About The Role

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Part Time, 0.5 FTE (18.75 hours per week)
Fixed Term contract up to June 2028
Closing date: 16 th September 2026
This post will be offered at Grade 7 or Grade 8 , depending on the skills and experience of the successful candidate. Only one appointment will be made at a maximum of 0.5 FTE.

Background

Applications are invited for an ambitious Mixed Methods Research Fellow to work at the University of Birmingham across a nationally-leading research programme funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) as part of the NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) .

The NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium (NIHR MDC) is a £50 million NIHR investment which brings together a diverse range of organisations with expertise in research, capacity development and working with people and communities to deliver a step change in maternity outcomes and developing future research leaders in this area of need. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy.

The postholder will work within the pregnancy, birth and early postnatal maternal health theme (theme 2), including research programmes in cardiometabolic risk prevention and management, and specifically, remote blood pressure monitoring in pregnancy and the postnatal period.

The NIHR MDC is co-ordinated from the University of Birmingham (Research) and Newcastle University (Research and Capacity Development). The postholder will be based at the Unviersity of Birmingham. The University operates hybrid working but it is expected you will spend the majority of your time on site.

The researcher will support the MDC in delivering impactful research and knowledge mobilisation activities with partners across the health and care system. You will be expected to support the development and delivery of components of the theme’s research programme initially until the 31 st of May 2028.

This post will be offered at Grade 7 or Grade 8, depending on the skills and experience of the successful candidate. Only one appointment will be made at a maximum of 0.5 FTE.

Find out more about the College of Medicine and Health our Department by visiting the links below

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/college-of-medicine-and-health
Department of Applied Health Sciences - University of Birmingham

Role Summary

Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids
Operate within area of specialism
Analyse and interpret research findings and results
Contribute to generating funding
Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research aligned to the theme under the guidance of senior staff and within agreed timeline, with assistance of a mentor if required
Identify, recruit and consent research participants
Conduct literature searching and reviewing
Collect, analyse and interpret qualitative, multi and mixed method data using appropriate methods
Contribute to writing bids for research funding
Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
Undertake management/administration/ethics/governance related activity arising from research
Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document.

Person Specification

A PhD relevant to the research area (or near completion), or equivalent PhD level qualifications.
Experience of undertaking and timely completion of qualitative, multi and mixed method maternal and/or women’s health research, ideally in the NHS
Good knowledge of ethical and research governance in health-related research
Experience of participant recruitment and taking informed consent
Experience of using qualitative, multi and mixed method data collection and analysis methods
Evidence of peer-reviewed publications
Experience of working in multi-disciplinary research teams
Ability to communicate complex information clearly
High level analytical capability
Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document .

OH&DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Occupational Health and DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Further particulars can be found here

Further information can be obtained by contacting key members of theme 2, Professor Laura Jones [email hidden] and Professor Vicky Hodgetts Morton [email hidden]

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .