Research Associate in Addictions - Hill, United Kingdom - King's College London

King's College London

Verified Company

Hill, United Kingdom

1 week ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Job id:
Salary: £42,405 - £44,721 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 21 November 2023.

Closing date: 05 December 2023.

Business unit:
IoPPN

Department:
Addictions.

Location:
Denmark Hill Campus

Category:
Research.

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Job description

We would like to appoint a Post-doctoral Researcher to play a key role within a new Addictions Policy Research Unit (PRU).

The Addictions PRU has recently been commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care for England, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and starts in January 2024 for an initial 5-year period.

The PRU is a collaboration involving 10 UK universities led from the Addictions Department at King's College London (KCL), the University of Sheffield's Alcohol Research Group and the University of Glasgow's Gambling Glasgow Research Centre.

Its aim is to inform policymaking relating to alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, other drugs, and gambling.

Research conducted within the PRU will draw on a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods, and will incorporate different disciplinary perspectives including public health, epidemiology, psychology, health economics, operational research and psychiatry.

The PRU will particularly focus on research that relates to public policy and practice and, especially, research that can play an important role in guiding future policymaking.

We are looking to appoint a Post-doctoral Research focusing on illicit and non-medical use of drugs research.

The person appointed will be based in the Addictions Department at King's College London (KCL) and will report to Professor Sir John Strang ('drugs' lead for the PRU), through whom there will be accountability to the PRU's management team.

The appointee will also work with Dr Tom Freeman (deputy PPIE lead, and based at the University of Bath), with specific working responsibilities for individual studies likely influenced by specific areas of expertise (e.g.

John Strang with strength on opiates and harm reduction and public policy; Tom Freeman with strength on cannabis and public health and policy). You will be part of a team of pre
- and post-doctoral researchers, collaborating with colleagues across the PRU working in various universities, clinical groups and service providers, commissioners and policymakers across the UK.

You will have a good understanding of addictive behaviours, of public policy and practice at national as well as at local level, and of sources of research which can inform and guide the process of formation of public policy.

You will also have established research skills relevant to this work, and a mature understanding of how the value of specific research outputs can be assessed and also how they can be valuably influential to the policymaking process.

You should be a clear and balanced communicator and committed to the need to bring science to the fore in the considerations which need to be incorporated into key decision-making at the level of local and national policy.

The successful appointee will be expected to be reliable and efficient and also to have good inter-personal as well as organisational skills.

This post will be offered on a full-time, fixed term contract for 2 years.

Key responsibilities

To work with Professor Strang and colleagues within the Addictions PRU (and more widely) to develop and conduct specific studies of addictive behaviours (with focus on 'drugs' aspects, since other posts will focus on alcohol, tobacco/nicotine and gambling problems) in order to guide better future policymaking

To conduct reviews of key topic areas as identified by the Addictions PRU itself and/or in discussion with key policymakers with whom we will liaise

Take a leading role in the planning and conduct of assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the Addiction PRU deliverables (initial areas for this position are likely to include anticipated innovations in overdose prevention strategies through wider take-home naloxone provision, and potentially also understanding patterns of cannabis use and their relationship to subsequent behaviours and outcomes)

Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.

To communicate effectively with colleagues involved with specific studies as well as with wider stakeholders and target audiences

Develop and maintain collaborations with colleagues across the Addictions PRU and wider academic and policy community and patient and public involvement representatives

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