Here you will find information on our vacancies, what it’s like to work and study with us, our work with policy and practice and our collaborations.
Jobs and vacancies
Research Associate, DECIPHer
19136BR
Cardiff School of Social Sciences
Cardiff University School of Social Sciences is seeking to recruit a Research Associate to work within Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer) Research Centre that is located within the school.
In this role the Research Associate will support the design and delivery of the newly formed Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration, which aims to improve evidence-based practice to reduce health inequalities. The Collaboration is funded as one of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRC).
It will focus on:
- Developing skills and capacity training for Local Authority staff and citizens to generate, translate and use evidence; and
- Developing collaborative research proposals to address identified evidence gaps.
The post holder will be working with Local Authority staff and citizens of Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff University academics. We are seeking someone with experience in designing and delivering methodological skills training and generating research funding proposals.
In this role you will be co-located at RCT HDRC (Ty Elai, Tonypandy) and DECIPHer (Sbarc/Spark, Cardiff University). The Health Determinants Collaboration (HDRC) is a new element of National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) research infrastructure. The purpose is to enable local authorities to become more research-active, undertake new research and use existing evidence to inform our decision making, and undertake evaluation activities. There will be a central focus on health inequalities and actions to tackle issues faced by disadvantaged groups and areas.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council secured funding to establish Rhondda Cynon Taf Health Determinants Research Collaboration (‘RCT HDRC’), working with teams across the Council, Cardiff University and academia, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTM UHB), Interlink RCT and third sector partners, and Public Health Wales.
The vision for RCT HDRC is that the project will “break the cycle of poverty and positively impacts the wider determinants of health in RCT by creating a vibrant research culture, underpinned by an evidence system that facilitates informed decision-making”.
This post is full-time (35 hours per week), fixed term from 1st November 2024 until 30th June 2027
Salary: £39,347 – £44,263 per annum, with 4 annual increments up to £44,263 per annum (Grade 6), final salary at top of grade.
Responsible to Dr Amy Lloyd, Principal Investigator.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Dr Lloyd, Lloyd amy.lloyd@wcpp.org.uk
Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (including bank holidays), blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.
As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.
Date advert posted: Friday, 11 October 2024
Closing date: Friday, 8 November 2024
Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.
Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: Responsible research assessment – Research – Cardiff University
Salary Range Min.
39,347
Salary Range Max.
44,263
Job Category
Academic – Research
Grade
Grade 6
More information and apply here:
Adopted studies
DECIPHer has developed an established framework and system of Research Development Groups (RDGs) to support co-production of new studies and maximise their impact. A prerequisite of any supported RDG is multi-disciplinary, multi-agency membership and a high level of stakeholder involvement.
This approach ensures continuous collaboration in the development of bids and supports ecological relevance; it optimises system fit for subsequent research studies and promotes enhanced translation of knowledge into practice. The registration process involves an initial discussion with one of our team and with their advice the completion of a DECIPHer adoption form. The DECIPHer Partnership Board will then consider whether the study can be adopted or affiliated and if so the level of support that DECIPHer can offer.
We are always keen to discuss new research ideas and possibilities for collaboration. If you work in public health policy or practice and would like to be involved in research relevant to DECIPHer’s aims, we would be pleased to hear from you. Please email us at DECIPHERadoptions@cardiff.ac.uk or contact the programme lead for your area of interest to discuss how we can work together.
Below is the Adoption Form and guidance for you to complete and submit, following discussion with a DECIPHer lead. Once completed, please email to Lindsey Allan at DECIPHERadoptions@cardiff.ac.uk.
Download the DECIPHer adoption application form and information sheet
Working at DECIPHer
DECIPHer’s multidisciplinary community provides an excellent environment for public health researchers at all career stages to thrive. They join a world leading public health research centre, benefit from our unique skills and resources, strong relationships with other DECIPHer institutions and an extensive network of policy and practice partners, and DECIPHer’s tailored capacity development programme for researchers.
DECIPHer staff are also part of a wider community conducting high-quality public health research.
Studying at DECIPHer
DECIPHer provides a supportive multidisciplinary research environment, with a strong emphasis on engagement with policy and practice in applied public health improvement research. A list of current projects being undertaken by students working with DECIPHer can be found on our People page.
Working with policy and practice
DECIPHer aims to lead collaboration and knowledge exchange between researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in public health improvement.
Our policy and practice collaborators have unique experience and expertise. Using this throughout the research process helps us to do better research, and allows the evidence we produce to be used more easily to improve public health.
Co-producing research ideas and projects means these address the questions that are relevant and important to policy and practice.
Working together to plan and conduct the research helps ensure it is carried out in a way that is acceptable to policy-makers and practitioners – the people who will ultimately be using the research.
Input from policy and practice ensures that the research evidence we produce is communicated in the most useful way.
For more on how DECIPHer builds collaboration into its work, and how it strengthens the work we do, see our collaboration case studies below.
How do we work with policy and practice?
Ideas for DECIPHer research projects come from academia, policy and practice. Research ideas are developed into funded projects through research development groups – small working groups, typically consisting of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners.
A research development group crystallises the initial idea into a specific research question, develops an appropriate research design, and bids for grant funding. This enables policy and practice partners to be fully involved in developing DECIPHer research from the very beginning.
We are always keen to discuss new research ideas and possibilities for collaboration. If you work in public health policy or practice and would like to be involved in research relevant to DECIPHer’s aims, we would be pleased to hear from you. Please email us at DECIPHer@Cardiff.ac.uk or contact the programme lead for your area of interest to discuss how we can work together.
Collaborating with DECIPHer
What is it like to work with us? We asked three of our key collaborators to tell us about their experiences.
Julie Bishop
Consultant in Public Health, Public Health Wales
‘I’ve been impressed by DECIPHer’s collaborative approach to developing ideas for research.’
I spend one day a week in the DECIPHer office. My work with DECIPHer is mostly on school-based health research; I oversee the Welsh Network of Health Promoting Schools programme, which works closely with DECIPHer’s School Health Research Network. I also oversee the delivery of ASSIST, a peer-led smoking prevention programme, in schools in Wales. More generally, I help to link the work of DECIPHer with the policy and practice priorities of the public health system in Wales, putting together people who have common interests.
Steve Manske
Senior Scientist and Research Associate Professor, Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo, Canada
‘It’s not just what is done, but also the way DECIPHer operates, that is and will have an impact on the health of the Welsh population.’
I am part of the team that has launched the School Health Research Network. Similarities between the mandates of DECIPHer and the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact led us to explore a collaborative project that highlights potential cross-fertilisation between the centers. Given the work I have been involved in on the School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System in Canada, DECIPHer’s new School Health Research Network seems to be the perfect vehicle.
Chris Bonell
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, Institute of Education
‘A critical mass of people interested in applying social science theory and methods to policy relevant research.’
I’ve worked on a number of DECIPHer projects in recent years. I’m currently involved in the ASSIST+Frank drug prevention study, the Filter project on smoking prevention in further education settings, a synthesis of research on positive youth development, an RCT of the ‘learning together’ restorative approach in schools. I also chair the trial steering committee for Project SFP Cymru, DECIPHer’s trial of the Strengthening Families Programme in Wales.
