Research fellow - School of Psychology Grade 7

Position Details

Full-time, fixed‑term contract up to March 2027. Grade 7.

• Location:
  
  University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
• Salary range: £36,636 – £46,049, with potential progression to £48,822
• Closing date: 14th June 2026

This post is funded by a multi‑million pound award from the Wellcome Leap programme to study Untangling Addiction. The project, entitled “Predicting persistent opioid usage after surgery:
Integrating multi‑omics, neurobiology, and AI‑interviews,” aims to address persistent opioid usage by identifying molecular, neurobiological and cognitive signatures that characterize patients at risk of prolonged opioid use post‑surgery.

The successful candidate will support the Wellcome Leap funded study ACORN, focusing on the development and validation of persistent pain and opioid usage in patients after major surgery. The post holder will be based within the School of Psychology and Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences (CGS) and will join the Centre for Health Data Science, working under the supervision of Dr Andreas Karwath and Professor Ali Mazaheri and in close collaboration with co‑investigators, Professor Helen McGettrick and Professsor Fang Gao Smith.

The role will focus primarily on computational analysis, data transformation, and equity evaluation within a trusted research environment.

• Develop novel computer‑based models, techniques and methods
• Develop research objectives and proposals, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge to develop new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research‑related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to departmental/school research‑related activities and research‑related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data through a variety of research methods such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance to support staff and any students assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture

• A PhD (or near completion) in Health Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a closely related discipline relevant to clinical predictive modelling and fairness in machine learning
• Demonstrable knowledge of statistics and machine leadning
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to disseminate research findings through publication and/or oral presentations
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues from different academic disciplines and deliver information clearly
• Self‑directed, flexible approach to work
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day‑to‑day activities that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Ali Mazaheri, email:

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations.

We have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.