Research Associate/Research Fellow - Grade 7/8

This is an exciting opportunity for an applied qualitative (or mixed methods) public health researcher to make a practical contribution to work with stakeholders to co-develop and evaluate interventions to ensure our urban green and blue spaces are beneficial for reducing health inequalities and improving population health.

You will undertake research and project management as part of the GroundsWell consortium. Groundswell is a large research project funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership, which aims to drive community innovation, applying systems science that maximises the contribution of Urban Green and Blue Space to the primary prevention of, and reduction of inequalities in, non-communicable diseases (NCD) in urban settings. The consortium has over 20 co-investigators across 9 institutions as well as a range of non-academic stakeholders. There are three case study cities ¿ Belfast, Edinburgh and Liverpool. https://www.groundswelluk.org/

Based at the Health Inequalities Policy Research group at the University of Liverpool, you will work across Work Package 3: community innovation, co-production and citizen science for Urban Green and Blue Space interventions, and Work Package 4: Developing a dynamic data repository for pioneer cities to evidence system-wide benefits of UGBS interventions.

You will assess the potential to evaluate large scale changes, both policies and interventions, resourced by regional and local authorities. For example, we envision that you will engage the public in developing new green infrastructure in and around existing or new parks. This will involve being embedded with our Local/Regional Authorities, and involving the general public in helping to design data collection methods (including both qualitative and quantitative), and supporting analyses evaluating their impacts. This will include working through evaluability assessments with multiple partners to inform and robustly evaluate large scale interventions planned regionally, and to work with WP3 who focus on communities to develop and evaluate smaller scale interventions that are acceptable and sustainable.

At the higher grade, the applied public health researcher will have experience in research project management and ideally with working in partnership with local or regional authorities. You will have experience in a range of evaluation designs. You will understand the importance of citizen science in community-based research. You will work to empower community members to be active in this research and develop skills you can use and share in their communities.

You should have a PhD in Environment and Health, Community Planning and Engagement, Environmental Planning and Design, Environment or Community.

You will work closely with all members of the work packages, as well as other members, partners, and contributors to the Consortium, such as the science communications officers, and the data manager. You will ensure that learning in one city is transferred to others, and the wider Consortium.

The post is available on a fixed term basis until 30 August 2026.

Any applicants who are still awaiting their PhD to be awarded should be aware that if successful, they will be appointed at grade 6, spine point 30. Upon written confirmation that they have been successful in being awarded their PhD, they will be moved onto grade 7, spine point 31 from the date of their award.

The University has the right to close the vacancy early if it is deemed that there have been enough applications received