Postdoctoral Research Associate in Work, Welfare & Mental Health

About us 

Our Centre for Society and Mental Health is a cross-Faculty initiative between the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy (SSPP) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). 

The centre aims to better understand the complex interrelationships between society and mental health, with a commitment to: 

-        Ensure that the impact of social context is central to how we understand mental health;
-        Work in partnership with affected communities. 

To help us complete this work, we are looking for a Research Associate to help ensure we meet our commitments.

About the role

You will work closely with Prof. Ben Geiger and Prof. Karen Glaser as part of the Centre’s ‘Work, Welfare Reform and Mental Health’ programme. This involves collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary team of researchers as well as the Centre’s academic and community partners.  

Additionally, you will collaborate with researchers in the Centre’s Cross-Centre Hub on Data Resources to investigate intersecting disadvantages on mental distress and develop new projects.  You will also work in full partnership with experts-by-experience or members of affected communities.

Using your experience in quantitative data analysis, you will examine the links between mental distress and health-related inactivity across work, care and welfare. You will also explore how individuals experiencing mental distress and their carers can remain in work, as well as the relationship between mental distress, workplace inclusion, and the evolving nature of work.

The post holder will commit 0.2 FTE of their time to the delivery of teaching in their faculty. This will be agreed with your line manager and may include leading or teaching on a module and supervising dissertations and student projects.  In additional there is an expectation that the post holder will develop independent research, including fellowship applications, with the support of the Centre.

This is a full time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30.04.2028 in first instance, view to extending subject to funding.

About you

A list of the essential and desirable criteria provided in your Job description.

Candidates will be advised to review the document supplied in the advert to identify where these criteria will be assessed 

We are asking candidates to demonstrate their experience on the following criteria:

• PhD, or in the final stages of obtaining a PhD, in a relevant area of social science (e.g., social policy, economics, demography, sociology, social statistics, social epidemiology).
• Advanced knowledge of contemporary policy and research debates on welfare policy and/or employment
• Knowledge of advanced statistical approaches and data management best practice for longitudinal data analysis
• Experience in analysing quantitative data using advanced statistical, econometric or policy evaluation methods

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit ’ pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

Grade and Salary: £45,497 per annum including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 113328
Close Date: 07-May-2025
Contact Person: Karen Glaser
Contact Details: Karen.glaser@kcl.ac.uk