Research Assistant: Heart and Brain Research (Part-time)

University of Oxford - Department of Psychiatry

Location: Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX

The University of Oxford is a stimulating work environment, which enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence. Our research plays a key role in tackling many global challenges, from reducing our carbon emissions to developing vaccines during a pandemic.

The Department of Psychiatry is based on the Warneford Hospital site in Oxford – a friendly, welcoming place of work with an international reputation for excellence. The Department has a substantial research programme, with major funding from Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and provides highly rated medical training in psychiatry. The Head of Department is Professor Belinda Lennox.

We are looking for a part-time research assistant to join the Heart and Brain Group led by Assoc Prof Sana Suri in the Department of Psychiatry. This dynamic research group investigates a variety of neurodegenerative and cognitive disorders.

About the Role

The post is part time (20 hours per week) and funded for 9 months. It is based in the Department of Psychiatry at the Warneford Hospital.

Due to the nature of the role, flexible working is not available for this post.

You will assist with data collection and qualitative analysis for the “SABHEE Study: Stories About Brain Health & Ethnicity” (Ethics Ref: MS IDREC 1125998) and will support the Principal Investigator to ensure the smooth running of the study.

You will recruit and interview adults from South Asian backgrounds about healthcare experiences and conduct thematic analysis of the interviews. You will be involved in Patient and Public Involvement/Engagement (PPIE) and EDI activities relating to the research project and the centre more widely. You will also share findings and contribute to wider project planning and to scientific reports and journal articles as well as the presentation of data/papers at conferences.

About You

You will hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (e.g., psychology or neuroscience), together with some relevant experience. You will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the field of health inequalities, particularly as it relates to South Asian adults. Experience with NVivo or other qualitative analysis software and synthesising qualitative research data is essential. You will also have Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write text that can be published, present data at conferences, and represent the research group at meetings.

Experience of contributing to reports and articles for publication and of working in a research team and contributing ideas for new research projects would be desirable.

Diversity

Committed to equality and valuing diversity

Our active Psychiatry People and Culture teams and initiatives including our values and behaviours framework, work to make the Department of Psychiatry as supportive, welcoming and inclusive as possible.

Application Process

You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application (via the ‘Apply’ button above). Please see the University pages on the application process at https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/application-process

The closing date for applications is 12:00 midday on 7 January 2026