Research Assistant - Illicit Project Phase

Research Assistant - The Illicit Project UK Phase 3 (Fixed term for 6 months)

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is a distinctive, unique institution, rooted in the Liverpool City Region and with a global presence. Our students and staff, past, present, and future, are the beating heart of our city and can be found in every corner of every industry and community. We couldn’t exist anywhere else and have shaped the city in which we belong.

Working with the people of Liverpool to improve lives and support communities is at the heart of why we were founded and why we exist today.

The UK Illicit Project is an NIHR funded 14-month pilot RCT of The Illicit Project‑UK a school-based universal drug prevention and harm reduction intervention for older adolescents. The research follows on from an earlier feasibility study funded under the government's Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances.

It is a collaboration between Liverpool John Moores University, Stirling University, the Matilda Centre at the University of Sydney, the University of Liverpool, and Queens University, Belfast.

This is a fixed term post for 6 months. Work includes contributing to a pilot RCT of an effective Australian intervention for delivery in the UK. You will work with project researchers to liaise with local education and substance use leads and school staff to help recruit schools into the trial, and to update intervention materials, training packages, and research materials.

Due to funding criteria, the research starts in February 2026, hence we are looking for candidates who are able to commence as soon as possible after the recruitment process has completed.

In return, we offer an excellent benefits package including generous annual leave entitlement, pension scheme, induction and development support as well as family-friendly policies.

This is an exciting time to join the university as we deliver the LJMU Strategy 2030 and its vision of LJMU as an inclusive civic university transforming lives and futures, by placing students at the heart of everything we do.

If you feel that this is the role you have been looking for and your skills and experience can make a real difference at LJMU, we look forward to hearing from you.

LJMU is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and communities irrespective of age, transgender status, disability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and religion or belief. All our appointments are made on merit.

Please note all of our vacancies will be closed to applications at midnight on the advertised closing date, unless otherwise stated.

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