Senior Research Associate

Salary:  £47,389 to £56,535 per annum (pro rata)

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: 31 October 2025

The Role

We are looking to appoint an experienced Public Health Researcher to work as part of a team on a Food Standards Agency (FSA) funded research project, known as the IID3 Study. The overall aims are to estimate the burden of infectious intestinal disease (IID) in the community and to calibrate national public health surveillance systems. The project involves collaboration with other UK universities (Liverpool and Oxford), national public health agencies (UK Health Security Agency, Public Health Scotland, and Public Health Wales), and Liverpool Clinical Laboratories.

You will work as part of the work package (WP) 6 team. The overall aim of WP6 is to quantify the population level of IID and to understand the key causal microbiological, sociological, economic and food drivers that affect it. The successful candidate will make a significant contribution to analysis and interpretation of study generated data under the general direction of the Work Package Leader. You will undertake evaluation and interpretation of the study findings and their relevance to public health policy and practice.

You will be responsible for the analysis, interpretation and presentation of research data and clear communication of the study results and their importance in reports to the funder and in academic publication and presentations. You will be a key contributor to the dissemination of the study results to academic and non-academic audiences.

You will work under the guidance of Professor Aileen Mill (Principal Investigator) and Dr Ben Rowland (WP 6 Lead)

The post is offered on a fixed term basis to September 2026.

The role is part time for 24 hours per week.

For informal enquires contact or Professor Aileen Mill (aileen.mill@ncl.ac.uk).

Key Accountabilities

• Contribute academic and specialist expertise to a programme of research focussed on infectious intestinal disease
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination (reports, presentations, publications)
• Provide expert knowledge interpretation to data analysis and highlight relevance to public health policy
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research results and findings to Work Package Leader, Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Lead and contribute to the development and production of journal articles
• Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities
• Develop, with advice, an awareness of own professional development needs and a personal development strategy
• Liaise with research colleagues and support staff on day-to-day issues

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Relevant experience in gastro-intestinal public health science, with an emphasis on understanding policy and intervention implementation

• Proven ability to conduct and communicate high quality research that can influence policy and industry

• Strong computing skills, ability to graph and statistically analyse a diverse range of data types.
• Strong skills in the visual presentation of data, results and research findings.
• Ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

• Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively as part of a research team, and proven ability to meet research deadlines
• Highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with diverse audiences, both orally and in writing, using a range of media

• Demonstrable interest in public policy and stakeholder engagement

Attributes and Behaviour

• Well organised, with excellent time management
• Motivated and enthusiastic
• Innovative and flexible in approach
• Strong team-working ethos
• Ability and willingness to travel locally, within UK and internationally for meetings and conferences
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to work flexibly

Qualifications

• Post graduate research degree in a Public Health or Gastrointestinal Epidemiology discipline
• Subject knowledge in a discipline relevant to delivering the research programme (Epidemiology, Public Health, Gastroenterology)
• Contributions to written output with a track record of authoring papers, including as first author, published in internationally excellent peer reviewed academic journals (Essential)

Desirable

• Postgraduate research experience gained either via previous employment or during postgraduate studies 
• Familiarity with medical ethics and research governance 
  
  

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: 28710