Senior Research Assistant (Improve APS)
| Posting date: | 23 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £33,002 to £38,784 per year |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 15 January 2026 |
| Location: | Hatfield, Hertfordshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | University of Hertfordshire |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | REQ000495 |
Summary
Post Title: Senior Research Assistant (Improve APS)
SBU/Department: Health & Social Work / Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC)
FTE: 0.4TFE (Working 14.8 hours per week)
Duration of Contract: Fixed term for 12 months, from 1st March 2026 until 28th February 2027
Salary: UH6 £33,002pa (pro-rata) to £38,784pa (pro-rata) by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience
Annual Leave: 35 days pro rata plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year
Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield
This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary project team that applies cutting-edge methodologies, including realist and systems thinking approaches, to investigate inequalities in service access for people living with rare diseases and complex needs.
We are seeking to appoint a Senior Research Assistant to support the Principal Investigators and wider project team. You will have a key role in delivering this project in collaboration with academics, health and care professionals, community organisations (including two charities), people with rare neurodegenerative conditions as well as their paid/unpaid carers).
The successful candidate will be based within the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC). The post is funded by a 24-month grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) with possibility of extension.
Main duties and responsibilities
This role will require you to support the Principal Investigators (Dr Annalisa Casarin (UH), Dr Boyd Ghosh (Southampton NHS Trust)) and the wider team. You will assist with a realist review and system thinking study to co-design service improvement, and support the recruitment and delivery of interviews and workshops with people affected by rare neurodegenerative conditions, their carers and professionals providing health and social care. Data analysis and interpretation of results will be performed in collaboration with team members and experts by experience. You will work collaboratively with a public co-researcher and charity members, staff and volunteers. You will contribute to the delivery and governance of the project, the evaluation of policy and practice, the reporting and dissemination activities.
In addition to this, you will contribute to academic peer reviewed papers and presentations, and creative and accessible outputs, including EasyRead materials.
Skill and experience required
You will have experience of working independently and as part of a research team in a Higher Education Institution or in industry, a local authority, NHS, charity or a community organisation. You will have demonstrable research experience at undergraduate level (e.g., final year project) and above.
In addition to this, you will be expected to demonstrate good IT skills, proficiency in relevant literature databases and the ability to conduct literature searches, strong time‑management skills with the capacity to plan and manage your own workload effectively, and the ability to handle sensitive material with strict confidentiality. You must be able to communicate with different individuals and audiences and be flexible and adaptable to workload and team requirements. Familiarity with innovative methods, as specified in the job description and annex, would also be useful.
Furthermore, you may have experience of working or volunteering with organisations that support people with rare and/or neurological conditions, including mild cognitive impairment or speech&language difficulties, and under-represented groups in research. You may also have experience of working with experts by experience/Patient, Public Involvement and engagement.
Travel across England (the two charities run support groups nationally, in person and virtually) and collaboration with other NHS and community organisations will be expected, so a driving licence and/or access to transport is desirable.
Qualifications required
For this role you must hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.
Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.
We regret that we are unable to offer UKVI sponsorship for this post; applicants will either hold UK Right to Work or demonstrate access to UK Right to Work before an offer is made.
Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Dr Annalisa Casarin @ a.casarin@herts,ac,uk
Closing Date: 15 January 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Reference Number: REQ000495
Date advert placed: 23 December 2025
Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics, and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts
Apply online at: https://ce0997li.webitrent.com/ce0997li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=26210100HV
SBU/Department: Health & Social Work / Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC)
FTE: 0.4TFE (Working 14.8 hours per week)
Duration of Contract: Fixed term for 12 months, from 1st March 2026 until 28th February 2027
Salary: UH6 £33,002pa (pro-rata) to £38,784pa (pro-rata) by annual increments on achieving designated skills and experience
Annual Leave: 35 days pro rata plus standard public holidays and an additional 4 days including the closure of our office between Christmas and New Year
Location: College Lane Campus, Hatfield
This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary project team that applies cutting-edge methodologies, including realist and systems thinking approaches, to investigate inequalities in service access for people living with rare diseases and complex needs.
We are seeking to appoint a Senior Research Assistant to support the Principal Investigators and wider project team. You will have a key role in delivering this project in collaboration with academics, health and care professionals, community organisations (including two charities), people with rare neurodegenerative conditions as well as their paid/unpaid carers).
The successful candidate will be based within the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC). The post is funded by a 24-month grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) with possibility of extension.
Main duties and responsibilities
This role will require you to support the Principal Investigators (Dr Annalisa Casarin (UH), Dr Boyd Ghosh (Southampton NHS Trust)) and the wider team. You will assist with a realist review and system thinking study to co-design service improvement, and support the recruitment and delivery of interviews and workshops with people affected by rare neurodegenerative conditions, their carers and professionals providing health and social care. Data analysis and interpretation of results will be performed in collaboration with team members and experts by experience. You will work collaboratively with a public co-researcher and charity members, staff and volunteers. You will contribute to the delivery and governance of the project, the evaluation of policy and practice, the reporting and dissemination activities.
In addition to this, you will contribute to academic peer reviewed papers and presentations, and creative and accessible outputs, including EasyRead materials.
Skill and experience required
You will have experience of working independently and as part of a research team in a Higher Education Institution or in industry, a local authority, NHS, charity or a community organisation. You will have demonstrable research experience at undergraduate level (e.g., final year project) and above.
In addition to this, you will be expected to demonstrate good IT skills, proficiency in relevant literature databases and the ability to conduct literature searches, strong time‑management skills with the capacity to plan and manage your own workload effectively, and the ability to handle sensitive material with strict confidentiality. You must be able to communicate with different individuals and audiences and be flexible and adaptable to workload and team requirements. Familiarity with innovative methods, as specified in the job description and annex, would also be useful.
Furthermore, you may have experience of working or volunteering with organisations that support people with rare and/or neurological conditions, including mild cognitive impairment or speech&language difficulties, and under-represented groups in research. You may also have experience of working with experts by experience/Patient, Public Involvement and engagement.
Travel across England (the two charities run support groups nationally, in person and virtually) and collaboration with other NHS and community organisations will be expected, so a driving licence and/or access to transport is desirable.
Qualifications required
For this role you must hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.
Please view the job description and person specification for a full list of the duties and essential criteria. Please attach a personal statement showing clearly how your skills and experience match the Person Specification.
We regret that we are unable to offer UKVI sponsorship for this post; applicants will either hold UK Right to Work or demonstrate access to UK Right to Work before an offer is made.
Contact Details/Informal Enquiries: Dr Annalisa Casarin @ a.casarin@herts,ac,uk
Closing Date: 15 January 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Reference Number: REQ000495
Date advert placed: 23 December 2025
Our vision is to transform lives: UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics, and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships and free Active Staff sessions, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts
Apply online at: https://ce0997li.webitrent.com/ce0997li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=26210100HV
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.