Research Assistant in Early Diagnosis of Bowel Cancer and community

UCL AI Centre; London; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading University in London is inviting applications for a part-time health psychology researcher within their Behavioural Science and Health department. The role focuses on enhancing understanding of colorectal cancer screening through innovative mixed methods research. Ideal candidates will have a relevant undergraduate degree and a Master's specialization in health psychology, along with experience in qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

Defined benefit pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

On-site gym

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Qualifications

• Experience in mixed methods research, preferably in cancer diagnosis.
• Undergraduate and Master's qualifications required.
• Competence in NVivo and SPSS necessary.

Responsibilities

• Conduct surveys, site observations, and interviews for research.
• Work on the Pharmacy based research in cancer screening (PHARBIC).

Skills

Mixed methods research

Qualitative analysis

Quantitative analysis

Education

Undergraduate qualification in psychology or related discipline

MSc in Health Psychology or Behavioural Science

Tools

NVivo

SPSS

Job description

Ref Number B02-08855 Professional Expertise Research and Research Support Department School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02) Location London Working Pattern Part time Salary £35,930-£41,255 Contract Type Fixed-term Working Type Hybrid Available for Secondment No Closing Date 22-Jun-2025

About Us

Behavioural Science and Early Diagnosis of Cancer Group

Our group has expertise in understanding uptake of cancer screening (focusing on colorectal and cervical screening), communication and decision-making in screening, measuring patient experiences, and assessing knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about cancer. Our research projects are supported by competitively acquired funding by NIHR, Cancer Research UK, and the International Cancer Alliance for Early Detection of Cancer.

Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health

The post is based within the Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health which is one of four research departments within UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care https://www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology-health-care/ . The Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health is dedicated to research on how human behaviour impacts health and health outcomes. Our research and teaching reflect our interdisciplinary approach to health and wellbeing, focusing on a broad range of public health issues, such as alcohol and tobacco use, heart disease, cancer, and obesity. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/epidemiology-health-care/research/behavioural-science-health .

About The Role

We are looking for a health psychology researcher to work on our Pharmacy based research in cancer screening (PHARBIC) study within the Department of Behavioural Science and Health. PHABRIC uses innovative mixed methods research. The postholder will be required to carry out a combination of surveys, site observations and interviews to better understand the potential of community pharmacy in supporting earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer.

Application Details

• This is a fixed-term contract with external funding until 31st of March 2026.
• Appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B, point 25-28 (salary £38,607-41,255 per annum inclusive of London allowance/Pro-rata)
• This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.
  
  

Application Process

• A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
• Please use the personal statement section to explain how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria outlined in the person specification
  
  

Contact Details

• If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact, Christian Von Wagner ([e-mail])
  
  

About You

The successful candidate will have experience of mixed methods research, preferably in the area of behavioral science of early diagnosis of cancer. They will have an undergraduate qualification in psychology or a related discipline (2.1 or above) and a MSc in Health Psychology or Behavioural Science with a focus on health behavior. Knowledge of NVivo or other software package use in qualitative analysis, competence in the use of SPSS or other quantitative software is required.

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 (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan and expenses
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance
  
  

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

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.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver Award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• download: BSH - Reasear Assistant.docx