Research Assistant/Associate in Deprescribing and Palliative Care

Location: Newcastle, GB

Research Assistant/Associate

Requisition ID

29808

Location

Newcastle, GB

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Contract Type

Fixed Term

Working Pattern

Part Time

Posted Date

6 Oct 2026

Salary

Research Assistant: £34,630 to £36,320 pro rata, per annum

Research Associate: £37,369 to £46,970 pro rata, 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: 5 October 2026

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary research team in the School of Pharmacy. The post-holder will have an interest in deprescribing, qualitative methodology, medicines inequalities and palliative care, and will contribute to a programme of work designed to make an impact on an overlooked area of research.

Deprescribing is an approach that could be used to overcome the challenges of polypharmacy which is frequently reported in palliative care. Any potential deprescribing approach should share the decision to continue, reduce or stop a medication between the patient and a healthcare professional. Much of the existing deprescribing literature (across healthcare broadly, but also within palliative care settings) has focused on people from ethnic majority groups, with limited inclusion of ethnically minoritised voices. There are unknowns around the influence of religion and culture in palliative care, and whether they influence a person’s beliefs and/or engagement with deprescribing. This project will examine evidence on deprescribing for ethnically minoritised groups and aim to co-develop a culturally tailored and inclusive approach to deprescribing decision making. The work is intended to benefit a vulnerable proportion of the polypharmacy population and inform policy and practice across health and social care.

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of Research Innovation Role Profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competencies and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and, secondly, the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes — Population Health Sciences Institute: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/

Contact for the post: Dr Anna Robinson-Barella ([email protected]) or Prof Adam Todd ([email protected]).

Duration of post: 17 months

Key Accountabilitites

Project Specific Accountabilities

Develop and carry out specified project activities using appropriate research techniques and software, including the analysis of large qualitative datasets, conduct of co-design workshops and experience of reasonable adjustments during interview/data collection

Undertake and contribute to public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) for research within the School of Pharmacy, working in collaboration with the NIHR Newcastle Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and PPIE leads

Research Assistant

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 a Principal Investigator 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 (report, papers, chapters, books)

Use research resources as appropriate

Research Associate

Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project

Determine appropriate methodologies for research

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

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Project Specific criteria

Experience of qualitative research methodology and methods – in particular the conduct of remote and in-person semi-structured interviews and co-design workshops and experience of reasonable adjustments during data collection

Advanced skills of analytic approaches for qualitative analysis – including reflexive thematic analysis

Experience of successfully gaining NHS HRA ethical approval and the setting up and running of NHS sites for research

Experience in one or more qualitative software packages (e.g. NVivo)

Expertise of inclusive public and patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) in research

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

Attributes and Behaviour

Commitment to working positively as a member o