Research Fellow in Psychology

Position Details

School of Psychology

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is Grade 7, salary £37,694.

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2027

Closing date: 18 th May 2026

UK travel may be required for this role

There are 2 positions available

Background

ASPbelong is a Horizon Europe-funded 4-year research project involving 11 interdisciplinary, cross-sector organisations across 6 European countries. The project is well progressed, and post holders would be joining the project until its finalisation.

ASPbelong has developed Augmented Social Play (ASP), a pioneering digital mental health intervention format whose feasibility had been established through proof-of-concept prototype. ASP uses smartphones to deliver real-world group experiences that combine immersive storytelling, augmented reality, collaborative face-to-face gameplay and evidence based psychotherapeutic methodologies to boost individuals’ mental health while fostering a greater sense of belonging within the group.

Collaborating across academia, industry, education, health and the arts, and working with young people, we have co-developed Lina, a 6-lesson-length programme for school classes of 11-14 year olds. We are implementing this intervention in schools in Portugal, Czechia, and the UK, using strategies informed by policy review, and evaluating its efficacy, cost-effectiveness and implementation in order to present an evidence base to stakeholders including policy-makers, practitioners and media, stimulating wide uptake. We are also further evolving ASP along several design and technical avenues, and prototyping additional ASP interventions together with particularly vulnerable young people to create ASPs closely matched to their belonging and mental health needs. Our long-term goal is wide-scale adoption of ASP, making multiple smartphone-delivered group mental health interventions freely accessible to diverse populations and settings.

Disadvantage in the broadest sense, including the multitude of interacting factors that can lead to intersectional disadvantages, is an important focus in the project. We strongly encourage applicants who have an interest in, professional and/or lived experiences of such disadvantage.

Role Summary

• Work within ASPbelong
• Operate within Psychology, Public Health, Education, Sociology, Social Policy, Social Care or a related discipline
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results
• Write papers and publish these in respected peer reviewed journals
• Contribute to writing bids to generate funding

The postholder will join ASPbelong, a large transdisciplinary team, until project end. ASPbelong has developed Augmented Social Play (ASP), a pioneering digital mental health intervention format. ASP uses smartphones to deliver group experiences that combine immersive storytelling, augmented reality, collaborative face-to-face gameplay and evidence based psychotherapeutic methodologies to boost individuals’ mental health while fostering greater belonging. Our first ASP is Lina, a 6-lesson-length programme for school classes of 11-14 year olds. We are implementing and evaluating Lina in Portugal, Czechia, and the UK to present an evidence base to stakeholders including policy-makers, practitioners and media, to stimulate wide uptake. We are also evolving ASP along several design and technical avenues, and prototyping additional ASPs together with vulnerable young people to create ASPs closely matched to their needs. Our long-term goal is wide-scale adoption of ASP.

Main Duties

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

• Work across disciplines and sectors in an open-minded and creative way that capitalises on the diversity of skills and experiences that exist in an inherently interdisciplinary project
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Draw on supervision and consortium expertise to lead the write up of research findings for publication
• Contribute to the further dissemination of research findings for example via seminars and conferences
• Supervise and provide guidance to students and more junior staff on research related work
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Support the collection of research data in the second phase of the ASPbelong trial, involving close liaison with schools, quantitative questionnaire and qualitative focus groups
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Promote equality and value diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, have obtained or be working towards a PhD relevant to the research area or equivalent qualifications *
• Demonstrable experience of writing up research findings for publication in well-respected journals, normally including first authored publications; and/or of writing successful funding bids
• Fluency in psychological / sociological / health and behaviour models and theory and the ability to interpret data and make arguments that contribute to / develop / expand these
• Interest in mental health, particularly in vulnerable and disadvantaged young people
• Experience and interest in working across disciplines and/or sectors
• Demonstrable ability to work well within a team
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly to diverse audiences
• Demonstrable ability to contribute to the planning and organising of the research activities, with a particular focus on dissemination and impact
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• 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

*Two full time positions are available, or more part time positions. You may be in the latter stages of studying for a PhD and plan to continue studying / writing up alongside part time employment.

DBS required

Pre-employment DBS

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 DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Kate Woodcock, email: ***email_hidden***

To support your application, please include a CV and cover letter explaining your motivation for applying and how you meet the criteria outlined in the person specification.

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 .