Research Assistant: Paediatric Pain & Mental Health

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 Research Assistant to join a growing research team investigating mental health and self-harm in adolescents with chronic pain, contributing to clinically relevant research aimed at improving support within paediatric pain services.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs

The role is available on a flexible hybrid basis. The core team day is onsite on Wednesdays. The post holder is expected to work onsite at least 2–3 days per week in total (including Wednesdays) to support collaboration and team integration.

About the Role

The post is funded for 13 months from 1 September 2026. It is full-time and based in the Department of Psychiatry at the Warneford Hospital.

You will join a research team led by Dr Verena Hinze working on an Arthritis UK–funded project: “Self-Harm in Adolescents with Chronic Pain: Identifying Risks, Mechanisms, and Interventions”. The project aims to understand why some young people with chronic pain experience self-harm thoughts or behaviours while others do not, with the goal of improving risk identification and support within paediatric pain services.

You will have hands-on experience at the interface of research and clinical practice, including opportunities to contribute to data analysis, stakeholder engagement, dissemination activities, and future research development. You will work closely with collaborators across the University and NHS paediatric pain services in Oxford and Bath. It is particularly well suited to those pursuing an academic career (e.g. PhD/DPhil) or Clinical Doctorate training.

About You

You will hold a degree in psychology, psychiatry, or a related discipline, with an interest in adolescent mental health, chronic pain, or applied clinical research.

You will have experience contributing to research projects, with strong quantitative research skills, including experience analysing data using R or similar statistical software. You will also have the ability to organise and manage your own work effectively.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage professionally with researchers, clinicians, young people, and families are essential.

Experience working with routinely collected healthcare data, clinical research settings, stakeholder engagement, or research dissemination activities would be desirable.