Research Associate in Health Inequalities

Salary: £33,348 to £43,155 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 18 June 2023

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Post-Doctoral Research Associate in epidemiology, population health sciences or a related discipline with strong quantitative skills to contribute to a programme of research on inequalities in age-related health outcomes.

You will join an interdisciplinary team focused on improving lives through world-class research in ageing, sarcopenia and multiple long-term conditions. You will be supervised by Rachel Cooper, newly appointed McArdle Chair in Ageing and Professor of Translational Epidemiology, and will be based in the AGE Research Group, which is led by Professor Avan Aihie Sayer, Director of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre.

You will contribute to studies of inequalities in multiple long-term conditions, sarcopenia and other age-related outcomes using data from large population-based studies. This will include exploring socioeconomic, sex, age and ethnic differences in important health outcomes across the life course. Your role will involve reviewing relevant literature, developing research questions, identifying suitable data, conducting epidemiological analyses and disseminating research findings through publications and conference presentations. The role will also involve ensuring that patient and public involvement and engagement are considered at each stage of the research process.

Your project will be closely aligned with the aims of the ADMISSION research collaborative and the newly funded Ageing, Sarcopenia and Multimorbidity theme within the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and you will benefit from close collaborative working with other colleagues who contribute to this research collaborative and BRC theme.

This full-time post is fixed term for a period of 2 years.

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Rachel Cooper: rachel.cooper@newcastle.ac.uk

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here
Find out more about our Research Institutes here
Find out more about the NIHR Newcastle BRC here

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles . These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and carry out specified projects using appropriate techniques
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value'
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations and, where appropriate, support the development of these investigations
• Lead write-up of research findings for publication and dissemination
• Present research findings at conferences and other meetings, workshops and events as appropriate
• Contribute to grant applications and, in time, develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Contribute, where appropriate, to the supervision of undergraduate and post- graduate projects and dissertations and support other teaching activities (e.g. leading seminars)
• Contribute, where appropriate, to the supervision of Research Assistants
• Contribute to public and patient involvement/engagement (PPIE) activities within the group
• Participate in the activities of the Translational and Clinical Research Institute and other University research groupings as and where relevant
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
• Actively contribute to data and meta-data curation in studies being used by the AGE Research Group and support others in their work on these studies

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability and ability to rapidly acquire new skills
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and awareness of the research environment
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload using own initiative as required
• Experience using relevant statistical analysis packages (e.g. R, Stata)
• Excellent written communication skills evidenced by lead writing of peer-reviewed scientific articles and a track record of publications appropriate for career stage
• Excellent verbal communication skills evidenced by delivery of oral presentations at national and international conferences and other forms of dissemination

Desirable

• Experience of (or interest in) undertaking research on health inequalities
• Experience of working with large population-based studies
• Experience of patient and public involvement and engagement

Attributes and Behaviour

• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrable ability to carry out research project work within agreed timelines while

producing research to an appropriate standard

• Innovative, flexible and cooperative in approach
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team

Qualifications

• A PhD in epidemiology, population health sciences or another relevant discipline with a strong quantitative component is required for appointment at Associate level
• A Masters degree in epidemiology, population health sciences or another relevant discipline with a strong quantitative component is required for appointment at Assistant level

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 25496