The University of Edinburgh
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Job Description
UE07: £41,064 - £48,822 per annum
CMVM / Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term: 22 months
The Opportunity
Help us redefine what’s possible. Be part of something bigger.
This opportunity is for a postdoctoral research associate in metabolic psychiatry. The postholder will work on the MRC Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry, led by Professor Daniel Smith. They will be the main researcher for Workstream Three of the Hub ('Metabolic Biomarkers of Mental Illness'), conducting a detailed prospective study of patients with mental illness to assess how changes in metabolic tests and changes in sleep relate to clinical outcomes. They will assist in the recruitment and assessment of patient volunteers with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression, as well as healthy controls. This will include the collection of data on mental health symptoms, sleep data and metabolic tests. They will also be involved in the analysis of data, drafting publications and taking part in knowledge exchange and dissemination activities.
A career with us has a range of other benefits:
- Professional development and subject matter expertise
- Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
- Leading-edge research
- Working within one of the world’s leading universities
This post is full-time and based in Edinburgh (35 hours per week).
View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)
How To Apply
Please include the following documents in your application:
- CV (max four pages)
- Cover letter (one page)
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
- A competitive salary.
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.
Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality. We encourage applications from all candidates, particularly disabled people and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as we acknowledge they are currently underrepresented in our area.
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Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 31 August 2026.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences
We host research and postgraduate training in neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric research. We are one of six schools in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and are home to the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research.
Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research
Our institute fosters collaborative neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric research to tackle some of the world's most significant health challenges.
Our research explores health and disease across the body and life course – from tiny changes in cells to the lived experience of patients. Together, we work to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major health conditions including heart disease, stroke, metabolic dysfunction, mental illness, dementia and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Empowered by genetics, advanced imaging, artificial intelligence and clinical trials, our research seamlessly connects discovery science with clinical care.
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Our work is internationally acclaimed, achieving 4* and world-leading classifications for the majority of our research, health and wealth impacts and research papers in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 assessment, the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
As part of driving progress in our core research areas, we host internationally leading research centres and state-of-the-art technologies:
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic
- British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence
- Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention | CPSP
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research
- Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility
- Edinburgh Imaging
- Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory
- Medical Research Council/British Hearth Foundation Centre of Research Excellence in Advanced Cardiac Therapies
- MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research | MS Society
- Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre
- Patrick Wild Centre
- Row Fogo Centre for Research into Ageing and the Brain
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB)
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Edinburgh
- UKRI Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry
Our institute community
Our researchers drive cutting-edge science, enabling our students and working hand in hand with our expert technical and professional services colleagues. We are committed to creating a collaborative, inclusive and welcoming community, where everyone feels supported, empowered and inspired to achieve their best.
Training and education
We offer a wide range of postgraduate training opportunities. Students learn from world-class researchers, access outstanding facilities and get support to develop. Our graduates go on to successful careers in academia, research, healthcare and industry worldwide. Our colleagues are also leading contributors to undergraduate programmes.
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