About us

King’s College London is a leading public research university and a founding college and member institution of the federal University of London. The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is one of the world’s leading centres for clinical and research training and a leading centre for mental health and neuroscience research in Europe. Based in Denmark Hill in south-east London, it shares its site with the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM), one of the largest mental health providers in Europe. Research from the IoPPN has made, and continues to make, an impact on how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness, neurological conditions and other conditions that affect the brain.

The National Addiction Centre (NAC), incorporating the King’s Addictions Department, represents a network of clinicians, researchers and clinical teachers who have a shared commitment to excellence in prevention and treatment. Over the last 30 years, the department has developed a body of research evidence that has informed the development of new treatment services for alcohol, smoking and drug problems in the UK. This work ranges from trials of new therapies and preventative treatments to studies seeking to understand the genetic and biological basis of addictive behaviour.

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London is a research organisation that brings together researchers, health and social care services, and local people to improve health and care in south London through applied research. It forms one of 15 collaborations across the country, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) as part of a £135 million investment to improve the health and care of patients and the public.

About the role

We would like to appoint a Post-Doctoral Researcher (Research Fellow) to play a key role within the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London Alcohol Theme. The programme focuses on clinical and social support responses to populations with long-term alcohol dependence and complex needs. The role will primarily entail evaluating the impact of intervention implementation, and knowledge mobilisation through the adoption and spread of interventions.

The person appointed will be based in the Addictions Department at King’s College London (KCL) and will report to Prof Paolo Deluca (Theme Lead), through whom there is accountability to the ARC South London Executive and Board. The appointee will work with other Alcohol Theme colleagues, patients and public representatives and colleagues across the ARC South London to achieve the project milestones.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of addiction, particularly patient groups with alcohol dependence and complex needs and the wider treatment system. You will have experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative research in clinical settings and a good knowledge of health economics would be essential. You should have solid, proven project management skills and experience of building professional networks and working with external stakeholders (including from other academic institutions, patients and the public, the NHS, local government organisations and policymakers). You will also have a strong track record of coordinating patient and public involvement (PPI) activities to directly inform research. You will be committed to equality, diversity and inclusion principles and applying these to PPI work. You should have excellent spoken and written communication skills and have experience of coordinating the production of resources in various media for various purposes and audiences.

This is a full time post, and you will be offered  a fixed term contract until 31/03/2026.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates with the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in addiction or health services research in an addiction-specific topic.
2. Knowledge and experience of evaluating health services.
3. Experience of conducting economic evaluation or a good understanding of health economics and interpreting cost-effectiveness.
4. Experience of setting up and coordinating multidisciplinary professional networks and convening stakeholder groups with representation from a range of organisations (NHS, academia, local government and policy/decision-makers).
5. A solid track record of working with patients and the public as part of the research design process.
6. An understanding of, and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and of the impact of stigma and discrimination on people with addiction, their health outcomes and their experiences of health care.
7. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively (in oral, written and presentation modes) to a wide range of audiences, using briefing documents, toolkits and other resources for learning and dissemination to a non-academically focused audience.
8. Ability to work on own initiative as well as being part of a team and prioritise workload in order to meet deadlines and targets.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of managing large, complex projects.
2. Experience of working in a large research collaborative organization and understanding of associated governance structures and reporting norms
3. Experience of managing/supervising staff.
4. The ability to secure research funding demonstrated by previous experience (of contributing to a successful grant application), future plans and awareness of funding schemes.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

We are  able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

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