Research Associate

Salary: Research Associate £36,636 to £46,049 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: 15 July 2026

The Role

This Bradlaw Fellowship is a highly prestigious postdoctoral opportunity focused on delivering ENHANCE D+, a major follow on programme building directly on the NIHR-funded ENHANCE D trial, one of the largest and potentially most influential trials ever undertaken in UK primary dental care.

The fellow will address key post trial research priorities through four linked work packages: an updated systematic review incorporating ENHANCE D data; secondary analyses examining socioeconomic and demographic inequalities in cessation outcomes; focused laboratory studies using validated in vitro gingival and epithelial models to investigate inflammatory and cytotoxic responses relevant to trial findings; and the development and evaluation of an evidence based training resource for the dental team. The laboratory component draws on unique infrastructure and established modelling approaches to generate mechanistic insight that cannot be obtained from clinical trial data alone. The programme is explicitly translational, with laboratory findings, quantitative analyses and educational outputs integrated to inform interpretation of the trial, future funding applications, and wider implementation across dental practice.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles.pdf.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

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

Find out more about our Research Institutes: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

Contact for the post is Richard.Holliday@ncl.ac.uk

Duration of post is 2 years

Key Accountabilities

• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
• 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
• 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

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience in conducting in vitro experiments
• Experience of key laboratory techniques for investigating cellular immune responses to stimuli
• Experience of conducting systematic reviews
• Experience of epidemiological research
• Experience of working on interdisciplinary projects
• Experience of cell/tissue culture
• 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.
• 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

• 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

• PhD in a relevant research area

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: 29551