Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Modelling Full-time NEW

Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Modelling

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.

Duties and responsibilities:

You will join the Whitehall II research group and work primarily on data from Whitehall II longitudinal cohort to study the association of air pollution with cognition and neurodegenerative outcomes and its underlying mechanisms. This Wellcome-funded project builds on the well-characterised Whitehall II study with 40 years follow-up, repeated measurements of cardiometabolic biomarkers, cognitive and functional impairments, and cross-linked health data. We have now linked modelled daily and yearly averaged air pollution data 1980-2021 to Whitehall II participant data through residential postcode, accounting for moving during the follow-up. The powerful linked dataset combines the individual trajectory of air pollution exposures with cardiometabolic risk factors and cognition from midlife to late life as well as ageing-related disease outcomes including dementia.

You will be encouraged and supported to take a lead research role, and to write papers. This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary research team focusing on the biological mechanisms that cause dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. You will also contribute to student supervision, grant development, and support the wider research objectives of the Whitehall II group.

Appointment details:

• The post is graded on the non-clinical research staff Pay Scale at Grade 7, the annual salary for which ranges from £45,103 to £52,586 (including London Allowance). • The appointment is funded for 2 years in the first instance.

Role specific details:

• Any offer of employment will be subject to an standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. • Research Fellows – '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 £39,148 – £41,833 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.'

We are looking for a talented early career researcher with PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, or related quantitative discipline. The post holder is expected to have a strong research track record in analysing longitudinal datasets with excellent statistical programming skills in R, Stata or similar languages. Knowledge of cardiovascular and/or neurodegenerative disease pathophysiology, particularly as it relates to epidemiological research would be desirable. Please review the job description before applying, paying particular attention to the essential / desirable criteria, and ensure your experience in these areas is addressed in the application.

Application process:

• A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
• Please 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, papers, or other reports).
• Please submit a 2-page CV and 2-page personal statement. In the CV, please detail your undergraduate, post-graduate education and your employment history. Please ensure your CV is no longer than 2 pages.
• Please do not upload your photograph on your application/CV.

Contact details:

• If you have any queries about the role, please contact Simon Chen at yuntao.chen@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

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

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/