Research Assistant​/Associate in Polypharmacy and Long-Term

Salary

Research Assistant: £33,951 to £35,608

Research Associate: £36,636

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 20 September 2026

We are excited to launch this new opportunity for a Research Assistant / Associate in polypharmacy and multiple long-term conditions, joining the Newcastle NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborative (PSRC) in the School of Pharmacy / Population Health Sciences Institute.

You will join a thriving, multidisciplinary research community at Newcastle University, working alongside colleagues in the PSRC's Polypharmacy Theme and a wider network of clinicians, academics, patient and public partners, and health and social care colleagues across the region. The post is based with Professors Adam Todd and Barbara Hanratty, with strong links across the School of Pharmacy and the Population Health Sciences Institute.

Most people who live with polypharmacy are not in hospital — they live in their own homes (some with support from paid or unpaid carers), in extra-care housing, assisted living or care homes. Social care plays a critical role in the lives of many people who take multiple medications. This NIHR-funded project will identify key risks, intervention points and actions in domestic and social care settings, with a particular focus on the needs of people living in disadvantaged circumstances.

The work is intended to benefit a high proportion of the polypharmacy population and to inform policy and practice across health and social care.

The post-holder will play a central role in delivering this programme — contributing to study design, data analysis, patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), and writing up of findings — and will work closely with the wider PSRC team.

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with a passion for applied health and social care research and the ability to work collaboratively with a diverse network of specialists and stakeholders. We are looking for candidates with strong quantitative research skills
, experience of working with large primary care datasets (e.g. CPRD), expertise in relevant software packages (e.g. R, Stata), and an interest in polypharmacy, social care and inequalities.

The post is offered on a fixed-term basis 18 months from October 1st 2026. Newcastle University is a campus-based university; blended working arrangements may be possible, but we would be unlikely to consider applicants who wish to work entirely remotely.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat. We enable all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, and peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. The post-holder will report to Professors Adam Todd and Barbara Hanratty. Please contact Anosua Mitra  . We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support and adjustments to meet your needs.

Project Specific Accountabilities

• Develop and carry out specified project activities using appropriate research techniques and software, including the analysis of large primary care datasets
• Undertake and contribute to public and patient…