Research Associate in Psychiatry or Psychology (Fixed Term)

The Faculty of Divinity invites applications for the position of Research Associate in Psychiatry or Psychology, to work as part of an interdisciplinary team, led by Professor Joseph Webster, on the UKRI-funded project Exploring the Grey Zone: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Religious Delusions and Conspiracy Beliefs. This is a fixed-term position for 21 months owing to limited funding. The expected start date for the role is 1 October 2026.

As this Research Associate post is externally funded by UKRI, the salary for this position is limited owing to the budgetary awards as per the grant application. Therefore, the starting salary for this post is non-negotiable and is as stated on the advert.

Candidates should be educated to degree level and must have a PhD in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, or Psychology. The role holder will also have a research specialism in the field of Psychiatry or Psychology, with a focus on psychosis, delusional ideation, or conspiracist ideation.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Plan and convene an interdisciplinary workshop on 'Meaningfulness, Usefulness, and Pathology';
• As part of an interdisciplinary PDRA team, undertake qualitative coding of six autobiographies written by individuals experiencing delusional or conspiracist ideation and;
• As part of an interdisciplinary PDRA team, undertake qualitative coding of interview transcripts collected from research participants experiencing delusional or conspiracist ideation.

Further information on this role can be found in the Further Particulars document which is linked to this advert.

For information on the Faculty of Divinity please see the Faculty website: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/.

In order for your application to be considered, please upload the following:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Covering Letter
• Short statement about your current and future research (up to 2 A4 pages, in Arial 12-point font)
• Sample of your research-related writing (up to 10,000 words). The writing sample might be a published research article, a chapter from a research monograph (already published or intended for publication), or a chapter of your doctoral dissertation.
• Names and contact details of two referees who are familiar with your work

If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Informal enquires about the role are welcomed and should be directed to Professor Joseph Webster jw557@cam.ac.uk. For questions on the application process, please contact the School's HR Team on sahhr@admin.cam.ac.uk.

The closing date for applications is midnight (BST) on Monday 15 June 2026. Interviews are planned for late July 2026, subject to change