Research Lead - Centre for Behaviour Change - #35144

Ref Number B02-05970 Professional Expertise Academic Leadership Department School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02) Location London Working Pattern Full time Salary See advert text Contract Type Permanent Working Type Hybrid (20% - 80% on site) Available For Secondment No Closing Date 10-Jan-2024

About us

The Centre for Behaviour Change (CBC) at UCL is a world leading and interdisciplinary research centre specialising in behaviour change (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-change/). The CBC aims to advance the science and application of behaviour change by advancing research methods, generating and applying evidence, and providing practical solutions to complex problems using a systematic approach.

The Research Lead is a key senior role in the CBC management team.

The Research Lead will work under the supervision of the CBC Co-Director (Dr Fabiana Lorencatto), in close collaboration with the CBC Director (Professor Susan Michie), and alongside the CBC Administrative Manager, and Senior Lecturers for teaching, training, and consultancy. Including the Research Lead the Centre has 11 permanent staff (8.6 FTE), 14 researchers and 7 PhD students; there are currently 21 active research grants.

This is a unique, permanent, full-time research-focused role for a highly experienced and enthusiastic researcher with expertise in behaviour change and proven research management and leadership skills. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced researcher to oversee and coordinate the CBC’s research activities and help to build a diverse portfolio of interdisciplinary and applied programmes of research.

About the role

The main purpose of the job is to help build and manage the CBC’s research portfolio.

This will include applying for research funding to establish multidisciplinary collaborations across UCL and external organisations from different sectors, nationally and internationally (e.g. other universities, government departments, industry, NGOs). The CBC currently has research projects investigating a range of behaviour change issues related to health (e.g. antimicrobial resistance, maternal health), environmental sustainability (e.g. reducing plastic waste, active travel), and culture (e.g. improving research culture in universities) and methodology.

The role will provide an excellent opportunity to work on high profile, large-scale studies, with researchers, practitioners and policy-makers from a diverse range of backgrounds.

There will be opportunities to build on the CBC’s existing research portfolio and collaborations, as well as for the post holder to also develop their own programme of research.

The post holder will help manage a team of research staff and students, helping to provide overall co-ordination of their work, support, mentoring and training.

The post holder will also be responsible for overseeing research capacity building activities within the CBC (i.e. research seminars/lab meetings, writing groups, away days) and research dissemination to a wide range of academic and non-academic audiences. This will include supporting the write up of findings for publication in high-impact journals and maintaining oversight of research communications via social media, newsletters, and annual reports.

The post-holder will have responsibility for ensuring research is conducted to a high ethical and scientific standard. They will also be responsible for contributing to strategic planning and priority setting for the CBC’s research activities.

There will also be opportunities for the post-holder to engage in consultancy, teaching and training activities.

For an informal discussion of the role, please contact the CBC Co-Director, Dr Fabiana Lorencatto at [email protected] .

About you

We are looking for someone with excellent research, research management, and communication skills.

Applicants should have a a PhD in Behavioural Science or a closely related field and an undergraduate degree of 2.1 (or higher) in Psychology or related behavioural science.

Experience in research leadership and independent research is essential.

You will have a strong record of peer-review publications and a demonstrated track record of securing and managing research funding.

You should have excellent knowledge of behavioural science theory, methods and evidence, and be able to apply this to a wide range of topics.

Ideally you will have experience of applying behavioural science theories, frameworks and methods to identify influences on behaviour, and design and evaluate behaviour change interventions.

You will have demonstrated expertise in using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

You should be an enthusiastic, efficient, and responsive individual with experience of establishing collaborative links in multidisciplinary and multi-centre projects.

You will have strong practical, problem-solving skills and experience of effectively managing multiple work streams and research projects.

What we offer

The post is offered at Grade 9 or Grade 8 depending on experience.

Salary ranges:

Grade 9 (£65,698 - £71,357 including London Allowance);
Grade 8 (£51,474 - £60,521 including London Allowance); December 2023 payscale.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our long-term commitment and 'beacon' status in advancing gender equality.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/