Research Assistant, Early Psychosis Informatics into Care (EPICare) Part-time NEW

Research Assistant, Early Psychosis Informatics into Care (EPICare)

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

The EPICare programme is a large NIHR- and Mental Health Mission–funded study to develop, implement and evaluate the first national digital psychosis registry and NHS Trust-based clinician dashboard in Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services across 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.

EPICare is organised across seven work packages spanning scientific evaluation, programme management, public and patient involvement, data integrity and research capacity development. We are seeking a Research Assistant to support activity during the evaluation stage of EPICare (work packages 5 and 6) which is supported by an NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research. The post is funded at Grade 6B for 12 months at 0.4 FTE as part of this four-year NIHR Programme Grant.

The programme will assess how accurately and reliably demographic, treatment and clinical outcome data are captured in the digital registry and examine the clinical effectiveness of the registry by investigating variations in psychosis incidence, inequalities in care, and the real-world effectiveness of treatments on patient outcomes. It will also evaluate whether the clinical dashboard improves data quality and adherence to NICE standards, and whether both the registry and dashboard are cost-effective.

Within this quantitative research support role, the research assistant will lead data quality, integrity and management activities with the support of the Programme Manager, Chief Investigator and the investigator team, including preparing large datasets for analysis and developing and implementing data management procedures to support reproducible, high-quality analyses. The postholder will also assist in delivering EPICare platform training for clinical staff and provide administrative support to the Programme Manager.

The role is based at UCL with occasional travel to study sites. This post suits a candidate with strong data management and organisational skills who is motivated to contribute to high-quality applied mental health research.

For more information about EPICare, please visit: www.epicaremh.org

About the role

The Research Assistant will support the management of the EPICare registry dataset, working closely with the Programme Manager (Melanie Lafanechere), Chief Investigator (Prof. James Kirkbride) and wider research team. They will clean, process and prepare data for analysis; collaborate with team members to resolve data quality issues; be involved in the development, implementation and maintenance of data management documentation; and support programme evaluation activities. The postholder will also support the development of EPICare platform training materials and delivery of training to clinical staff, providing support to stakeholders across the participating NHS pilot Trusts. Additionally, the Research Assistant will provide administrative support to the Programme manager and EPICare team, coordinating meetings and communicating with multiple stakeholders. The postholder will be expected to communicate with stakeholders across academic, clinical, digital, governance and lived experience groups to help ensure the smooth running of the EPICare programme.

Appointment details:

• The post is graded at Grade 6B, with an annual salary ranging from £39,807 to £42,891 pro rata, including London Allowance.
• The appointment is available from 1 November 2026 and is funded for a fixed duration of 12 months at 0.4FTE

About you

You will have a strong academic background (Bachelor's and Master's degrees) in psychology, epidemiology, public health or a related field and an interest in applied mental health research. You will have excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and strong written and verbal communication skills.

You should have experience of conducting data analysis using statistical software, managing and maintaining study documentation and coordinating meetings. You will be comfortable working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team to meet agreed deadlines, and should uphold the highest ethical, governance and professional standards in all aspects of the research.

The ideal candidate will also have a good understanding of governance requirements pertaining to sensitive health data, GDPR and Good Clinical Practice, and may have experience working with large datasets similar to the EPICare registry or within mental health research or services.

Application process:

• A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page. In your personal statement, please explain how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria outlined in the job description.
• You should include the following documents in your application: (1) Maximum of 2-page CV, (2) Maximum of 2-page personal statement
• Applications will be anonymised, therefore please ensure your personal statement is fully completed. Please also ensure to include your degree class within your personal statement if applicable
• Please do not upload any additional documents (transcripts, your publications, or other reports).
• 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 Melanie Lafanechere at m.lafanechere@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

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

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 read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here:

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

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

Available documents

• download: Job Description and Person Specification.pdf