Research Assistant - MHPRU

About the role

We invite applications for a Research Assistant post in the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Mental Health (MHPRU). The MHPRU has been commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care to undertake policy-relevant research projects, and provide a rapid response research service, to meet the funder’s requirements.

The MHPRU is led by Professor Sonia Johnson at UCL. The MHPRU team are drawn from UCL, Kings College London and University of York. The project requires effective collaboration and joint working by a research team based across these sites. The programme of work for the MHPRU includes a broad spectrum of topics in mental health policy, and will change as new projects are commissioned. Current and future projects are expected to involve: Early Support Hubs for children and young people; work on mental health crisis care and MHA detentions; factors associated with A&E use and mental health hospital admission for children and young people; and support for family carers of people using mental health services. Our work often involves national surveys of clinical practice, qualitative interviewing, analysis of routine national and local data, and literature reviewing. For more information about the MHPRU, please see our website:

Appointment details:

About you

This post is suitable for a candidate with some previous research experience and knowledge about mental health services who wishes to contribute to top quality research which can inform policy decision-making. Knowledge and experience mental health services in the NHS, social care and voluntary sector is an asset for this post.

This is a developmental role and would be particularly suitable for someone seeking a career in mental health services research. The post-holder would benefit from having a good grasp of research skills related to both qualitative and quantitative work, as well as reviewing literature. Experience in co-production and service user and carer involvement in research, as well as experience of working with policy makers are also desirable. The post-holder will also be expected to assist with administrative, organisational, and communication tasks for the PRU, such as helping to update the website and maintain a social media presence.

Personal lived experience of mental ill health and using mental health services is relevant experience for this post and we welcome applications from people with this experience.

Application process:

Contact details:

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

The full range of staff benefits can be found here: