Research Fellow

We are seeking a Research Fellow to work on the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) awarded program for the Tolerability and acceptability of subcutaneous EEG monitoring in people with epilepsy and intellectual disability  based at the University of Plymouth.

Based in the Faculty of Health, the Peninsula Medical School aims to attract highly motivated and talented students to become the next generation of future-ready doctors, physician associates and radiographers, who are well prepared for a 21st Century career. The School’s innovative approach to education is underpinned by research and staff who are committed to scholarship that includes undertaking curriculum development and design activities.

The School takes pride in supporting the needs of the local region and recognises that providing excellent educational and personal development experiences, as well as world class research, requires true partnerships with key stakeholders from across the region and beyond. Our research – underpinned by significant grant capture – is translational, generates impact and serves our Peninsula population as well as having global impact.

A key strength is a close relationship with NHS partners, with early clinical contact for all students. The South West offers healthcare and learning opportunities of exceptional quality; University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust at Derriford is one of Europe’s largest hospitals and the only trauma centre in Devon and Cornwall.

Clinical research pathways within the School provide a research culture and environment that values talent and supports endeavour and innovation.

The School is strongly committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and holds an Athena Swan Silver Award recognising commitment to maintaining a culture of participation and inclusivity across all activities. The School is also signed up to the BMA Racial Harassment Charter which offers guidance and best practice to address the unacceptable barriers faced by BAME students as they negotiate their different learning environments.

We are looking to appoint a Research Fellow who will work 100% on this research role for 12 months and have regular contact with, and support of, the Co-Investigator Professor Rohit Shankar, University of Plymouth.

Many people with intellectual disabilities (PwID) and autism have seizures.  Electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the brain's electrical activity, is a crucial method of diagnosing and assessing seizures. This is generally conducted in a hospital, meaning patients can only be observed for a limited time and hospital stays can also be challenging and uncomfortable for PwID and autism.

UNEEG Medical has developed a very small device ('SubQ'), that can be put under the skin on a person's head to track their brain activity without staying in the hospital. It has been medically validated, CE-marked and successfully implanted for up to 15 months in people with seizures, but not in PwID and autism.

This project will build on co-production work conducted with people with PwID and autism, their family members, and their carers, to understand how this technology could be used to improve our understanding of epilepsy and seizures for PwID and autism, which patients it might be helpful for, and how to explain the technology to enable its uptake and use. This project aims to use our learnings from our Phase 1 project's co-production work to test the device's tolerability, acceptability and planned implementation in this population and gather initial evidence of how well it can detect seizures in people with moderate to profound ID and autism. We will also examine how it impacts patients' quality of life, behaviour, and carer experiences. Having an accurate means of identifying seizures is particularly important for people with moderate to profound ID, because they cannot tell us about their experiences.

This means seizures are more likely to be missed or attributed to behavioural issues.

Healthcare professionals at the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will identify 5 to 10 patients for whom the technology could provide clinical benefit. These patients will be invited to participate; as they lack the capacity to provide informed consent; their legal representative will make the decision based on their best interests. Patients who participate in the study will have the device implanted under the skin on their scalp. The patient's clinician will make decisions about when to remove the implant. Study data will be collected from the device six months after implantation, and questionnaire data will be collected from carers before implantation as well as immediately, three months, and six months after. We will invite some carers to discuss their experiences with the technology in more detail in an interview.

Carers of people with epilepsy and moderate to profound ID and autism will be invited to join the research group. They will be involved in planning and making decisions throughout the study, particularly around informed consent procedures and sharing the findings with the community. We will publish the results in international peer-reviewed medical journals and use charity and community networks to share the information with the general public and people working with PwID and autism, and epilepsy.

You will be a dynamic person who has experience of recruiting and consenting people to take part in research. You will work with the clinical teams and the potential participants and therefore will require a good understanding of the technology and an understanding of the processes involved in this study.  You will be committed to co-production, engaging with non-academic partners and to using research with impact. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team and with stakeholders are key requirements, as is the ability to communicate research effectively through a variety of media, including in high quality peer-reviewed publications. The candidate will also be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, work effectively as part of a team and contribute to the delivery of an ambitious list of public engagement and impact activities. We are committed to the development of early career researchers and will ensure that time is provided to support you in building your own research career.

You will have opportunities for contributing to the international profile of our research and scholarship as well as developing their own research trajectory.

This role will require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.

Please demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Rohit Shankar by email at [email protected] .

Interviews are likely to take place on Monday 13th May 2024 and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted or not.

This is full-time position working 37 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for 12 months commencing once funding contracts have been signed.

Flexible working options including job share will be considered.

We offer a competitive salary package and a generous pension and holiday scheme. We also offer a range of other benefits, including ongoing development opportunities.  A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed here .

The Faculty of Health holds two Silver and two Bronze Athena Swan Awards, which recognises commitment to supporting gender equality within higher education.

Staff appointed within the Faculty of Health may be able to join the NHS pension scheme subject to eligibility criteria.

The University of Plymouth has a strong interdisciplinary research ethos which is supported by our three strategic Research Institutes; the Marine Institute, the Sustainable Earth Institute, and the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research. As a member of our academic community, you’ll be expected to contribute to our recognised research strengths. Working holistically across the University, you will be challenged to innovate, collaborate and deliver impactful research contributions as part of a systems thinking approach to addressing today’s global challenges.

The University of Plymouth is a diverse, welcoming community where everyone makes a difference and is encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. To find out more about our inclusive community, initiatives such as Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter and our range of benefits / support mechanisms such as flexible working, staff networks and enhanced maternity, paternity & adoption leave please visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpages

We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented groups such as BAME/BIPOC and LGBT+.

Job Description