Research Fellow (Qualitative)
Role Description
Department
The Hull York Medical School (HYMS) is the joint medical school of the Universities of Hull and York. We are one of the UK’s most exciting contemporary schools, delivering innovative and rigorous medical education and research. The School is an innovative and expanding medical school with an established reputation for the excellence of its teaching and research. Through unique partnerships with the Universities, regional NHS organisations, and primary/community healthcare providers, we offer exceptional medical and health professional education along with high-calibre research. For this project, HYMS works closely with Administrative Fairness Lab, led by York Law School, which aims to reshape frontline public decision-making through robust empirical research. The project is coordinated by The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London, a leading centre for legal scholarship addressing major global challenges. The project additionally brings together expertise from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, which conducts internationally recognised research to improve health services, public health and health policy, and the School for Business and Society at York, which studies how organisations, policy and economic systems shape social outcomes and public services.
Role
We are seeking a Research Fellow to join a Wellcome Trust funded interdisciplinary research programme based at Hull York Medical School and led by The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London in collaboration with York Law School at the University of York. The project examines how administrative processes shape people’s experiences of accessing mental health services. The post-holder will lead key elements of a longitudinal qualitative study exploring how people navigate primary care mental health pathways. This will involve:
- engaging health services and wider stakeholders in mental health and policy areas.
- recruiting and engaging participants across Yorkshire and the Humber
- conducting in-person, phone or online interviews at multiple time points
- analysing large qualitative datasets
- writing for publication and presenting to different audiences.
The post-holder will also support participatory storytelling workshops that explore lived experiences of accessing mental health services and help develop creative outputs with participants.
This is a fixed-term contract for up to 3 years.
Skills, Experience & Qualification needed
- You will hold a PhD (or equivalent experience) in mental health research, health services research, sociology, law, social policy or a related social science discipline and an undergraduate degree in a relevant field.
- You will have knowledge of public services, health services and or mental health research including social determinants of health and relevant legal or policy frameworks, and strong understanding of qualitative research methods
- Experience of qualitative research in health, social care or public service settings is essential, including conducting interviews, managing qualitative datasets and analysing data using software such as NVivo or equivalent
- You should have experience working with research participants, including recruitment and consent procedures, and knowledge of research ethics and governance requirements
- Strong communication, analytical and organisational skills are required, along with the ability to contribute to research publications, collaborate across disciplines and support the development of research projects and funding applications.
Interview date: Tuesday 5th May 2026
For informal enquiries: please contact Dr Jed Meers on jed.meers@york.ac.uk
The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.
We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.
We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork
As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview. Read more about the University of York’s commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.
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