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Research Associate (Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing) - UCL Students and Graduates Only

Details


1116275


UCL


07/09/2026


9 Months


Part-time; 20 hours per week


Not Applicable

Pay


£24.93


£4.67

Description

Role

Unitemps are recruiting for a Research Associate (Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing). This role is suitable for UCL Students and Graduates Only. This role has a September 7th start date and a projected end date of June 4th 2027. This is a part-time role at 20 hours per week.Payment is set at £24.93 per hour + £4.67 holiday pay. This role is UCL Hybrid working with 2 days per week from the office and the other days from home/remote.

Over academic year 2026-27, UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health and Wellbeing is initiating a focused project around misinformation/disinformation about mental health among young people.

This project contributes to establishing an ongoing partnership with third sector organisations around this important topic. 

The post would suit a post doctoral researcher (or close to submission final year PhD student) with experience of qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis, and a specialism in one or more of the pillars of investigation.

Duties and responsibilities

Working closely with the Grand Challenge of Mental Health and Wellbeing team, the postholder will contribute to a programme of research examining the spread, determinants, and consequences of mental health misinformation and disinformation, particularly among young people.
 
The postholder will undertake rapid evidence syntheses, analyse large-scale quantitative and digital data sources, and contribute to the development of analytical approaches for understanding how mental health information is generated, disseminated, amplified, and acted upon across online and offline environments.
 
Working within an interdisciplinary team that includes social scientists, clinicians, software engineers, computer scientists, and external stakeholders, the postholder will help generate evidence that can inform public policy, public engagement, and mental health practice.The role combines evidence synthesis, quantitative analysis, computational social science, and research communication, with a strong emphasis on translating scientific findings into actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and third-sector organisations.
 
Duties and responsibilities
 
The postholder will:
  • Conduct rapid reviews and evidence syntheses of academic, policy, and grey literature relating to mental health misinformation, disinformation, public awareness, and information ecosystems.
  • Analyse quantitative data from surveys, opinion polls, administrative datasets, and other population-level sources relevant to mental health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours.
  • Facilitate work with software engineers and computer scientists to analyse large-scale digital data sources, including websites, social media content, influencer accounts, online communities, and other publicly available information environments.
  • Apply modelling approaches to understand the generation, spread, and impact of mental health information and misinformation.
  • Contribute to the preparation of research publications, grant applications, and future funding proposals.
  • Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of industry-related roundtables and stakeholder workshops, engaging third-sector organisations, policymakers, and practitioners on mental health misinformation and disinformation.
  • Maintain accurate records and ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with UCL policies, data governance requirements, and relevant ethical standards.

Skills and experience

Qualifications, experience and knowledge:

  • Bachelor degree - Essential
  • Postgraduate degree - Essential
  • Experience of designing, implementing and evaluating qualitative research - Desirable
  • Experience of designing, implementing and evaluating quantitative research - Essential
  • Experience of organising and conducting semi-structured interviews and / or roundtable workshops - Desirable
  • Experience of supporting academics in research project delivery - Essential
  • Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment - Essential

Skills and abilities:

  • Experience in technological skills related to research - Essential
  • Ability to produce clear summaries of findings- Essential
  • Experience of writing and synthesising research findings into concise reports and of creating visual outputs - Essential
  • Ability to show initiative and work independently - Essential

Personal attributes:

  • Commitment to supporting high quality, interdisciplinary research collaborations - Essential
  • Proactive approach to undertaking research as part of a team - Essential
  • Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills - Essential
  • Commitment to UCL’s equal opportunity policy and the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues of all cultures and backgrounds - Essential

Location
UCL; hybrid working with 2 days per week from campus and the other days from home/remote

Additional information

This job will close for applications at 11.59pm on Sunday August 16th. Interviews will be held shortly after.

*Please note to be eligible to work within this role, you must have the right to work in the UK, be physically based in the UK and be able to travel to our London based office for a RTW check (if required).

*If you have a full-time contract of employment with UCL, you are not able to work through UCL Unitemps at the same time.

Unitemps reserves the right to close this advert for applications prior to the date specified above, if a high volume of suitable applications are received so pleased don't delay applying.

Unitemps payroll is monthly, one month in arrears, please see the payroll dates here.

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