Job description

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Research Assistant to work on a new project on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. The ADHD Remote Technology study of cardiometabolic risk factors and medication adherence (ART-CARMA) project is part of a 5-year collaborative and multidisciplinary, European Commission-funded research programme with 17 partner institutions across Europe and the world, including academia, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), patients and care providers. The post-holder will work as a Research Assistant with Professor Jonna Kuntsi in the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. They will also work closely with Professor Richard Dobson and his team.

The post-holder will be part of the ART (ADHD Remote Technology) team, led by Professors Kuntsi and Dobson. The ART team has recently developed and piloted a new remote monitoring system for ADHD, which incorporates active monitoring (questionnaires and cognitive tasks) and passive monitoring (smartphone app and wearable devices). ART-CARMA uses this technology and aims to obtain real-world data from the daily life of adults with ADHD on the extent to which ADHD medication treatment and physical activity, individually and jointly, may influence cardiometabolic risks. The project also aims to obtain valuable real-world data from the participants’ daily life on adherence to pharmacological treatment and its predictors and correlates.

The post-holder will be involved in the recruitment and data collection of ART-CARMA. We aim to recruit 150 adults who are currently on adult ADHD clinic waiting lists. Baseline assessments involve taking consent, carrying out psychiatric interviews and cognitive assessments, completing questionnaires and introducing the devices (smartphones and wearable devices) that participants will by using for the remote monitoring. The post-holder will be required to manage and support participants throughout the participants’ 12-month study period. The post-holder will also support other aspects of the day-to-day running of the study, including database management, writing newsletters and attending meetings.

The post-holder will report to Professor Kuntsi, but will also work with other research staff and students working on the ART research programme, including research assistants, PhD students, postdocs and software developers. Good time management, attention to detail, communication skills and organisation will be essential. The successful applicant will have good quantitative skills. Enthusiasm for science, and for psychology/mental health in particular, is essential.

The ART team strives to be a diverse research environment that is open and welcoming to all.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 48 months

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week)

Key responsibilities

• Management of many of the day-to-day operations of the ART-CARMA project
• Recruitment of participants
• Perform baseline assessments involving taking consent, carrying out psychiatric interviews and cognitive assessments (including IQ assessment), completing questionnaires and introducing the devices (smartphones and wearable devices)
• Manage data collection including supporting participants during their 12 months of remote monitoring
• Data entry and database management
• Provide research support to Professor Kuntsi and her team

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria

1. 2.1 or higher undergraduate degree in psychology or related mental health discipline
2. Enthusiasm for scientific research
3. Excellent communication and teamworking skills
4. Excellent time management and organisational skills
5. Ability to work autonomously
6. Excellent attention to detail
7. Willing to travel to collaborating clinics
8. Database experience

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of working in a research environment would be an advantage
2. Experience of data collection (e.g., conducting psychiatric interviews and administrating cognitive assessments)
3. Experience of recruiting participants
4. Able to use statistical packages such as SPSS, Stata, R

Further information

Please make sure you clearly address the criteria in your application.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.