Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatric Epidemiology (EPICare)

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

The full range of staff benefits can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-benefits/staff-benefits

About us

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the NIHR-funded EPICare Programme, a major national research programme developing, implementing and evaluating the first psychosis registry and clinical dashboard for Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services in England. The programme aims to provide timely insights into EIP service care, and patient outcomes to support clinical decision-making and improvements in EIP care.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will lead the evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the EPICare psychosis registry, contributing to Work Package 5 of the EPICare programme which is funded by a NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research. The postholder will assess the accuracy and reliability of the demographic, treatment and clinical outcomes data captured within the digital registry using epidemiological methods. They will also develop analytical protocols and use the national registry to answer research questions pertaining to the real-world effectiveness of NICE-mandated treatments in EIP care, and the inequalities and variance in EIP treatment and fidelity to NICE EIP standards. The postholder may also contribute original research questions to the project. This work package will provide a crucial evaluation of the EPICare psychosis registry and aims to answer key research questions to enable national improvements in both patient care quality and EIP service delivery.

The postholder will generate actionable insights into the EPICare registry using epidemiological causal inference methods under the supervision of Prof. James Kirkbride and in collaboration with EPICare stakeholders. They will contribute to dissemination efforts including through publishing in peer-reviewed journals, delivering presentations and engaging with the diverse range of EPICare team members (academics, clinicians, lived experience advisory groups members, technical experts).

The UCL Division of Psychiatry, located within the Faculty of Brain Sciences, is a world-renowned centre of excellence in mental health research. Our mission is to improve mental health through cutting-edge research and education. By leveraging insights from basic science, we address clinical problems with the aim of improving patient outcomes and public health. Moreover, we take pride in delivering innovative teaching that is directly relevant to clinical practice and informed by our research. Join our team and help us drive forward the field of mental health research and education.

You will join a multidisciplinary team of research academics, epidemiologists, statisticians, health economists, clinicians, implementation scientists and people with lived experience, working collaboratively to generate evidence that improves outcomes for people experiencing first episode psychosis. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to research with direct clinical, service and policy impact while developing your own independent research profile within a supportive academic environment.

About the role

Duties and responsibilities

The postholder will work under the supervision of Professor James Kirkbride and in collaboration with investigators across the EPICare programme to apply epidemiological causal inference methods and modelling techniques (e.g. inverse probability weighting, growth mixture modelling, group-based trajectory modelling) to longitudinal health registry data. The Research Fellow will lead the design and development of statistical analysis protocols and the clinical effectiveness analyses of the registry data to address key questions around the EIP treatments and interventions and to assess external validity of the registry. They will also collaborate with EPICare team members to support cost-effectiveness assessments of the EPICare registry, and with colleagues working on other programme work packages to support work on the registry's design and implementation. Other duties for the postholder include disseminating findings through high-quality scientific manuscripts, technical reports and presentations to academic, clinical and policy audiences; supporting junior EPICare team members; and contributing to the overall EPICare programme through effective communication and demonstrating high ethical and research standards.

Appointment details:

• The post is graded at Grade 7, the annual salary for which ranges from £46,261 to £54,019 (including London Allowance)
• The appointment is available from 1 November 2026 and is funded for up to 30 months subject to satisfactory completion of a 9-month probation period
• Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6b (salary £39,807 to £42,891 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis

About you

You will be an enthusiastic and collaborative researcher with a strong quantitative background in epidemiology, biostatistics or a very similar discipline, with an outstanding early career track record in your field. You will have a passion for improving mental health through high-quality epidemiological research. You will have experience working with large observational datasets and applying advanced statistical methods to answer clinically relevant research questions.

You should have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, experience writing scientific publications, and the ability to communicate complex findings clearly to academic and non-academic audiences. You will be comfortable working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team, contributing to the delivery of an ambitious national research programme.

The ideal candidate will have a high level of experience and knowledge in causal inference, longitudinal data analysis, mental health epidemiology or health services research, alongside a commitment to producing research that improves clinical practice and reduces inequalities in care for people with psychosis.

Application process:

• A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page
• You should include the following documents in your application: (1) Maximum of 2-page CV, (2) Maximum of 2-page personal statement
• You should use the personal statement section to explain how you meet each essential and desirable criteria outlined in the person specification
• Please do not upload any additional documents (transcripts, your publications, or other reports).
• Shortlisted applicants will be required to undertake tasks at interview that test their original thinking, knowledge, expertise and data management
• Interviews will be held in mid-October (exact date TBC, online via Microsoft Teams.

Contact details:

• If you have any queries about the role, please contact Proffesor James Kirkbride at j.kirkbride@ucl.ac.uk
• If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact dop.hr@ucl.ac.uk

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

The Division of Psychiatry prides itself for operating in an all-inclusive environment. Teamwork is highly valued, individual strengths are recognised and celebrated, and there is a commitment to advancing the careers of everyone, regardless of gender or role. We aim to provide a family friendly environment where both women and men feel able to take the time they need for family. The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in academia and the Division is delighted to have an Athena Swan Silver Award since 2022. All staff are invited to contribute to EDI initiatives within the Division to contribute to improving working conditions and opportunities for all. Mentoring is a crucial part of supporting career progression and mentoring schemes are available for staff in the Division.

You can

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/about/equality-diversity-and-inclusion

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/