"Lived Experience Researcher"

About us

The post will be based in the KCL Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN).

The centre offers a diverse research environment that is open, welcoming and supportive to all. The faculty-wide initiatives are supported by an active Diversity & Inclusion Team.

The Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre is uncovering the genetic and environmental influences on mental health and psychiatric disorders. Our research encompasses behavioural genetics, molecular genetics, experimental psychology and psychiatry, and neuroimaging. Scientists at the SGDP lead some of the UK’s foremost longitudinal cohort and twin studies including TEDS, eRISK, Dunedin, IMAGEN and GLAD.

The NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley leads the NIHR BioResource for Mental Health. We focus on recruiting participants experiencing mental health conditions, as well as healthy people.

Alongside GLAD MHG and The GLAD study, Prof. Breen’s team boasts an accomplished portfolio of clinical and genetic studies which aim to improve treatment and outcomes for those affected by anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other mental health conditions.

About the role

We are seeking a passionate and committed Lived Experience Researcher to join Professor Gerome Breen’s internationally recognised team at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College London. This unique role sits within the GLAD-MHG Omics Cohort, one of the UK’s most ambitious precision psychiatry initiatives, hosted in the NIHR BioResource Centre Maudsley and supported by the UK Government’s Office for Life Sciences.

The GLAD-MHG Omics Cohort, supported by a prestigious award from the UK Government’s Office for Life Sciences, builds on the existing NIHR BioResource GLAD Study (>38,000 participants) and is based at KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience. The new programme will recruit an additional 12,000 individuals with recurrent MDD, including 2,500 with longitudinal biosampling. High-quality blood samples will be collected for whole-genome sequencing, epigenetics, and biomarker profiling, alongside detailed digital phenotyping (wearables, speech AI) and NHS medical record linkage. All data will be securely integrated and curated within the DATAMIND Trusted Research Environment, ensuring national and international impact.

As a Lived Experience Researcher, you will ensure that participant perspectives are embedded throughout the project – from shaping recruitment and study materials, to guiding analytical priorities and interpreting results. You will work closely with researchers, clinicians, and industry partners, ensuring that this internationally significant dataset is not only scientifically rigorous but also authentically patient-centred.

The role will be hosted in the highly supportive departmental environment of the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre. You will work with a team committed to incorporating lived experience expertise and supporting lived experience researchers within our group.

This is a rare opportunity to influence one of the world’s largest and most deeply characterised mental health cohorts, to further develop skills at the interface of research and public involvement, and to make a lasting impact on the future of precision psychiatry.

We would welcome applications from people with direct lived experience in an area/areas relevant to the work.

This role will be offered as a part time position at 0.6FTE (3 days per week) but we are happy to explore flexible working arrangements.

You will be offered a fixed term contract starting from 1st April 2026 (or as soon as possible thereafter) until 31st March 2030.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1. PhD in a relevant subject area OR expertise gained through working with those with lived experience.
2. Experience supporting and engaging with lived-experience groups, and/or a strong understanding of the value of lived experience involvement.
3. Experience in patient and public involvement, coproduction approaches and Good Clinical Practice.
4. Experience of qualitative research, data management, reflexive thematic analysis or realist evaluation.
5. Experience of collaborating with and building consensus among a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. people with lived experience, clinicians, academic teams, industry).
6. Experience in research ethics, data protection, and GDPR.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of coaching or mentoring.

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 page. 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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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.

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

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Grade and Salary: £53,947 - £60,018 per annum pro rata, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 133785
Close Date: 20-Jan-2026
Contact Person: Gerome Breen / Anna Carnegie
Contact Details: gerome.breen@kcl.ac.uk / anna.carnegie@kcl.ac.uk