About the Role
We are offering an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join the School of Psychology in a dynamic and varied role, split evenly across two complementary areas. This post provides an excellent platform to enhance your research career and academic profile.
You will spend 50% of your time contributing to a major NIHR-funded project aimed at improving parental engagement with local family-support services. Working under the guidance of Professor Maddy Arden and collaborating with an expert interdisciplinary team, you will help refine and evaluate a behavioural intervention. This will involve working with local authority staff and community stakeholders and delivering a mixed-methods process evaluation to understand intervention delivery, reception, and optimisation for real-world use.
The remaining 50% of your time will be dedicated to developing high-impact research in health psychology and behavioural science. This includes contributing to future research programme design, supporting the preparation of competitive funding bids, delivering consultancy projects, and producing high-quality academic publications. Topics may include habit formation and disruption, as well as psychological mechanisms and interventions supporting long-term behaviour change.
You'll be part of a dynamic and growing team committed to creating positive change through health psychology and behavioural science. The NIHR project offers the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Sheffield.
This role offers extensive opportunities for professional development and experience across multiple research projects—ideal for enhancing your CV and progressing your academic career.
Key Skills and Experiences
Applicants should hold a PhD in health psychology, behavioural science, or a related discipline (a Master's in Health Psychology is also desirable). Candidates must demonstrate strong skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis.
To learn more about the role and essential criteria, please refer to the Job Description provided below.
Application Process