Job Description

Ref Number

B02-09465

Professional Expertise

Research and Research Support

Department

School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

54,931-64,644

Contract Type

Fixed-term

Working Type

On site

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

02-Nov-2025

About us

------------


We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with an interest in data science and health informatics in mental health to join a team based in the Department of Epidemiology & Applied Clinical Research within the UCL Division of Psychiatry. This will involve working on a new grant funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of enhanced patient observation (EPO) in reducing the risk of suicide and self-harm for inpatients.



The post-holder will join the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) team for North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT), comprising postdoctoral research fellows, PhD students and senior researchers. CRIS is a 'research ready' anonymised version of electronic health records (EHR) from specialist mental health services. The post-holder will lead on the development of a natural language processing (NLP) 'text-mining' algorithm that can identify, from the free text and structured fields of EHRs, whether a psychiatric inpatient is being nursed under continuous observations, intermittent observations or general observations. This is a critical phase of the grant, allowing the team to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of EPO by analysing data from a range of NHS trusts. As well as being part of the CRIS team at NLFT/UCL, the post-holder will join the CRIS team for South London and the Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust, where they will validate the algorithm in a similar dataset. In each trust they will have secure access to anonymised information extracted from the trust electronic clinical records system, and will develop, train and validate the algorithm across two large datasets. The post-holder will therefore be an enthusiastic self-starter who works well in an interdisciplinary team.



This is a fascinating and intellectually challenging role in a supportive team, with great potential to publish some great research and make a difference to clinical care of people with mental illness.



This specific work package is led by Dr Justin Yang, UCL Division of Psychiatry, and the overall grant is led by Prof Alexandra Pitman, UCL Division of Psychiatry / NLFT. Other team members include Prof David Osborn and Prof Neil Davies, Division of Psychiatry, and Prof Robert Stewart (Department of Psychological Medicine, KCL; SLaM NHS FT).



The UCL Division of Psychiatry, located within the Faculty of Brain Sciences, is a world-leading interdisciplinarycentre for research and education concerned with mental health and illness across the life course.Our mission is to improve mental health through cutting-edge research and education. By leveraging insights from basic science and data science, we address clinical problems with the aim of improving patient outcomes and public health. Moreover, we take pride in delivering innovative teaching that is directly relevant to clinical practice and informed by our research. Join our team and help us drive forward the field of mental health research and education. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/

About the role

------------------


The main purpose of the role is to use statistical learning, machine learning and longitudinal electronic health records data (accessed via the NLFT and SLaM CRIS systems) to develop and validate an algorithm capturing patient observation level on psychiatric inpatient wards, as well as key confounders. The postholder will then use this algorithm in conducting descriptive and hypothesis-led analyses of data from a range of NHS Trusts. They will also work with two postdoctoral Research Associates in Epidemiology, recruited later on, in using Target Trial Emulation methods to evaluate the effectiveness of EPO in reducing the risk of suicide and self-harm for inpatients. The work will also involve writing reports and would suit an enthusiastic self-starter who works well in an interdisciplinary team.



Duties and responsibilities


Use a lexicon- and rule-based Natural Language Processing (NLP) approach for free text, and utilise information from structured fields, to develop an appropriate algorithm to capture observation level and indication in electronic health records (EHRs)

Validate the algorithm using routine EHR data from a collaborating trust

Adapt the algorithm for different datasets

Clean and code data from routine EHRs to prepare variables for analysis

Generate efficient and shareable code that can be used in different data sets

Plan and execute analyses and visualise and interpret the results for communication to clinical and scientific audiences

Contribute as author on a number of high impact peer-reviewed research publications in general readership clinical or science journals

Prepare work-in-progress presentations for weekly team meetings, and national and international conferences

Work with colleagues to adapt the algorithm for use in routine EHR data for other NHS trusts

Develop a portfolio of research to help with personal and career development.

Support ongoing research projects within the Division, providing supervision and advice to other team members and external collaborators.

Contribute to the development of grant applications and manuscripts in collaboration with others in the Division.


Personal development opportunities



We will strongly encourage and support the post-holder to develop their research career: this may include personal fellowship applications where appropriate. The post-holder will be expected to formulate a personal development plan and to capitalise on training opportunities at UCL as appropriate.



General duties:


To work as part of the UCL Division of Psychiatry and CRIS teams based at the NLFT and SLaM FT

Demonstrate good academic citizenship through attending and contributing to the general business of the Division of Psychiatry, including seminars & team meetings, sharing expertise with other staff, teaching, and welcoming opportunities for learning and professional development as they occur.

Handle confidential information and communications in a sensitive and effective manner.

Act at all times in accordance with the highest professional standards.

Adhere at all times to the policies, rules, and regulations of the UCL Division of Psychiatry, NLFT, KCL and SLaM FT.

Any other duties that may be agreed with the line manager or Head of Department.


Appointment details:


Depending on experience, the postholder will be appointed at either Grade 7 (annual salary range 45,103 to 52,586 including London allowance) or Grade 8 (annual salary range 54,931 to 64,644, including London Allowance).

The appointment is available from November 2025 and is funded for 19 months in the first instance

Any offer of employment will be subject to a standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

About you

-------------


You will have an PhD (or be writing up a PhD) in Epidemiology, Health Informatics, data science, statistics or similar, with a keen interest in the analysis of large datasets. You are comfortable in the use of statistical software tools (e.g. R, STATA, Python). You have experience in epidemiology and bioinformatics. Experience of accessing, curating, cleaning, analysing and interpreting large routine data and electronic health records data from diverse sources is a key advantage. The post-holder will be motivated and resourceful; they will be an effective and independent worker. We place a strong emphasis on supporting career development and the potential for independence.





Application process:


A full job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Please use the personal statement section to explain how you meet each essential and desirable criterion outlined in the person specification. Please do not upload your photograph on your application

Contact details:


If you have any queries about the role, please contact Dr Justin Yang at yang@ucl.ac.uk If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact dop.hr@ucl.ac.uk

What we offer

-----------------


As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, UCL also offer some great benefits, of which some are below:


41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan On-Site nursery On-site gym Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service Discounted medical insurance

The full range of staff benefits can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-benefits/staff-benefits

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

-------------------------------------------------------


As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.



We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and LGBTQI+ people.



The Division of Psychiatry prides itself for operating in an all-inclusive environment. Teamwork is highly valued, individual strengths are recognised and celebrated, and there is a commitment to advancing the careers of everyone, regardless of gender or role. We aim to provide a family friendly environment where both women and men feel able to take the time they need for family. The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in academia and the Division is delighted to have an Athena Swan Silver Award since 2022. All staff are invited to contribute to EDI initiatives within the Division to contribute to improving working conditions and opportunities for all. Mentoring is a crucial part of supporting career progression and mentoring schemes are available for staff in the Division.



You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here:



https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/about/equality-diversity-and-inclusion



https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/