Lecturer – Deputy Research Lead Full-time

Lecturer – Deputy Research Lead

This is a new, established open-ended post at the Centre for Behaviour Change (CBC) at UCL, led by Professors Susan Michie and Fabiana Lorencatto. The CBC promotes the science and practice of behaviour change to address social, health and environmental challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships. This leading world-renowned Centre has advanced the science and application of behaviour change through developing influential theory and frameworks, innovation in research methods, generation and translation of evidence, and creation of practical solutions to complex problems using a systematic approach.

The Lecturer and Deputy Research Lead role is a new, open-ended, full-time core post (1.0 FTE), starting in August 2026. The post-holder will be expected to work from UCL's Bloomsbury campus at least two days a week.

This role is a unique chance to develop as a leader in the field while influencing the development of the CBC's diverse portfolio of collaborative, interdisciplinary and applied research. The role requires an experienced and enthusiastic researcher with expertise in behavioural science and research methods, and a proven track record in initiating and leading research projects and working as part of a team. The post-holder should have the ambition of becoming an internationally-recognised leader in the field. They will be part of the CBC's management team and will receive strategic and practical support from the Research Lead, Dr Sadie Boniface.

The Centre currently has approximately 30 members, comprising a mixture of academic, research, teaching, and administrative staff, and doctoral students; there are currently 19 active research grants.

The role is available from 1st August 2026.

About the role

The postholder will initiate research collaborations and proposals for grant funding, as well as respond to invitations, with the ambition of collaborating in large and high-profile research programmes. These may involve researchers and organisations from a range of disciplines and sectors, nationally and internationally. The post holder will be expected to develop a first-class programme of research. The post holder will support research enabling activities across the CBC (e.g. research seminars, writing groups, away days, local ethics processes).

Current research areas at the CBC include health (e.g. antimicrobial resistance, self-management in chronic illness), environmental sustainability (e.g. reducing plastic waste), organisational change (e.g. improving research culture in universities) and innovative frameworks and methodologies (e.g. ontologies). The CBC has leadership roles in major transformational programmes of research, such as Behavioural Research-UK and the Behavioural and Social Sciences Policy Research Unit. We particularly encourage applications from researchers working on climate and sustainability topics, and/or those with advanced quantitative data analysis skills. The CBC is an innovative, collaborative group committed to Open Research; the post-holder will be expected to embrace this ethos.

The postholder will have up to one day per week of teaching commitments on the MSc Behaviour Change and/or BSc Psychology, including project supervision, and coordinating and delivering lectures. The post-holder will also have opportunities to engage in research consultancy and behaviour change training activities, as well as broader knowledge exchange and public engagement.

We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible.

This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 40% on site.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

About you

We are looking for someone with excellent research, management, and communication skills, with a track record in both quantity and quality of published research articles, and an ambition to become a leader in the field of behavioural science.

Applicants should have:

1. A 2.1 (or higher) in Psychology or a related behavioural science, and a PhD in Behavioural Science or a closely related field
2. Excellent knowledge of behavioural science theory, methods and evidence, and be able to apply this to a wide range of topics
3. Demonstrable expertise in advanced quantitative methods
4. Strong record of securing research funding and contributing to large, interdisciplinary research programmes
5. Track record of disseminating research to academic and non-academic audiences, with highly cited journal articles.
6. Excellent communication skills with an enthusiastic, efficient, collaborative and responsive working style
7. Strong on initiative and proactive, with good problem-solving skills and experience of effectively managing multiple research projects and multiple priorities
8. Experience of research supervision (including postgraduate)
9. Experience of designing and delivering teaching and training in behavioural science

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 (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

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; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Athena Swan Status Statement

• Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/