Research Assistant/Associate

Salary: 

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

Research Associate: £36,636 - £42,254 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: 26 June 2026

We are excited to launch this new opportunity in Research Assistant/Associate in Population Health and Care Research in the Population Health Sciences Institute (PHSI), one of the institutes within the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) at Newcastle University. You will join a diverse community of colleagues based in a campus location next to the Town Moor and Exhibition Park, close to public transport services and convenient location for engaging with other multidisciplinary research teams of the institute and the faculty. You will work closely with the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Dexter Canoy, and a group of researchers involved in epidemiological and health care research. You will be part of a research team committed to applying rigorous methods to analyse large-scale health data to advance our understanding of the determinants of health and disease in the population. Specifically, this industry-supported project aims to examine the impact of obesity on health outcomes and investigate modifiable determinants and risk factors of cardiovascular disease and other long-term chronic conditions.

Your role will primarily focus on handling, managing and analysing data extracted from large healthcare databases (e.g., Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD]) and cohort studies (e.g., UK Biobank and Our Future Health). Examples of projects include examining health risks, prescriptions and health service utilisation of people with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and identify potential inequalities in health outcomes in these population subgroups. You will support the research group in managing deliverables of the project and engage with our academic as well as industry collaborators and funders. You will have opportunities to contribute to the development of funding bids, preparation of research protocols and proposals, drafting of manuscripts, and attend meetings/conferences to represent the team and present findings. As appropriate, you will also have opportunities to co-supervise research projects and contribute to teaching.

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher with strong quantitative and project management skills to lead and contribute to healthcare research using big data. You will have a background in population health or health-related research with strong quantitative component. You will have an interest in providing high-quality, reliable ‘real-world’ evidence by interrogating large-scale health databases. Applicants should have post-graduate training and/or significant work experience in epidemiology, statistics, public health, health service or health-related discipline that involves substantive quantitative data analysis. Experience of statistical programming using relevant software is essential, as are excellent written and verbal communication skills.

This post is full-time and fixed term for 24 months. The successful applicant is expected to take up the post from August 2026 (or soon thereafter). We will consider part time work, but we expect a minimum work commitment of 60% to full-time equivalent. Some travel may be required to attend conferences and meetings with collaborators. Pre-employment checks will be conducted before any job offer is made.

Note that Newcastle University is a campus-based university and, while it may be possible to agree to a blended working arrangement, the expectation is that you will be present on campus for the majority of their working time. You will be located in one of the university’s buildings along Claremont Road and near the Medical School.

You will be reporting to Dr Dexter Canoy, the lead investigator of the project. For informal discussions and queries, prospective applicants can contact him at dexter.canoy@newcastle.ac.uk. We want you to feel confident when applying for a position with Newcastle University and we are committed to making the process accessible to everyone and can provide additional support to adjustments to meet your needs.

How to apply: Please submit your up-to-date CV and a cover letter (maximum of two A4 pages using font size of at least 10 (Aptos, Arial or Times New Roman). The cover letter should include a description of how you meet the key accountabilities.

The Role

You will be part of a group of researchers committed to applying rigorous methods to analyse large-scale health data to advance our understanding of the determinants of health and disease in the population. In this project, you will examine the impact of obesity on health outcomes and investigate risk factors of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions through secondary analysis of large-scale health databases.

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

Find out more about the Population Health Research Institute here:  https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/population-health/

Contact for the post is Dr Dexter Canoy (dexter.canoy@newcastle.ac.uk).

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Support applications for data access to health databases and securing relevant ethical and governance approvals
• Clean, prepare and manage data to meet appropriate data management principles and standards as well as research governance and data protection legislations
• Perform epidemiological and statistical analysis (e.g., longitudinal and survival analyses) and apply relevant analytical methods (e.g., to address bias, confounding and missing data) with support from other research team members
• Manage research project meetings and engagement activities with funders and collaborators and organise documentation and record-keeping
• Develop working relationships with other researchers engaged in using routine healthcare data; contribute to the writing and provision of pilot data to support funding bids or respond to new research opportunities
• 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 projects
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to the 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 as appropriate

In addition for 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

Institute-specific accountabilities for both roles

• Identify and undertake a programme of professional development, including further training in research methods and other transferable skills
• If required, assist in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and dissertations, and in giving lectures or running seminars/workshops
• Participate in PHSI meetings and events; Develop effective working relationships with other colleagues, collaborators and, on occasions, with students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of PHSI and the FMS
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Knowledge / Ability / Experience relevant to:
• Research data handling, management and curation
• Statistical or epidemiological analysis of healthcare or cohort data
• Data analysis programming using Stata, R or Python

• Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to adhere to strict observation of data governance issues and data protection legislations

• 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

• Ability to rapidly acquire new analytical and research skills
• 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

• Ability to undertake work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to carry out high-quality research and maintain confidentiality
• 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 and commitment to good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

Research Assistant

• Honours degree in relevant discipline with strong quantitative component such as epidemiology, public health or statistics; or another discipline with equivalent work experience that specifically includes quantitative health data analysis

In addition for Research Associate

• PhD in relevant discipline with strong quantitative component such as epidemiology, public health or statistics; or another discipline with substantive work experience that applies quantitative methods or includes quantitative health data analysis

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: 29442