Research Fellow​/Associate

Salary
£32,080 to £50,253 per annum, depending on skills and experience (minimum £35,608 with relevant PhD). Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Closing Date
Friday 10 July 2026

Reference
MED
873226

The purpose of this role will be to have specific responsibility for research in the Stratification of Osteo Arthritis for LiVing well and treatment Effectiveness (SOLVE), a consortium research collaboration across seven institutions (Leeds, Keele, Nottingham, Oxford, Imperial, Southampton and Aberdeen) funded by Arthritis UK. You will be expected to plan and conduct work to identify the fast progressive subsets of OA according to comorbidities and risk factors using both conventional and AI‑aided approaches.

You will then examine a potential treatment to slow down the progression using the target trial emulation approach in real‑world data. The UK Clinical Practice Research Data‑link (CPRD) and the UK Biobank will be used for the analysis. You will be responsible for collaboration with other institutions both within and outside of the consortium and write up your work for publications.

You will join an established team, led by Professor Weiya Zhang whose main research interest is osteoarthritis. You will be co‑supervised by Dr Subhashisa Swain from the University of Oxford whose main research interest is big data research for osteoarthritis, comorbidity and multimorbidity. You will have the opportunity to use your initiative and creativity to identify areas for research, develop research methods and extend your research portfolio.

The School of Medicine recognises the importance of continuous professional development and therefore the importance of providing opportunities, structured support and encouragement to engage in professional development each year.

• A friendly, diverse, and supportive working environment
• A hybrid working arrangement with a blended approach of home and office each week
• Generous holiday entitlement of 27 (30) days (or pro rata) plus standard bank holidays and five university closure days including closure between Christmas and New Year
• Our reward scheme grants bonuses of numerous values for excellent work
• We are committed to staff development through the provision of training, continued support, and career progression opportunities
• You will have access to a range of benefits and rewards, including fitness and health facilities, staff discounts, travel schemes and many more

This is a Fixed‑Term position available for 2 years. This is a full‑time post. Your working hours will be 36.25 hours per week.

Please contact Professor Weiya Zhang at  if you have further questions about this role. Applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.

Your application will be considered on an equal basis, subject to the relevant permission to work in the UK as set out by UK Visas & Immigration.