Research Associate at King’s College London

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated individual with a track record in dementia research, palliative care or social care research (or a related area), and interest in ‘big data’, to join a post-doctoral training programme hosted by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London.  

We are looking for an individual with the ambition and potential to become a leader in applied dementia research from across the health and social care disciplines. You will join a thriving cohort, under the support and mentorship of leading researchers in applied research. 

The post-holder will undertake cutting-edge research using routinely collected data resources (‘big data’) to understand patterns of care before death for people living with dementia. Questions of interest include the relationship between personal characteristics (including socioeconomic position, ethnicity, migration, area of residence) and care (including hospital transitions, place of care [care home, home], place of death and health and wider care costs). This work builds on current NIHR and Alzheimer’s Society funded research. 

The post-holder will work across the shared teams of the Cicely Saunders Institute and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, and will be based primarily at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London. They will also work with colleagues across the ARC South London, as well as engage with people living with dementia and carers from diverse communities.  

We have a rich collaborative environment crucial for addressing current challenges in dementia care and research. The postholder will benefit from established capacity building programmes in the ARC South London with training/conferences on research methods and implementation science, including mentorship, individual coaching, policy engagement, and public involvement in dementia research, and utilise the extensive KCL internal courses for researchers. The postholder will engage with dementia networks across the NIHR. The postholder will have the opportunity to learn more about applied dementia research and provision, and implement their knowledge and skills in dementia care, practice, and policy. It provides an opportunity for them to hone methodological skills, and develop expertise. 

King’s applied health and social care research is ranked first in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework 2021, overall and for outputs, impact and environment. The Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and palliative care is ranked 2nd in the world for nursing.  

Candidates should be highly motivated individuals with excellent communication skills, the ability to work independently as well as part of a team, and with experience of delivering health and care research. We are keen to hear from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience. 

The postholder will report to Prof Katherine Sleeman, Professor in palliative care and honorary consultant in palliative medicine. Prof Irene Higginson (Professor in palliative medicine and lead for the ARC SL theme for palliative and end of life care) and Dr Kritika Samsi (Senior Research Fellow) will provide scientific oversight of the study and mentorship, and support supervision. 

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 22 months. 

This is a full-time post– 100% full time equivalent. We offer flexibility for part-time working and opportunity to retain clinical links or responsibilities.