Research Fellow Advancing Clinical & Expert Practice

Location: Highfield Campus

Part Time, Fixed Term (0.5 FTE for 16 months) - some flexibility may be available

You will carry out and report upon qualitative research with OTTER II trial participants.  The OTTER II trial is a national randomised controlled effectiveness and efficacy study into rehabilitation approaches for hand based osteoarthritis funded by Arthritis Research UK.

Joining an experienced, supportive, national team of multi-disciplinary academics and clinical colleagues you will deliver a randomised controlled trial in the NHS that is recruiting to time and target. The study is based at the University of Southampton. The University of Southampton is an institution in the top one per cent of world universities* and one of the UK’s top 15 research-intensive universities. We have an international reputation for research, teaching and enterprise activities.

* QS World University Rankings 2012-13

Southampton is one of the best places in the UK for applied health services research and education. Rehabilitation and health sciences at Southampton has a national and international reputation for excellence. The University is part of an Arthritis Research UK National Centre of Excellence for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis which supports and develops world-leading research in osteoarthritis. The Faculty of Health Sciences is an integrated Faculty supporting the highest levels of academic excellence and seeks out external collaboration with other world leading institutions to further the global reach and impact of our research into arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions.

The OTTER II study aims to describe the most effective and efficacious self-management (i.e. non-surgical, non-pharmacological) approaches for patients with thumb base pain.  This is a common painful condition that limits people’s ability to carry out daily valued tasks.  The OTTER II trial research fellow will be responsible for organising and conducting qualitative research with patients recruited across 15 UK NHS sites.  Telephone interviews will be conducted on exploring the experience and outcome of patients undergoing self-management interventions for thumb base osteoarthritis pain.  The trial has gained full ethical approval and participants have already consented to take part in the qualitative interviews. You will be responsible, in collaboration with the team, for arranging the patient interviews, conducting the interviews, analysing the data collected and producing reports and publications about the research and the research findings. Transcribing of interviews will be conducted by a specialist transcribing service. This project is funded by Arthritis Research UK and you will therefore be expected to work closely with the charity and its stakeholders as part of this collaboration. 

Experience in carrying out qualitative interviews is essential, as is experience in analysing qualitative data. You will have authored qualitative papers. You will require DBS clearance and be eligible for an NHS research passport. You will join a well-established, supportive national research group working in collaboration across several universities and clinical sites. 

This post is suitable for applied health sciences researchers with a strong background in qualitative approaches and is available from 1 Nov 2017 (some flexibility may be available).

For additional information and informal enquiries before submitting your application, contact Prof Jo Adams (ja@soton.ac.uk).

Applications will be considered from candidates who are working towards or nearing completion of a relevant PhD qualification. The title of Research Fellow will be applied upon completion of PhD. Prior to the qualification being awarded the title of Senior Research Assistant will be given.

Application Procedure

Please include a covering letter and full CV in your application. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Sarah Foster (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 5070. Please quote reference 908417BN on all correspondence.