Research Assistant - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

Research Assistant - Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

About us:

The School of Academic Psychiatry brings together five leading clinical departments Addictions, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Psychological Medicine, and Psychosis Studies. Our community includes more than 100 Principal Investigators and a vibrant research portfolio supported by 3040 million in active grants. Across the School, our work spans the full breadth of psychiatryfrom public policy to molecular genetics, from perinatal mental health to old age, and from psychological therapies to advanced brain imaging.

This role will sit within the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHBA), Department of Psychological Medicine. The Centre aims to advance the development of biomarkers for neurocognitive disorders and to create innovative approaches for the early diagnosis of cognitive decline, Alzheimers disease, and ageing-related psychiatric conditions.

About the role:

The Research Assistant will play a vital role in supporting the successful delivery of Brains for Dementia Research study (BDR). BDR is a cohort study of older adults, which involves planned brain donation in collaboration with the MRC London Neurodegenerative Diseases Brain Bank. Participants take part in assessments of memory, cognition, behaviour and activities of daily living at 1-2 yearly intervals, so that donated brain tissue and clinical data is available to researchers working in the field of dementia. Kings College London is one of six BDR recruitment centres.

The post holder will be responsible for conducting follow-up assessments of participants (people with and without dementia), via face-to-face and telephone interviews. The role will involve travel to participants homes within the London area and the Southeast. In addition, the post holder will assist in the development and maintenance of essential study documentation and processes to ensure compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and institutional policies.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months from the start date of the contract, with an anticipated start date of 8 January 2027.

Research staff at Kings are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers , applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A first degree in health or social science
2. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a range of professionals
3. Ability to deal sensitively with study participants and their families/carers
4. Knowledge of the needs of older people with dementia
5. Good IT skills and presentation skills
6. Relevant research experience (e.g. participant recruitment, data collection, epidemiological study, research study or intervention trial)
7. Experience of data checking/validation, data cleaning, and data management with good understanding of data confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
8. Willing to travel within South London and the South-East on a regular basis

Desirable criteria

1. MSc in a health-related subject
2. Qualified and experience in blood sample collection, or willingness to train in phlebotomy
3. An understanding of the process of post-mortem collection of tissue and best practice in tissue donation
4. Experience of supporting people at a time of bereavement
5. A valid driving license and access to a vehicle is desirable. However, this is not essential provided you can meet the travel requirements of the role and complete home visits via public transport or alternative travel arrangements

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.