Job description

The appointed researcher will play a key role in sustaining and completing work on the co-production of research and policy impact with partners in five global cities. The ‘Pathways to Equitable Healthy Cities’ (Pathways) programme (2018-2023) is a major transdisciplinary programme to advance sustainable urban development that supports healthier lives for all. The aim of this of this Wellcome Trust-funded programme has been to make health equity an essential consideration in urban development worldwide.  

The researcher will be based in the Department of Geography at King’s College London, and work with Prof Frans Berkhout, one of the project Co-Investigators. The project is being coordinated by Prof Majid Ezzati at Imperial College London, and includes partners in Canada, Ghana, Bangladesh and China. 

The Pathways programme takes a comparative approach, building and using a shared analytical framework for research across five global cities (London, Vancouver, Accra, Dhaka and Beijing). Critical to achieving high-quality research and impact has been an on-going and creative interaction between academic researchers, practitioner-experts, and civil society to frame research questions and data needs, do analysis and to design and report outcomes. 

The researcher will work with public health scientists, modellers and, planners and policy makers across partner institutions and in the study cities to develop policy scenarios and conducting integrated analysis. Drawing on previous work in the project, we aim to exploit innovative new methods to achieve more equitable public health outcomes in diverse urban and development contexts. 

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 12 months from Sept 2022. 

This is a part-time post - 80% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

• Work with research teams in each of the case study cities to develop policy scenarios on urban development and health equity  

• Support research teams to develop and implement evaluation and impact assessment approaches to monitor progress towards set objectives 

• Collaborate with researchers at King’s College London and across the PEHC project and London Hub network in the organisation of engagement and events 

• Collaborate with researchers in the PEHC project to prepare and publish scientific and related publications 

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 awarded (or completed awaiting examination) in a relevant subject 

2. Expertise and experience in participative methods 

3. Commitment to interdisciplinary research 

4. Ability to write and communicate to a range of audiences 

5. Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams 

6. Expertise in research and policy evaluation 

Desirable criteria

1. International fieldwork experience 

2. Background in urban geography, public health or international development 

* 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

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to participate in an interview 

Equity, public health, co-production of knowledge