Research Fellow - Internal - Psychology - 55694 - Grade 7

Position Details

School of Psychology

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,406 to £40,927, with potential progression once in post to £43,434.

Grade 7

Full Time, fixed term contract until 16.02.2024

Closing date 31st January 2022

This vacancy is only open to internal applicants.

Background

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within the PRESCIENT research project.

The University of Birmingham is leading the UK site of a new International programme to develop models for predicting outcomes for young people who are at imminent and high risk of psychotic illness. The project is led by Orygen (The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health in Australia), after being awarded a $33 million grant from the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH),  and the overall Chief Investigator is Professor Barnaby Nelson of the University of Melbourne.

The project – Trajectories and predictors in the clinical high risk for psychosis population: Australian network of clinics and international partners – involves collaborations across Australia, Europe, and Asia to collect extensive data on symptoms, biomarkers and clinical outcomes. New technologies will be used to assess the wellbeing of young people and develop prediction models that are accurate, and adaptive. It is hoped that better prediction models will ultimately improve clinical care, treatment, and prevention.

The UK site is led by Professors Matthew Broome and Rachel Upthegrove at The Institute for Mental Health at the University of Birmingham, who will be collaborating with the Early Intervention for Psychosis Service (Forward Thinking Birmingham; FTB) and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. 

For further information click here .

Summary of Role

The PDRF will support the Principal Investigator and take a lead in training and supervising the Research Fellow and post graduate students throughout the study, ans in particular with the study delivery. This will involve multi-site data transfer set ups and protocols, clear and througoug processes for data aqusition and data management in keeping with the study leads and PI’s, working with the Research Fellow to ensure  recruitment of vulnerable young people who are at clinical high risk for psychosis, liaising closely with NHS staff, and collecting research data variety of forms when needed, including clinical and cognitive data, blood samples, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) neurophysiological  (e.g. EEG) aquistion. You will take a lead in data data quality checking and data entry. 

Main Duties/Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlines below.

• Site management and recruitment for the PRESCIENT grant, working closely with NHS collegues

• Supervision of Research Assistants and students also working on the study

• Leadership on Quality checks and assurances for data control

• Contribute to writing bids for research funding

• Analyse and interpret data

• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding

• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc.

• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance on PhD students where appropriate to the discipline

• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods

• Undertake management/administration arising from PRESCEINT

• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research related administration

• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader

• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews*

• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters*

• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research*

• Deal with the problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*

Person Specification

• High level analytical capability

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to research area of equivalent qualifications (PhD theses completed or in submission by start date)

• Ability to communicate complex information clearly

• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones

• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources affectively

• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes

• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project

• Co-ordinate own work with other to avoid conflict of duplication of effort

• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquires to Professor Rachel Upthegrove via [email protected]

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working