Senior Research Officer, Institute Social And Economic Research

Senior Research Officer, Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex Colchester

The University of Essex is one of the leading universities in Europe for social science research. The university is ranked joint 8th among all UK universities for research excellence in economics and econometrics (). The Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) is a flagship department within the University, internationally recognised as a centre of excellence and expertise in quantitative social science and research methodologies.

Since 2019, the University of Essex has been part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Applied Research Collaboration East of England (“NIHR ARC EoE”), a five-year collaboration between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and the Universities of Cambridge, East Anglia, Hertfordshire, Essex and (since 2026) Anglia Ruskin, along with other NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, patient-led organisations, charities, and industry partners across the region.

NIHR ARCs support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems.

ISER is seeking to appoint a Senior Research Officer to contribute to the ARC’s themes on “Prevention and Early Detection” and “Measurement in Health and Social Care”. The post-holder will work under the direction of Dr Angus Holford on projects relating to a range of health behaviours and outcomes, with a particular focus on food and nutrition; and contribute to wider objectives and evaluation activities in both themes.

You will help scope literature; apply for, obtain access to and prepare data; and conduct quantitative analyses, as well as undertaking activities for Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP), Knowledge Mobilisation (KM), Knowledge Exchange, impact and communications.

Depending on the individual contribution, you may have the opportunity to co-author a new paper in the field of health, public or family economics. Applicants should be able to demonstrate the potential to publish at the highest level, and a willingness to engage in PPIEP, KM, impact and communication activities as needed.

Applicants should have a strong background in economics or health research, and econometric or statistical methods and should be able to demonstrate the potential to publish at the highest level in these fields. You should hold, or be close to obtaining, a PhD in economics or relevant social science discipline, or possess equivalent professional experience. Additionally, you should demonstrate a willingness to engage in PPIEP, KM, impact and communication activities as and when needed.

You must have experience of undertaking quantitative research in labour, education, public, health or family economics or applied health research; knowledge of advanced quantitative methods, including those of causal inference; and experience of managing complex data sets and programming using statistical software. Experience of working with sensitive or disclosive data under secure conditions would be desirable.

At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.

To support this commitment we have our , a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: