Research Fellow – Project Manager, CHATTER Project Full-time

Research Fellow – Project Manager, CHATTER Project

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.

CHATTER (Co-producted cHaracterisation of AffecTive Thoughs in agEing and dementia Research) is an interdisciplinary research programme led by Dr Natalie Marchant. focused on developing a novel, ethical, reliable and valid artificial intelligence / natural language processing (AI/NLP) pipeline to characterise internal thoughts (e.g., worry, rumination) and to determine which thought properties are associated with age-related cognitive, mental, and brain health. The programme brings together expertise from psychology, psychiatry, psycholinguistics, computer science, and statistics, alongside peer researchers with lived experience of ageing and mental illness, to ensure real-world relevance and authenticity.

The research is motivated by the high and growing rates of mental and neurological disorders among older adults in the UK. By developing scalable, tools to characterise thinking styles, CHATTER aims to support earlier identification of modifiable risk and protective factors relevant to healthy ageing and dementia prevention.

We are seeking a Research Fellow / Project Manager to support delivery of the CHATTER Research Programme, working closely with the Principal Investigator (Dr Natalie Marchant) and a multidisciplinary team from UCL, Queen Mary University London and the University of Surrey.

You will oversee day-to-day management of the project, including the database, budget, timelines and dissemination activities. The role also involves supporting co-production workshops, coordination of peer researchers from the community and students in annotation of transcripts, supervision of a research assistant, and contribution to research outputs. The role is highly participant-facing and interdisciplinary, combining data management with collaborative, co-produced research practices.

Appointment details:

• The post is graded on the Non-clinical research staff Pay Scale Grade 7, spine point 31, for which the annual salary is £45,103 (including London Allowance).
• The appointment is available from 20th April 2026 and is funded for 2 years in the first instance.
• 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.

You will hold a PhD in Psychology, Mental Health Sciences or a closely related discipline with a strong track record of research in mental health, ageing and/or dementia. You will have experience with participant-facing research, including co-production and/or patient and public involvement.

You will be a collaborative colleague, with a strong problem-solving mindset, excellent interpersonal skills, and a demonstrable ability to work effectively and sensitively across multidisciplinary teams, with external stakeholders, and to strict deadlines. Outstanding organisational ability, commitment to high research standards, flexibility, and willingness to continue learning are key to success in this role.

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 submit a 2-page CV and 2-page (<1000 words) personal statement. In the CV, please detail your undergraduate and post-graduate education, your employment history, research experience and skills.
• Please do not upload your photograph on your application/CV.

Contact details:

• If you have any queries about the role, please contact Dr Natalie Marchant at n.marchant@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/

Available documents:

• download: Job Description.pdf