Senior Research Fellow (Internal Only, Fixed Term)

We are seeking to appoint an exceptional and highly motivated Senior Research Fellow to join our new NIHR i4i (Invention for Innovation) Transformative and Disruptive Innovation award, Transforming Treatment for Young People with Tic Disorders: Scalable, Evidence-Based Digital Therapy (ORBIT).

ORBIT will translate an evidence-based digital behavioural therapy intervention and psychoeducation programme for young people with tic disorders into a scalable, NHS-ready digital service. The project brings together leading clinical and academic experts in tic disorders alongside partners from academia, the NHS, industry and the voluntary sector, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Blum Health, Health Innovation East Midlands, the Centre for Healthcare Equipment and Technology Adoption, and Tourettes Action.

Based within the Institute of Mental Health, you will join the vibrant and multidisciplinary Mental Health & Technology Research Group, which includes the NIHR MindTech HealthTech Research Centre, the Mental Health & Technology theme of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, and Digital Youth.

Working closely with the Programme Co-Leads, Dr Charlotte Hall and Kelly-Marie Prentice, you will provide scientific, strategic and operational leadership across the programme. You will contribute to the academic direction of the project whilst ensuring successful delivery of all work packages, working closely with investigators, clinicians, patient and public contributors, NHS partners and industry collaborators.

A major focus of the role will be the leadership and oversight of a multi-site real-world evaluation of ORBIT across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and paediatric services in England. You will contribute to study design, development, quantitative and qualitative analyses, interpretation of findings and dissemination of results. ORBIT has been provisionally recommended by NICE through its Early Value Assessment programme, and this post will play a key role in generating the evidence required to support national implementation and future commissioning decisions.

You will act as the visible, accessible and proactive first point of contact for work package leads and project partners, ensuring effective communication and collaboration across the programme. You will lead engagement with the NIHR funder, oversee programme governance and reporting, manage risks and dependencies, and support the development of strategic partnerships to maximise research impact and implementation.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record in the design, conduct and delivery of complex health research studies, with experience of either clinical trials or real-world evaluations. They will be an effective leader and problem solver, capable of managing competing priorities, building productive collaborations, and supporting multidisciplinary teams to achieve ambitious goals. The role offers opportunities to contribute to peer-reviewed publications, supervise researchers and students, develop future funding applications, and establish an independent programme of research in digital mental health and implementation science.

Applicants should hold a PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline and have substantial experience managing and delivering large-scale research programmes. Experience of digital mental health research, child and adolescent health research, implementation studies, or NHS innovation programmes would be particularly advantageous.

This post is fixed term until 31 December 2028. Hours of work are full-time (36.25 hours per week), although requests for flexible working arrangements will be considered.

This vacancy is open to employees of the University of Nottingham only.