Research Assistant - EMBRACE Network Ref: 44414 (Part Time, Fixed Term)

About the role

As a Research Assistant on the EMBRACE project (Equitable Midlife Brain Research Across Communities and Environments), you will play a key role in supporting an exciting international research initiative exploring how cognitive health can be assessed more equitably across diverse populations. 

Based within the Centre for Dementia Studies at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School, you will work closely with the Principal Investigator (Dr Claire Lancaster) and an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers, collaborators, community partners and digital technology specialists.

You will contribute to the coordination and delivery of project activities, including network meetings, narrative literature reviews, and co-design workshops with lived experience representatives (e.g., women experiencing menopause from minoritised ethnic groups, isolated coastal and rural communities). You will support the collection, management and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, including thematic analysis of workshop transcripts, helping to synthesise insights from diverse communities and inform the development of an inclusive cognitive assessment framework. 

You will also contribute to the preparation of research outputs, dissemination activities and plans for future collaborative research. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your research skills and networks while contributing to innovative, collaborative research with the potential to advance equity and inclusion in cognitive health research.

About you

Ideally, you will have an undergraduate degree in Psychology or a related discipline, alongside experience or demonstrable skills in research and project coordination. You will be highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and deadlines, and confident communicating clearly with a range of audiences, including researchers, community partners and members of the public.

You will have experience of research ethics regulatory approvals, reviewing scientific literature, conducting interviews and/or focus groups, and undertaking qualitative data analysis, particularly thematic analysis. Strong organisational and time-management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team are essential.

We would particularly welcome applicants with experience in scientific outreach, public engagement or public involvement in research. Knowledge of dementia and/or cognitive ageing would be an advantage, as would experience of research data management. 

Above all, you will be motivated to contribute to inclusive, collaborative research and interested in ensuring that diverse communities and perspectives are represented in the development of more equitable approaches to cognitive health assessment.

About our School

We are a diverse, collaborative research community with expertise in a wide variety of research areas, from laboratory research through to social science and clinical studies. Our close integration collaborations with local NHS organizations allows our researchers to work directly with the local population, improving their health while developing research work that can be applied nationally and globally. 

Here, at our School, our medical research has and continues to develop a strong reputation for making a real impact locally, nationally and internationally. Ultimately, our research aims to:

• improve medical diagnosis and treatment 
• answer fundamental biomedical and clinical questions
• deliver more personalised healthcare to patients.
   

We are passionate about training and supporting our researchers at all levels, delivering research that is relevant to our stakeholders, accelerate its recognition and foster adoption of our findings to catalyse new research impact.

Please find further information regarding the School at Brighton and Sussex Medical School
 
Brighton and Sussex Medical School is proud to hold a Gold Athena Swan Award.

Why work here

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.  

Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that. 

Find out more about our reward and benefits package. 

Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion. 

Further Key Information 

Please contact Claire Lancaster Claire.Lancaster@sussex.ac.uk for informal enquiries.

The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Eligibility

Visa Sponsorship Queries: TBC

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.