion guide and organization of the focus groups
• Moderating focus groups with women with GDM, members of their support network and healthcare workers
• Reviewing the relevant literature from cognitive linguistics and participating in training in preparation for the qualitative analysis
• Qualitative, cognitive linguistic analysis of the focus group data
• Liaising with the project team in developing a model for anti-stigma interventions
• Co-authoring academic conference papers, peer-reviewed journal publications and reports based on the research findings

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria

1.      PhD in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Discourse Analysis or other similar field*

2.      Strong research skills, including experience of qualitative linguistic analysis

3.      Evidence of high-quality academic writing

4.      Good communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English, including the ability to communicate with diverse groups

5.      Strong organisational and administrative skills, including the ability to prioritise and multi-task, and work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team

6.      Dedicated, hardworking and reliable

7.      Self-motivated and able to work independently

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of qualitative data collection (e.g. focus groups)

2.      Knowledge of cognitive linguistic theory and its application (e.g. metaphor analysis, conceptual blending theory)

3.      Experience of working on funded projects

*Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. Candidates with expertise in cognitive linguistics, who have not yet submitted their thesis, will also be considered. For candidates who have not yet received their award, appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.