Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adult Social Care Research

Build the next stage of your research career at Leeds

Are you an outstanding postdoctoral researcher with ambitions to become an independent adult social care researcher? Do you have important research questions you want to lead and develop?

If so, we want to hear from you.

This fellowship provides the opportunity to develop and deliver your own programme of adult social care research within the School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds. You will be hosted within Nurturing Innovation in Care Home Excellence in Leeds (NICHE-Leeds) and connected to the wider research community across the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR).

The fellowship offers protected research time, mentorship and career development support. Up to £30,000 is available to support research activity, training and career development.

You will have a PhD in a discipline relevant to adult social care research and a developing track record demonstrating the potential to become an independent social care researcher.

We are particularly interested in applicants who can demonstrate:

• intellectual ambition and originality;
• a strong commitment to adult social care research;
• excellent research and methodological capability;
• potential to develop a distinctive programme of research;
• ability to collaborate across disciplinary and organisational boundaries; and
• commitment to research that matters for people, services, policy and practice.

As part of the application, you will need to outline the research you want to develop, describe your methodological, substantive and career development plans, and how Leeds will support your progression.

• 26 days' holiday plus approx.
  16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed – pro-rated for part time.
• Discounted staff membership options at The Edge
• Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team, and self-development courses including languages, Creative Writing, Wellbeing Therapies
• All FHLS staff are entitled to 10 days' staff development per year (pro-rata)
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes.

If you are looking for more than your next postdoctoral position and want to build the research career that comes after it, we encourage you to apply.

To explore the post further, please contact:

• A PhD in a discipline relevant to adult social care research.
• The ability to articulate a compelling, original and feasible programme of research addressing an important question for adult social care.
• Experience of conducting high-quality applied research relevant to adult social care, health, public services or a closely related field, with evidence of the ability to develop research questions and design appropriate studies.
• Strong methodological expertise in one or more relevant approaches.
• A developing record of high-quality research outputs appropriate to career stage.
• Evidence of effective collaborative working with researchers from other disciplines and with partners outside academia.
• A commitment to developing research relevant to people drawing on care and support, families, the workforce, providers, practice and policy.
• The ability to communicate complex research ideas clearly to academic, policy, practice and public audiences.
• Excellent organisational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and work autonomously.
• A clear commitment to developing an independent career in adult social care research.

• Experience of conducting research within adult social care settings or in partnership with social care organisations.
• Experience of involving people with lived experience, practitioners or other stakeholders as partners in research.
• Evidence of developing or contributing to external research funding applications.
• Evidence of an emerging national or international research profile