Newcastle University
Research Assistant / Associate
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Salary: £33,951 to £35,608 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 6 September 2026
The Role
We are seeking to recruit a motivated and enthusiastic Research Assistant/Associate with skills in qualitative research methods to support delivery of a project researching unmet speech, language, and communication needs in people living with brain tumours.
Contact for the post: Linda Sharp (linda.sharp@ncl.ac.uk) and/or Janet Webster (janet.webster@ncl.ac.uk)
Duration of post: Approximately 12 months (0.8 FTE) in the first instance.
Find out more about Speech and Language Sciences and the School: Education, Communication and Language Sciences
Key Accountabilities
Research Assistant
- Lead liaison with clinical sites to secure approvals and coordinate participant recruitment across diverse groups, including people living with brain tumours, communication partners, SLTs, and healthcare professionals
- Provide tailored communication support during interviews, collaborating with SLT colleagues where necessary
- Facilitate meaningful patient and public involvement throughout the project lifecycle
- Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
- Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
- Present information on research progress and outcomes to the Principal Investigators or groups overseeing the research project
- Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form is required (report, papers, chapters, books)
- Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
In addition, for Research Associate
- Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
- Determine appropriate methodologies for research, in consultation with the project leads
- Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
- Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
- Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
- Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
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The Person
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Research Assistant
- Experience applying qualitative research methods for data collection (e.g., interviews or focus groups) and analysis
- Knowledge of UK health research contexts, including NHS processes, with sensitivity to the cultural needs of diverse research participants
- Demonstrable application of professional knowledge and standards in a relevant health, therapy, or research context
- Experience of developing and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders
- Experience of undertaking Public & Patient Involvement, and/or co-design, activities
- Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
- Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
- Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
- Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
- Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
- The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
In addition for Research Associate
- Awareness of the research environment.
- High level of analytical and problem-solving capacity
- Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
- Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications
- Confidence in contributing to accessible communication formats (e.g., public engagement videos, podcasts, visual summaries).
Attributes and Behaviour
- Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
- Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
- Commitment to continued professional development
- Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity
- Understanding of relevant health and safety and ethical issues
- Willingness to work flexibly, including travel to research and collaborator sites off-campus or to sometimes work outside standard hours to accommodate needs of study participants
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Qualifications
Research Assistant
- Honours degree in speech and language sciences, health sciences, social sciences or a related field or working towards a PhD in a related area
In addition for Research Associate
- A completed PhD in a relevant area (e.g. health sciences, social sciences, speech & language sciences) or significant clinical experience working with adults with acquired neurological difficulties with speech, language, and communication
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 29664
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