Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
Applications are invited for a Grade 7 Researcher, mainly using qualitative methods, to work with a team led by Professor Paul Aveyard on the TRIDENT research programme which aims to help people with serious mental illness reduce harm from smoking.

We aim to 1. Adapt a brief opportunistic intervention to promote harm reduction based on the MaSC trial 10.1186/s13063-019-3850-1 and 2. Adapt a behavioural support programme to promote smoking reduction based on the SCIMITAR trial https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00091-7. Having adapted these programmes, we aim to test the combined effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in a definitive trial, assessing implementation issues to prepare for NHS adoption. The post is part of the Health Behaviours team in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences,

The post will involve working with patients and staff in mental healthcare to adapt the interventions, including using conversation analysis, think-aloud, interviews, and observational methods to understand how the intervention needs adapting and whether adapted interventions meet their goals. Thereafter, the role will involve using implementation science models to understand the process of rollout in routine mental healthcare and understand how the outcomes of the intervention have come to be achieved.

The post is embedded in the thriving Health Behaviours Team, who work on interventions to prevent or treat ill-health by intervening on diet, obesity, and smoking. We have a growing focus on using qualitative methods and conversation analysis to understand health communication. We also have a strong track record of applied research that can benefit patients and lead to changes in the health system. We are committed to involving members of the public in all stages of our work and the post holder will receive training and support to do so. We also offer generic training opportunities for researchers seeking a career in applied health sciences. We engage with a wide range of stakeholders and policymakers to facilitate the translation of research into practice.

You will hold a PhD/DPhil in a relevant field or be about to obtain one in the next few months, possess a strong knowledge of qualitative analysis methods and have experience in collecting and analysing qualitative data, including interviews. You will be able to demonstrate a proven ability to plan and manage your own work with strong research outputs commensurate with the stage of your career.

You will be based in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG as your normal place of work.

The position is funded by an NIHR programme grant for applied sciences to start 1 April 2024. The programme is subject to review on December 2026 with the possibility of extension to April 2029.

For further information or discuss the post please contact Dr Paul Doody at paul.doody@phc.ox.ac.uk

Apply here.