Position Details
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £42,254. As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £42,254.
Grade: 7
Part Time, 0.6 FTE (22.5 hours per week)
Fixed Term contract up to August 2028 (24 months)
Closing date: 29 th June 2026
Background
We are seeking to appoint an experienced mixed methods researcher. We require a post-doctoral Research Fellow to deliver the process evaluation of the IMPROVE-DKD randomised controlled trial (https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR158442). The research fellow will work with Prof Colin Greaves, Professor of Psychology Applied to Health (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/sport-exercise/staff/profile.aspx?ReferenceId=146199&Name=professor-colin-greaves) and colleagues in the Universities of Birmingham, Warwick, Leeds, Keele and Aston as well as several NHS Trusts. The work will involve working with a wide range of NHS healthcare professionals and researchers involved in behavioural medicine, diabetes, kidney disease, implementation science, as well as groups of patients and primary care health professionals.
IMPROVE-DKD is a 4-year, £1.4 million programme grant funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The programme is led by Dr Indranil Dasgupta (University of Birmingham) and supported by a multidisciplinary team of co-applicants. As part of this research programme, the IMPROVE DKD randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multi-component digital intervention, including a flag-alert on GP patient management systems and a set of online healthy lifestyle support materials for patients, aiming to improve the care of older people living with Diabetes and chronic Kidney Disease.
The aim of the current post is to conduct and write up a mixed-methods process evaluation. The role includes undertaking (online) and analysing semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals implementing the IMPROVE-DKD intervention and patients who use the digital lifestyle-support intervention. It also involves analysis of survey data that is being collected via an onlne platform from clinicians and patients and analysing quantitative website-usage data from the online lifestyle-support programme. The postholder will liaise occasionally with our established Patient, Public Involvement and Engagement group and support the writing of any publications arising from the work. The data will be used to explore healthcare professional and patient views about barriers and facilitators of implementation of the IMPROVE DKD intervention – and patient views /feedback about the lifestyle-support materials.
The post is based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, which is a world-leading institution for research and teaching in Sport and Exercise Science (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/sport-exercise.aspx), located within one of the UK’s top universities. Our performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014) was outstanding with 90 percent of research classified as world leading or internationally excellent. Key areas in our Exercise for Health research theme include: Healthy ageing, nutrition, disability, prevention and management of chronic illness and theoretically driven development of interventions for behaviour change.
This is a part-time (0.6fte) post for 24 months, starting on 1st September 2026.
Role Summary
- Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing publications
- Operate within the area of specialism (mixed methods health services research).
- Collect, analyse and interpret research findings and results – specifically qualitative and quantitative feedback from patients, caregivers and NHS delivery staff
- Develop (from the data) a framework of recommendations for wider scale implementation of the IMPROVE DKD intervention.
Main Duties
The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
- Analyse and interpret data
- Contribute to writing bids for further 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 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
- Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as survey methods, literature reviews, and research interviews
- Using advanced research methods such as mixed-methods process evaluation
- 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
- Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
Person Specification
- A PhD relevant to the research area and roles described here. For example in Health Psychology, Health Services Research or Health Promotion.
- Track record in mixed methods research for process evaluation.
- Experience of Participant and Patient Involvement (PPI) in research.
- High level analytical capability, including experience with qualitative data collection and analysis.
- Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management and administration processes.
- Great communication skills, including a strong track record of publication /writing up of research findings, as well as the ability to communicate complex information clearly
- Ability to communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature.
- Fluency in relevant models or methods
- Ability to balance the competing pressures of research, teaching and administrative demands and deadlines
- Knowledge and experience of research ethics and governance principles, regulations and approval procedures
- Ability to liaise and collaborate effectively with colleagues and students
- Ability to build contacts and participate in internal and external networks for the exchange of information and collaboration
- Active participation as a member of a multidisciplinary research team
- Engaging in continuous professional development
- Understanding equal opportunity issues as they may impact on areas of research content
- Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
- Ability to contribute to the planning and organising of the specific research project
- Ability to co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
- Ability to identify potential sources of funding
- Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly
Experience of working with primary care healthcare professionals and clinical populations of older adults is also desirable
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Informal enquiries to Prof Colin Greaves if you have any queries, or would like an informal discussion, email: [email protected] or phone: +44(0) 121 414 4133 or 0798 989 5165.
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 .
