Research Fellow

About us

Our mission is to maximise and advocate for the holistic health of all children, young people and the adults they will become, through world-class research, education and public engagement. The UCL GOS ICH, together with its clinical partner Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, forms the largest concentration of children’s health research outside North America. The 2024-29 GOS ICH strategy focuses on its five scientific programmes. GOS ICH’s activities include active engagement with children and families, to ensure that our work is relevant and appropriate to their needs. GOS ICH generates the funding for our research by setting out our proposals in high quality applications to public, charitable and industrial funding bodies and disseminates the results of our research by publication in the medical and scientific literature, to clinicians, policy makers and the wider public. The Institute offers world-class education and training across a wide range of teaching and life learning programmes which address the needs of students and professional groups who are interested in and undertaking work relevant to child health. GOS ICH holds an Athena SWAN Charter Gold Award. Please only attach relevant documents to your application (qualifications, cover letters, supporting statements) and avoid attaching large files e.g. research papers, thesis, publications etc.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the NIHR Policy Research Unit for Healthy Weight (HWPRU) as a Research Fellow. Based within the Public Health and Obesity Group at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, you will work alongside leading researchers, policymakers and partner organisations to deliver high-impact, policy-relevant research that informs national decision making. You will contribute to a diverse programme of research focused on healthy weight and obesity prevention. Your responsibilities will primarily involve leading and supporting evidence synthesis projects, including systematic reviews, rapid reviews and other policy-focused evidence reviews. Depending on programme priorities, you may also undertake quantitative analyses of large observational, survey and administrative datasets, and contribute to the development of microsimulation models evaluating the health, economic and equity impacts of obesity-related policies and interventions. Working across the HWPRU's network of eight collaborating institutions, you will engage with researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure research is timely, rigorous and impactful. This 12-month role offers excellent opportunities to develop expertise in applied public health research, evidence synthesis, quantitative methods and policy engagement, while contributing directly to evidence that supports healthier populations across the UK. The salary offered in this role is £47,186 - £53,638 per annum and is funded for 1 year in the first instance.

About you

We are seeking a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher with expertise in evidence synthesis and quantitative public health research. You will hold a PhD in public health, epidemiology, evidence synthesis, quantitative methods, food policy or a related field, and have experience conducting systematic reviews and quantitative analyses using statistical software such as R, Stata or Python. The successful candidate will possess strong analytical and critical appraisal skills, with the ability to synthesise complex evidence from multiple sources and apply quantitative and regression-based methods to address policy-relevant research questions. You will have excellent organisational skills and be able to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines while maintaining a high standard of accuracy and scientific rigour. We are looking for someone with strong written and verbal communication skills who can clearly communicate research findings to academic, policy and practice audiences through reports, publications, presentations and policy briefings. A commitment to reproducible and ethical research, clean coding practices and high-quality data management is essential. You will be a collaborative team player who can work effectively with multidisciplinary colleagues, while also demonstrating the initiative, independence and judgement required to lead complex projects in a fast-paced policy research environment.

What we offer

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

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : Equality diversity inclusion