As part of a successful UKRI bid, in partnership with Mercurial Dance, UCA is seeking a Research Associate in Wellbeingto join Mercurial Dance's EmbodyXR® project—a UKRI‑funded, interdisciplinary initiative exploring the intersection of wellbeing and immersive digital experiences for young people aged 13‑25. Based at UCA's School of Games & Creative Technology, this role combines your expertise as a researcher with wellbeing focus and user testing within game‑based interventions. You will play a pivotal part in designing, delivering, and evaluating wellbeing support through interactive digital tooling.
About EmbodyXR®
EmbodyXR® is an immersive Virtual Reality dance art experience, aimed at raising mental health awareness and mitigating anxiety in young people aged 13‑25. EmbodyXR® engages players in mindful movement through a series of challenges that draw upon choreographed movement, high‑performance management, and cognitive behavioural techniques. Completing the activities in the fully‑immersive 3D environments via a Virtual Reality headset encourages focus and self‑reflection and aims to reduce the physical manifestations of the flight/fight/freeze response (FFFR) in people with anxiety. Meanwhile an associated mobile game continues and reinforces the learnings from the VR experience beyond the initial immersive entry point.
The post holder will be working alongside a growing team led by the Creative Director of Mercurial Dance, including a UX developer, game artists, and freelance creatives working on audio composition, scriptwriting, motion capture, 3D character design, and voice‑over. The role will also involve collaborating with the UCA Research Associate in Gameplay and Development and developing a research roadmap and pathway towards clinical validation and regulatory requirements.
About You
You’re a registered or accredited wellbeing professional, with at least one of:
* BACP‑accredited counsellor
* Registered Mental Nurse (RMN)
* IAPT‑trained Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP)
* Equivalent recognised training
You have:
* Direct experience working with young people in mental distress or crisis and applying evidence‑based techniques (e.g. CBT, mindfulness) in practice.
* Demonstrable experience in designing and analysing user‑testing for digital or game‑based wellbeing tools.
* Confidence in delivering group workshops or wellbeing interventions.
* Strong ability to liaise with both internal and external partners, including schools and clinical agencies.
* We particularly welcome current PhD candidates and early‑career researchers with expertise in wellbeing, digital health, or applied psychology.
The actual salary for this position is £8,320 – £9,477 per annum.
For an informal conversation regarding the role please contact Roderick Morgan, Associate Professor in Emerging Technologies at Roderick.Morgan@uca.ac.uk.
Further details
Role Profile
The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) aims to be a welcoming and inclusive University that is truly representative of all of the diversity in society. We particularly encourage applications from people from minoritised ethnic groups and people with disabilities who are currently under‑represented within the University.
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