Clinical Research Associate x 2 in the Department of Psychosis Studies

King's College London; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading institution in mental health research seeks a Clinical Researcher to investigate psychotic disorders. The role involves participant assessment, data management, and collaboration with clinical teams. Candidates must possess a medical degree and relevant experience in psychiatric settings.

Qualifications

• Medical degree and GMC registration required.
• Experience in assessing psychiatric patients essential.
• Strong academic trajectory and research interest are needed.

Responsibilities

• Recruit and assess clinical research participants.
• Deliver high-level care and maintain accurate records.
• Support research governance and contribute to knowledge exchange.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Critical appraisal

Research interest

Education

Medical degree

Post-graduate education

Tools

Statistical software

Job description

About us

The IoPPN is a Faculty of King's College London and the largest academic community in Europe devoted to the study and prevention of mental illness and brain disease. It produces more highly cited outputs (top 1% citations) on psychiatry and mental health than any other centre (SciVal 2021), and on this metric has risen from 16th (2014) to 4th (2021) in the world for highly cited neuroscience outputs.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 90% of research at the IoPPN was deemed 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' (3\* and 4\*). The IoPPN's greatest strength is the interdisciplinary nature of both its research strategy and educational activities, providing unique opportunities for students and staff.

About the role

This postholder will undertake clinical research including investigating the mechanism of KarXT (Cobenfy), the first non-D2 drug licensed for psychosis, and testing the role of excitation-inhibition balance in psychotic disorders. The studies involve in vivo imaging with cutting edge PET and fMRI techniques.

The key responsibilities of the role are: recruitment and clinical assessment of participants, including using clinical rating scales; Delivering a high level of care to research participants; Organising and acquiring imaging and other measures; Supporting research governance across projects; Helping analyse, interpret and publish the results of projects; Maintaining accurate records within a database that can be shared with members of the wider research team; Organising and overseeing weekly case and control tracking meetings, and quarterly steering group meetings; Ensuring effective collaborative relationships with other research workers on the project, as well as with local clinical services and researchers on other related projects; Contributing to knowledge exchange and dissemination activities; Supporting all other aspects of the projects as required.

This is a full time post (40 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract of 12 months

About you

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

Essential criteria

1. Medical degree and General Medical Council UK registration with a valid license to practice
2. Experience of assessing patients with psychiatric disorders in UK or similar healthcare settings
3. Strong academic trajectory as evidenced by performance in A-levels, undergraduate and post-graduate education, prizes or other relevant indicators
4. Ambitious, enthusiastic, responsible, flexible and able to work independently to deadlines Excellent written and oral communication skills
5. Ability to work in a team with excellent written and oral communication skills
6. Ability to critically appraise scientific literature and develop research ideas
7. Knowledge and experience of using databases and other relevant software (eg statistical software)
8. Evidence of interest in research, particularly in a relevant area (eg psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, psychosis)

Desirable criteria

1. Training and/or experience with relevant psychiatric rating and/or neuroimaging measures
2. Relevant qualification awarded or pending with a distinction or equivalent
3. Experience of working with patients with mental illness (particularly psychosis) in research or other relevant settings
4. Knowledge of drug treatments in psychiatry, particularly in psychosis
5. Publications and/or conference abstracts in relevant area (such as psychiatry/ psychopharmacology)

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.

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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.