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​Postdoctoral Research Associate in ethnicity and mortality

Employer
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Location
London (Central), London (Greater) (GB)
Salary
£40,386 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Closing date
24 Aug 2022

Job Details

We are looking to appoint a dedicated Research Fellow for an exciting research study on ethnicity and mortality funded by the Nuffield Trust. The study is a collaboration between King’s College London, The University of York, ONS, and The University of Manchester, and aims to provide novel and much needed information on ethnicity and mortality. The proposed work will exploit the unique opportunities provided by ONS’s linkage of Census, mortality, and health records. It will evaluate the significance of, and then address, identified methodological problems with the experimental statistics recently published by the ONS, and re-estimate life expectancy (LE) rates across ethnic groups in England and Wales, adjusting for age group and gender. The analyses will also incorporate entirely novel healthy life expectancy (HLE) and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) estimates. Working in collaboration with the ONS team responsible for developing life expectancy estimates, this project will provide accurate estimates of mortality across ethnic groups, which is critical to inform policy development at local and national level.

The post holder will carry out innovative quantitative analyses aim to improve current estimates of ethnic differences in mortality rates, life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy.

The appointee will benefit from the strong connections between King’s College London, the ONS, The University of York, and The University of Manchester, and will receive mentorship and training across institutions. The candidate will report to Prof Laia Becares based at KCL.

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD or equivalent in Epidemiology, Quantitative Sociology, Social Statistics, Demography, or a related quantitative discipline. Applicants must have a strong background in quantitative methods, knowledge of statistical analysis, and previous experience of using Stata, R, or equivalent for statistical data analysis and modelling. A track-record of research outputs (e.g. publications, presentations, thesis/dissertation, public engagement activities) and an understanding of the theoretical underpinning of ethnic inequalities in health and mortality is desirable.

The candidate must have an ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and be able to function independently and effectively with appropriate supervision.


This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until September 2023.

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

  • Analyse large health and administrative datasets, including linked Census 2011 records, death registrations, and Hospital Episode Statistics data
  • Calculate age-standardised life expectancy estimates
  • Contribute to the dissemination of the outcomes from the study, through both oral and written presentation
  • Take a lead role in the writing up of data for reports and peer reviewed publications (as first author where appropriate), presenting data at relevant meetings and conferences  
  • Engage with opportunities for personal professional development
  • Comply with the requirements under University Research Ethics standards, and with Research Integrity and Data Management standards [ongoing]. 

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.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria

  1. PhD or equivalent in Quantitative Sociology, Epidemiology, Social Statistics, Demography, or a related quantitative discipline. 
  2. Experience in quantitative data analysis. 
  3. Experience in using Stata, R, or equivalent for data analysis. 
  4. Ability to communicate new and complex information effectively, both verbally and in writing, engaging the interest and enthusiasm of the target audience, (including public engagement activities). 
  5. Ability to present research results at group meetings and conferences. 
  6. Ability to write up research results for publication in leading peer-viewed journals. 
  7. Ability to work proactively with colleagues in other work areas/institutions, contributing specialist knowledge to achieve outcomes. 

Desirable criteria

  1. Understanding the theoretical and empirical literature in relation to: health inequality, ethnicity, mortality 
  2. Emerging track record of high-quality publications in reputable journals and other appropriate media of similar standing. 

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further information

Interested candidates should submit a Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages) and a cover letter outlining their interest in the research project, how they meet the eligibility criteria and what they might bring to the project. The selection process will include a presentation and panel interview.   

Company

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 27,600 students (of whom nearly 10,500 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 6,800 staff.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) King’s was ranked 6th nationally in the ‘power’ ranking, which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity, and 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings. Eighty-four per cent of research at King’s was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*). The university is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of more than £684 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

King’s £600 million campaign, World questions|KING’s answers, has delivered huge global impact in areas where King’s has particular expertise. Philanthropic support has funded new research to save young lives at Evelina London Children’s Hospital; established the King’s Dickson Poon School of Law as a worldwide leader in transnational law; built a new Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital; allowed unique collaboration between leading neuroscientists to fast-track new treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, depression and schizophrenia at the new Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; created the Cicely Saunders Institute: the first academic institution in the world dedicated to palliative care, and supported the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership in the Ebola crisis. Donations provide over 300 of the most promising students with scholarships and bursaries each year. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.

Company info
Mini-site
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Telephone
+(44)02078365454
Location
STRAND
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom

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