Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Faculty Of Health and Life Sciences

This new part-time post is available from 1/5/2023 until 30/06/2026 on a fixed-term basis. The role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time from campus and some from home.

The post

The College wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at 0.4 FTE (equivalent to 2 days per week, with the working pattern to be agreed between candidate and manager) to participate in a project examining associations between children’s play and their mental health. This UKRI funded post is available for 3 years from 1/5/23 (or as soon as possible thereafter) until 30/06/26. The successful applicant will oversee the day-to-day running of a feasibility trial focused on a school-based play intervention as well as have opportunity to get involved with a range of other research related to children’s play and mental health, including a national survey of children’s play and the development of a new therapeutic approach focused on parent anxiety. The research is funded by a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship awarded to Prof. Dodd. The successful applicant will be excited and motivated by the area of research and have a desire to develop their own research within this area, or a related area.  

The post will include developing strong relationships with schools and the intervention team, leading the administration of research questionnaires and school-based observations, record keeping and data management, data analysis, literature searches, writing of results and drafting papers for publication. There may be occasional travel to schools required, with related expenses paid.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in children’s play or child mental health and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. Applicants will be able to work independently, problem solve challenging situations, communicate effectively and lead the careful analysis of data.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role by clicking on the attachment.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career

• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 150 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and QS World University Ranking 2022). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2017.

Our research income in recent years means we’re the fastest growing UK Research University with some of the world’s most influential scientists, and we seek to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today through this. 98% of our research is of international quality (2014 Research Excellence Framework). We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

For further information please contact Helen Dodd, e-mail [email protected]

The closing date for completed applications is 6th April 2023.  Interviews are expected to take place week beginning 17/4/2023.