Senior Research Fellow (104578-1021)

Vacancy Type/Job category
Research Only
Department
Warwick Medical School, Clinical Trials Unit
Salary
£42,149 - £50,296 per annum
Location
University of Warwick, Coventry
Vacancy Overview
Full-time, Fixed Term Contract 31 October 2024
An exciting opportunity has arisen at Warwick Medical School, for an experienced Research Fellow with qualitative and mixed methods research experience.
The Facilitating Access to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training in High-Risk Areas study (FACTs) is using a participatory, mixed methods approach. The study is guided by realist principals and informed by behaviour change theory. It will explore reasons for why there are some areas in England with a high incidence of cardiac arrest where there are also low rates of bystander resuscitation interventions, develop interventions and evaluate them in several areas of England.
You will join an experienced and enthusiastic interdisciplinary research team led by Dr Claire Hawkes, Senior Research Fellow, Emergency and Critical Care Team, at Warwick Medical School. You will undertake all research aspects of the study, supervised by the project team, from participant recruitment through qualitative and some quantitative data collection, analysis, data synthesis to report writing and dissemination.
The study is working collaboratively with members of minority group communities in underserved areas. In partnership with our public contributors and study team members you will be facilitating workshop discussions, developing and evaluating the implementation of interventions.
You will work closely and flexibly with other members of the research team, public collaborators, staff in community groups who assist with access to participants and in organising intervention events, so you must demonstrate excellent communication and management skills together with the ability to organize and to work autonomously and as part of a team. You will be able to motivate others, show enthusiasm and innovate when faced with different types of challenges.
This is a full time, fixed term Senior Research Fellow post. Appointment at Senior Research Fellow is open to candidates with a relevant PHD and appropriate research experience.
This post is available full-time (part time or job share may be considered).
Warwick Medical School will be you work base. Flexibility for data collection will be required; there may be flexibility for remote working.
Informal enquiries welcome. Please contact Dr Claire Hawkes. email: [email protected]
Job Description
Job purpose
To be undertake the research in this mixed methods study. You will be conducting a realist evidence synthesis, to inform collaborative development of interventions and will help organise and evaluate their implementation. You will conduct data collection, analysis, synthesis, report writing and other dissemination activities.
To work collaboratively with community partners, study participant recruitment, workshop and interview data collection in several community settings in England, obtaining perspectives of members of the public’s views for improving bystander intervention for cardiac arrest in high risk communities.
To work with other project team members to deliver the study.
Duties and responsibilities
1. To undertake mixed-methods research, supervised by the project team, including workshop based data collection and interviews.
2. To lead, under supervision, the analysis of data from both realist and theoretically informed perspectives to inform development of interventions and evaluate their implementation.
3. To work collaboratively with members of the public from diverse backgrounds who are involved in the study team, public advisory group, community groups and as research participants, with academic staff, research administrators, and other stakeholder groups (e.g. study steering committee, organisations involved in resuscitations skills training and campaigning) via formal group/committee work, informal networks and one-to-one liaison.
4. To produce high quality project reports and other outputs, to contribute to dissemination of work at community events, national/international meetings and to publish work in international high quality peer reviewed journals.
5. To work collaboratively and flexibly with the project team to deliver all aspects of the study.
6. To contribute to relevant research seminars.
Administration and Other Activities:
1. To contribute to project meetings within and outside of the department and support project research administrators in the organisation of such meetings.
2. To engage in continuous professional development activities.
3. To participate in relevant professional activities
4. To undertake specific departmental roles as may be reasonably required by your line manager
The duties and responsibilities outlined are not intended to be an exhaustive list but provide guidance on the main aspects of the job. You will be required to be flexible in your duties.

Person Specification

The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively. This is measured by (a) Application Form, (b) Test/Exercise, (c) Interview, (d) Presentation.

Essential Criteria 1
Excellent qualitative research skills and experience of mixed methods research (a, c)
Essential Criteria 2
Experience of or willingness to develop skills in realist informed research (a, c)
Essential Criteria 3
Experience of or willingness to develop skills in realist informed research (a, c)
Essential Criteria 4
Evidence of contribution to research grant applications and the ability to generate external funding to support research projects (a, c)
Essential Criteria 5
Insight into the issues to be considered when collecting and analysing sensitive and potentially distressing data and working with members of the public from minority groups (a, c)
Essential Criteria 6
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts and to collaborate with a range of people (a, c)
Essential Criteria 7
Able to organise own workload and the ability to use initiative in working situations (a, c)
Essential Criteria 8
Experience of and ability to work both independently and as part of a team and of meeting tight deadlines (a, c)
Essential Criteria 9
Willingness to work flexibly for data collection for the convenience of participants which may be during evenings and weekends (a, c)
Essential Criteria 10
Willingness to travel to and work across multiple research settings in England (a, c)
Desirable Criteria 1
Experience of research with minority groups (a, c)
Desirable Criteria 2
Experience of research in community settings (a, c)
Desirable Criteria 3
Ability to speak one or more languages relevant to the study (a, c)
Further Particulars
The Post
This is a full time, fixed term Senior Research Fellow post. Part-time job share may be considered.
The Chief Investigator is Dr Claire Hawkes, Senior Research Fellow, Emergency Care, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School. The post holder will work closely with Professor Sophie Staniszewska, Warwick Medical School, who will lead the PPI work, Professor Jo Rycroft Malone from the University of Lancaster who will be leading the realist work, Professor Ivo Vlaev, Warwick Business School, who will lead the intervention development work and Professor Gavin Perkins, Director of Warwick Clinical Trials Unit and Consultant Intensivist.
The Project
Facilitating access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in high risk areas.
Background
Improved survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of defibrillation, often by members of the public before emergency medical services arrive.
Although bystander interventions (CPR and use of publicly accessible defibrillators (PAD)) have been improving over recent years there is variation between areas. High risk areas have been identified in England where there is a higher incidence of cardiac arrest combined with lower than average bystander CPR rates.
These areas are characterised by deprivation, higher than average minority group populations and populations in manual occupations. There is little international evidence and only one ongoing study in the UK in Scotland, to inform initiatives to improve the situation. Understanding reasons or lower bystander intervention rates and developing interventions to tackle them is urgently needed to provide stakeholders with evidence and tools, to help towards their efforts to meet NHS England Long Term Plan aims to reduce health inequalities and to improve survival from OHCA by 4,000 people a year by 2028.
Aims
To identify reasons for low bystander resuscitation rates in high-risk communities through literature and primary evidence synthesis and to develop, implement and evaluate theoretically informed interventions.
Objectives
1. To establish a community based public involvement advisory group to co-produce key aspects of the study
2. To identify barriers and facilitators to performing CPR or publicly accessible defibrillator use in high-risk areas through realist evidence synthesis and develop theoretically informed interventions
3. Prioritise interventions with community partners and other stakeholders for evaluation.
4. Develop a realist informed evaluation framework and associated data collection tools, including assessment of locally made intervention changes.
5. Conduct an implementation evaluation with embedded feasibility study.
Design and methods
A collaborative realist enquiry, informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and associated Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), consisting of a realist evidence synthesis, intervention development and implementation evaluation with embedded feasibility in three work packages (WPs).
WP 1 is a realist synthesis, informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework, of published and primary evidence of facilitators, barriers and associated interventions relevant to improving bystander CPR. It will use cross-disciplinary literature and data from workshops with people from communities with characteristics of high-risk areas. The synthesis will produce conjectured context, mechanism and outcome (CMO) theories which will inform intervention design and prioritisation in WP2. In WP3 we will implement interventions and conduct a theoretically informed realist evaluation in up to six English high-risk areas.
Warwick Medical School
For further information about the department, please visit the departmental website
For further information about the University of Warwick, please read our University Further Particulars .
Right to work in the UK
If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/ or are seeking sponsorship under Tier 2 of the UK points-based immigration system please click on this link which contains further information about obtaining right to work in the UK and details about eligibility for sponsorship under Tier 2.
Diversity and Inclusion
The University of Warwick provides an inclusive working and learning environment, recognising and respecting every individual’s differences. We welcome applications from individuals who identify with any of the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010.

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy

As an organisation using the (DBS) Disclosure and Barring Service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the University of Warwick complies with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. More information is available on the University’s Vacancy pages and applicants may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice.

Closing Date
7 Nov 2021