Research Associate/Assistant
Research Associate/Assistant
- Posted 15 May 2026
- Salary GRADE 6/7 £33,951-£46,049 per annum
- LocationGlasgow
- Job Type Research and Teaching
- Reference198774
- Expiry 15 Jun 2026 23:45
Job description
Job Purpose
This is an exciting opportunity for a researcher with an interest in evaluation of school-based trials and/or gender-based violence interventions. You will contribute to an ongoing, high-profile national evaluation of Equally Safe at School, a ‘whole school approach’ designed to address gender-based violence in Scottish secondary schools (https://www.equallysafeatschool.org.uk/). You will undertake qualitative analysis to evaluate the process of implementing Equally Safe at School, with a focus on understanding factors shaping implementation and embedding of the intervention within schools, and mechanisms through which the intervention interacts with school contexts to generate outcomes. Much of this data has already been collected, but the postholder will also conduct some further primary data collection (e.g., interviews with policy actors) to understand the wider context. Reporting to the ESAS Process Evaluation Lead and working closely with the ESAS Research Co-ordinator, you will meet regularly with teachers leading ESAS in their school and will lead on – and contribute to – outputs such as academic papers, policy briefings and presentations.
The ideal candidate will be a qualitative researcher with exceptional analytical and writing skills, capable of producing high-quality outputs to tight deadlines. Ideally, they will have experience working on evaluation of complex and/or school-based interventions and bring a genuine interest in gender-based violence research. They will have a good sense of how qualitative and quantitative evidence can be synthesised to produce robust evaluation findings. A collaborative team player, they will contribute actively to a supportive and dynamic team.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Perform the following activities in conjunction with and under the guidance of the Equally Safe Process Evaluation lead:
1. Assist and contribute to study objectives under supervision of the Equally Safe Principal Investigator and other co-investigators and in accordance with project deliverables.
2. Assist in the maintenance of key project management and monitoring documents, including project protocol, data management plans, ethics amendments (where relevant), and logs tracking progress in data generation and analysis.
3. Generate qualitative data where relevant (via a limited number of individual, group interviews and structured observations), and undertake qualitative analysis of data that have already been collected. Contribute to the design of coding frames and analyse transcripts and fieldnotes in conjunction with other research team members. Contribute to identifying and developing analytical themes and generating insights in line with research questions.
4. Contribute to writing high-quality scientific papers based on the above analyses (as lead and co-author).
5. Contribute to the presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile. In addition, contribute to designing engaging outputs (e.g. blog posts, presentations) to share learning with relevant audiences.
6. Develop and enhance your research profile and reputation and that of the University of Glasgow, including contributing to publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals.
7. Contribute to the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research.
8. Collaborate with colleagues and participate in meetings/seminars/workshops across Public Health Unit/School of Health and Wellbeing/ MVLS college/University of Glasgow and wider community.
9. Contribute to the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.
10. Carry out modest teaching activities and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with the ESAS Principal Investigator.
11. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in evaluation of complex interventions, process evaluation, gender-based violence, whole school approaches, adolescent health and wellbeing and other issues relevant to the evaluation of ESAS.
12. Engage in continuing professional development activities as appropriate.
13. Undertake any other duties of equivalent standing as assigned by the ESAS principal investigator/Head of Public Health Unit/Head of School of Health and Wellbeing.
14. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, World Changers Together.
For Appointment at Grade 7:
15. Perform the above duties with a higher degree of independence, leadership and responsibility, particularly in relation to planning, funding, collaborating and publishing research, and mentoring colleagues.
16. Establish and sustain a track record of independent and joint published research to establish and maintain your expert reputation in the subject area.
17. Develop expertise in the research literature and environment, understand the research challenges associated with the project & subject area, & develop/implement a suitable research strategy.
Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills, Experience
Knowledge, Qualifications
A1. SCQF Level 10 (Honours degree) in a relevant subject (social science, public health, gender studies).
Desirable
B1. Relevant Masters (SCQF level 11) in public health, social science or relevant field.
B2. Working towards or completed PhD (SCQF level 12) in public health, social science or relevant field.
B3. Specialist training in evaluating complex interventions and/or realist evaluation.
For appointment at grade 7:
A2. Normally Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (PhD) in relevant field, plus track record of emerging independence within a research/professional environment, or alternatively possess professional qualifications and experience equivalent to PhD level plus the requisite experience.
Skills
Essential
C1. Theoretical and practical knowledge of using qualitative methods to evaluate the process of implementing complex public health interventions
C2. Theoretical and practical knowledge of issues in gender-based violence and/or adolescent health and well-being
C3. Strong skills relevant to qualitative data generation (e.g. skills suited to designing interview tools; conducting interviews and workshops)
C4. Strong skills relevant to analysing qualitative data (e.g., developing coding frames; writing analytic memos; synthesis of diverse perspectives)
C5. Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach
C6. Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentations and ability to communicate complex data/concepts clearly, concisely and in an engaging manner.
C7. Self-motivation, initiative and independent thought/working
C8. Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills
C9. Extensive IT and data analysis/interpretation skills as appropriate
C10. Initiative and judgement to resolve problems independently, including demonstrating a flexible and pragmatic approach.
C11. Willingness to travel across Scotland for data collection, if required.
For appointment at grade 7:
C12. A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of current issues and future directions within gender-based violence research, process evaluation and/or realist evaluation of complex interventions.
C13. Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, normally including sufficient postdoctoral experience in a related field, appropriate to an early career researcher.
Desirable
D1. Knowledge and skills related to school-based research and/or the education sector in Scotland.
D2. Knowledge of mixed-methods approaches in evaluation, including integration and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative evidence.
Experience
Essential
E1. Experience working with young people.
E2. Sufficient research experience in qualitative health research appropriate to an early career researcher
E3. Experience of research communication (oral or written) with different audiences (e.g. young people, policymakers, practitioners, general public).
E4. Experience of social scientific writing.
E5. Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner.
For appointment at grade 7:
E6. A track record of presentation and publication of research results in quality journals/conferences
E7. Experience of making a leading contribution in academic activities
E8. Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, data generation and analysis, and drafting of papers.
E9. Experience in undertaking independent research
Desirable
F1. Experience in carrying out schools-based research, including liaison with school teachers and leadership teams.
For enquiries regarding this post please contact Dr Ruth Lewis, Ruth.Lewis@glasgow.ac.uk
Terms and Conditions
Salary: Grade 6/7, £33,951 - £37,694 / £41,064 - £46,049 per annum
This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and has funding available until 30 September 2027.
We are open to considering applicants interested in a job share role (0.5 FTE each).
The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.
Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.
3 A flexible approach to working.
4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.
We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.
We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.
Closing Date: 15 June 2026 at 23:45