Research Fellow - Qualitative Mental Health Learning Systems


Company:	University of Plymouth
Salary:	£39,906 - £46,049
Hours:	Part-time
Location:	Plymouth, PL4 8AA
Working pattern:	Hybrid - 1 day remote
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	20 Jul 2026
Closing date:	9 Aug 2026

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Summary

Are you motivated by meaningful collaboration and want your research to influence how mental health services are designed and delivered?

Join us at a pivotal moment in the growth of the University of Plymouth Mental Health Research Group (MHRG). Backed by an £11 million NIHR investment, we are building one of the UK's leading groups for applied mental health research, creating research that works with people, services and communities to improve mental health care. This is a rare opportunity to contribute to an exciting programme of embedded research while helping to build the future of mental health research in the South West and beyond.

About the role:

You will:

• Be focusing on how to better capture qualitative experiential data, and mobilise knowledge within mental health systems to inform service improvement.

• Help mental health services improve the support they offer to people with ongoing and severe mental health problems.

• Play a central role in the Mental Health Learning Systems Project.

• Explore how the experiences of people using services and the staff delivering care can be better understood and used to improve mental health systems.

• Co-design and deliver qualitative research.

• Undertake interviews.

• Unertake Observations and analysis.

• Collaborate with experts in quantitative research and health economics.

• Work directly with local partners to turn evidence into service improvement.

As part of the MHRG, you won't simply join a project, you'll help build a research community. We are investing in the next generation of mental health researchers through bespoke training, mentoring, grant-writing support, publication opportunities and leadership development.

For more information on Peninsula Medical School please visit our dedicated webpage at https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools

Although we can accommodate some home working within this role, this is an embedded role that will require substantial in-person presence at our offices at Plymouth Science Park and mental health care services in Plymouth.

There is an essential requirement within this role that you will be required to travel to and work at different University sites and/or other business locations that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Please refer to the job description for further information.

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Charley Hobson Merrett: by email at charley.hobson-merrett@plymouth.ac.uk

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