Research Associate (Statistician)

Job id: 084692. Salary: £43,205 – £49,263 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 16 February 2024. Closing date: 10 March 2024.

Business unit: IoPPN. Department: Psychology.

Contact details:Sam Norton. [email protected]

Location: Guy’s Campus. Category: Research.

Job description

Are you passionate about applied statistics and eager to make a meaningful impact in mental health research? Join us at King’s College London as a Research Associate Statistician and be part of groundbreaking mental health trials and research initiatives aimed at improving the lives of people, especially those with long-term physical health conditions.

The role is divided equally (50:50) between supporting the delivery of funded trials within the Psychology Department and contributing to the newly launched mental health and neuroscience focused NIHR Support Service Hub hosted by King’s College London and Partners

About the Role

You will play a key role in the innovative NIHR program grant, REFUEL-MS, which is developing and evaluating a tailored digital treatment to help individuals with multiple sclerosis effectively manage their fatigue. This involves a mixed-methods approach, including a stepped-wedge trial, providing you with a unique opportunity to contribute to its success. Additionally, you will be involved in analysing data and preparing publications for other trials, such as the PACT-AM trial, evaluating personalised acceptance and commitment therapy for Parkinson’s disease, and the evaluation of the COMPASS online psychological treatment for individuals experiencing psychological distress related to long-term health conditions.

As part of the NIHR Research Support Service Hub hosted by King’s College London and Partners, you will be fully immersed in a dynamic centre dedicated to research methodology in mental health and neuroscience. This hub is committed to helping researchers improve people’s lives by understanding how to prevent mental health difficulties and find better treatments. As a member of the NIHR RSS hub at King’s, you will collaborate with a diverse team of methodologists to provide support, advice, and expertise to researchers, especially those applying for and receiving NIHR funding, with a focus on quantitative aspects of the design.

What We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate will possess a master’s level or doctoral degree in a relevant subject or equivalent professional experience. We value experience in contributing to full-scale clinical trials, writing funding applications, and a deep understanding of clinical trial designs in applied health research. Appointment on as Research Associate (Grade 6) will be based on the level of skill and experience with job description tailored accordingly.

Join us on our mission to advance mental health research and improve the lives of those with mental and physical long-term health conditions. Apply now and become a part of our dynamic and innovative team at King’s College London.

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 31/03/2028

This is a full-time  post – 100% full time equivalent

Key Responsibilities

• Clinical Trial Expertise: Provide statistical guidance for the design, analysis, and interpretation of clinical trials, in particular REFUEL-MS and PACT-AM.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation: Conduct statistical analyses to extract insights from trial data and communicate findings effectively.
• Reporting and Dissemination: Prepare statistical analysis plans, reports to TSCs/DMCs, and contribute to the writing of peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, including clinicians, researchers, and other methodologists, to facilitate the development and delivery of applied health research within the Psychology Department and support the aims of the NIHR RSS hub at King’s.
• Teaching and Training: Contribute to developing the next generation of mental health researchers through teaching and training in quantitative methods, both online and in-person, for NIHR RSS hub clients and students within the Psychology Department.
• Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance: Adhere to regulatory requirements, such as Good Clinical Practice (GCP), for clinical trial research, and ensure data quality through validation and rigorous quality control measures in accordance with King’s Clinical Trials Unit SOPs.
• Methodological Innovation: Stay current with developments in statistical methodologies regarding mental health trials and contribute to the development of new innovative techniques.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

A master’s level or doctoral degree in a relevant field, such as statistics, biostatistics, or a related quantitative discipline.

Experience in the design, analysis, and interpretation of clinical trials, particularly in the field of mental health research.

Strong knowledge of statistical methodologies and their application in clinical trial research.

Proficiency in statistical software and programming languages commonly used in clinical trial research (e.g. R, Stata).

Proven ability to offer guidance to researchers in shaping the statistical aspects of designing research studies (e.g. power calculations).

Familiarity with regulatory requirements for clinical trials, such as Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Clinical Trial Directive 2001/20/EC.

Experience in implementing rigorous quality control measures to maintain data integrity and accuracy throughout the trial process.

Experience collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders, fostering a culture of teamwork and knowledge sharing.

Desirable criteria

Previous involvement in cluster randomised, stepped wedge, or implementation trials, or in working in the development and evaluation of digital interventions for people with long-term conditions.

A track record of publications and conference presentations in the field of clinical trials or mental health research, demonstrating an ability to disseminate research findings to a broader audience.

Experience in, or a willingness to support, teaching and training in quantitative methods either to undergraduate/postgraduate students or to applied health researchers.

Previous experience with providing statistical consulting to applied health researchers as part of the process of preparing a grant application.

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.

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 review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

This role does meet the requirements of the Home Office and therefore we are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who require the right to work in the UK.