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Posted 20 June, 2026

Research Assistant for PATHWAYS study Cambridge

King's College London
London, Greater London EC1A, United Kingdom Full Time
Reference: 1231168061

About us:

King's College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Through its commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, King's College London is creating positive change in its communities, both in London and on the world stage.

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to work in clinical research and service evaluation with a world-leading team of scientists and clinicians. The role is a part-time 0.5 FTE based in Cambridge. The post-holder will be a key researcher within a high-profile programme for children and young people attending the UK Gender Services because of gender incongruence. PATHWAYS is a research programme with multiple workstreams whose aim is to understand young people with gender incongruence and assess the risks and benefits of interventions.

The researcher will work primarily on the observational study and clinical trial and will play a key role in recruiting young people and their families into the studies, and in the retention for longer-term follow-up. The research programme is multi-centre across the UK; although the researcher will be based in the Cambridge area, they will need to work closely across centres and may need to visit other centres and/or participants at home or in clinics. The post-holder will play a key role in recruiting young people and their families into the studies, and in the retention for longer-term follow-up, alongside ensuring clinical measures are completed by patients, parents/carers and, where appropriate, by clinicians.

This is a part-time post (0.5 FTE) and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 2028

Research staff at King's are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers , applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria
  1. BSc (1st or upper 2nd class honours) in psychology or an area related to the cross-over between physical and mental health
  2. Experience in quantitative methods research including analytical techniques and/or qualitative methods
  3. High level of computer literacy and be familiar and competent in the use of word processing and database packages.
  4. Relevant experience working/volunteering in health, care or education settings with children or adults.
  5. Trained in psychometric testing.
  6. Excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills that can be applied to communication with professional colleagues, with senior colleagues within the health service and with patients and their families or carers.
  7. Excellent organisational, time management and task management skills in order to respond to the demands of the post.

Desirable criteria
  1. Experience working on clinical trials and or directly with clinicians
  2. Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology and / or research design and analysis.
  3. Experience in writing and publishing research papers in high-quality journal.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King's, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King's guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant's own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our 'How we Recruit' pages.

Interviews are due to be held 15th July in Cambridge.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.

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