Research Assistant/Associate

Salary: Research Assistant: £33,951 - £35,608  per annum

            Research Associate: £36,636 per annum 

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: 10th June 2026

The Role

We are excited to launch this opportunity for a Research Assistant/Associate in Parkinson’s Clinical Data Science to join us in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University.

You will be based in the Biomedical Research Building at Newcastle University within the Faculty of Medical Science, and join the Digital Health Innovation in Ageing and Neurodegeneration (DIAN) research group, a multidisciplinary team focused on advancing understanding of ageing and neurodegenerative diseases through innovative data-driven approaches. You will work closely with Dr Rachael Lawson , who leads the Delirium and Translational Research in Neurodegeneration (DELTA) Team. Dr Lawson’s research focuses on cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease, with an emphasis on improving their identification, measurement and longitudinal tracking using clinical, cohort and digitally derived data. DELTA brings together cognitive neuroscience, clinical research and digital health approaches to understand symptom progression in real-world settings, providing a strong foundation for large-scale data integration and longitudinal research.

This role is part of the Parkinson’s Clinical Cohorts Collaborative (PC3), a major UK-led initiative aiming to transform Parkinson’s disease research through large-scale data integration. PC3 brings together data from over 15 longitudinal Parkinson’s and parkinsonism cohorts (up to ~10,000 cases), creating a harmonised dataset linked to UK National Health Service (NHS) health records. This unique resource will support discovery science, predictive modelling, and the design of future clinical trials, addressing key challenges such as disease heterogeneity, progression, and long-term outcomes. The project involves close collaboration with partners across the UK, including the University of Aberdeen and other leading academic centres. This post will sit at the intersection of DELTA and PC3, contributing to large-scale data harmonisation and longitudinal analyses to better understand disease trajectories and outcomes in Parkinson’s disease.

In this role, you will play a central part in the harmonisation of complex multi-cohort datasets and contribute to priority analyses using linked health record data. You will work closely with investigators across the PC3 consortium, including a parallel researcher at the University of Aberdeen, contributing to methodological development, collaborative outputs, and future funding applications.

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with experience working with complex clinical or epidemiological datasets, strong quantitative skills, coding experience and an interest in Parkinson’s disease or neurodegeneration. You should be comfortable working with heterogeneous real-world data and motivated by collaborative research with clear translational impact.

The post is available on a full time, fixed-term basis for 12 months in the first instance, with the potential to extend the role. Some travel to partner sites and consortium meetings may be required.

As part of our commitment to researcher development, we follow the Researcher Development Concordat and support all colleagues to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This includes mentoring, annual research planning discussions, access to training, and support for developing funding applications and independent research.  

You will report to Dr Rachael Lawson. We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University. If you would like an informal discussion to clarify any points, please contact rachael.lawson@newcastle.ac.uk. We are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide adjustments to support your application.

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes: Research Institutes | Faculty of Medical Sciences | Newcastle University

How to apply

Please submit:

• A CV
• A cover letter outlining:
• Your experience working with complex clinical or epidemiological data
• Your experience with statistical or data science tools
• Your interest in Parkinson’s disease or related research
• Examples of collaborative working
• How you meet the essential criteria

What happens next

Interviews will be held in June/July.

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Lead and contribute to the harmonisation of data across multiple longitudinal Parkinson’s cohorts
• Contribute to and lead analyses using linked health record data
• Work collaboratively with a national consortium to deliver project outputs
• Produce high-quality outputs including publications and conference presentations
• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes.
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s).
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project.
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books).
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate.

Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project.
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research.
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations.
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications.
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline.
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding.

The Person

 Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Knowledge of Parkinson’s disease, including disease heterogeneity and progression
• Knowledge and/or of Parkinson’s clinical assessments (motor and non-motor)
• Ability to assess and harmonise heterogeneous clinical data across cohorts
• Experience of quantitative analysis of clinical or epidemiological data
• Experience using statistical/data science tools (e.g. R, Python, Stata, SAS)
• Ability to document methods clearly and produce reproducible analytical workflows
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems.

In addition for Research Associate

• Comfortable working with complex, multi-source datasets and navigating ambiguity in real-world data
• Strong interest in Parkinson’s disease, neurodegeneration, or longitudinal clinical research
• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications

Attributes and Behaviour

• Highly organised with strong attention to detail
• Proactive and able to take initiative while working within a structured project
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex concepts clearly
• Collegial and collaborative, with the ability to work effectively across disciplines and institutions
• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• Honours degree or Masters in neuroscience, epidemiology, biostatistics, health data science, clinical psychology, public health or closely related discipline

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in neuroscience, epidemiology, biostatistics, health data science, clinical psychology, public health or closely related discipline

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29388