Work as Research Associate at King’s College London's Department of Psychology

King’s College London, Department of Psychology, is currently accepting applications for a Research Associate position. They seek a motivated and skilled qualitative researcher to join their MRC-funded project, which explores the complexities of university student life.

The successful candidate will contribute to the development of innovative concepts and frameworks to better understand and address loneliness and belonging among university students.

Levels of loneliness appear to be on the rise among university students, leaving many puzzled. University students are surrounded by peers, often live with friends and have many opportunities to socialise. They are asking why students feel lonely to help institutions better support students.

They are collaborating with the Nurture-U programme, as part of a wider cross-institution consortium. Within this consortium they are looking to understand compassion on the university campus and explore the barriers and enablers to compassion.

They are an interdisciplinary team and you will be working with quantitative and qualitative researchers, including an anthropologist and historian. Within this role you will be working with a team to analyse qualitative data from interviews about student social life. You will be supported, with close supervision from an anthropologist, to conduct ethnographically informed interviews with students to further understand their experience of life at university, with a view to understanding experiences of institutional compassion.

Benefits

Salary of £43,205 – £45,521 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Eligibility

• Applicant should have a Honors degree in Psychology or a relevant social science (at least 2:1 or equivalent). PhD in Psychology, anthropology or a relevant social science discipline.
• Experience in qualitative research, including responsible management of data, effective running of interviews, robust and reliable analysis of qualitative data. You will be confident working from a critical realist perspective.
• A demonstrable interest in social determinants of youth mental health and loneliness and an appreciation of the wider context of university mental health.
• Experience with and demonstrable ability to engage people from all backgrounds, building strong and effective relationships with collaborators, stakeholders, and student partners, including individuals with mental health problems.
• Experience of managing research projects, with ability to collaborate effectively, participate as a member of a research team and work independently as necessary.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Honesty and integrity, especially regarding confidentiality, analytic transparency, and research ethics.
• Willingness to work flexibly to fit in with project requirements.

Desirable Criteria

• Record of research output in high quality publications.
• Experience conducting ethnographic research.
• Experience of working in an interdisciplinary environment and understanding of the complexities this entails.

How to Apply

They ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed. If they receive a strong field of candidates, they may use the desirable criteria to choose the final shortlist, so include your evidence against these where possible.