Research Fellow in Data Science

About the role

The Research Fellow will have a PhD and MSc in epidemiology, data science, public health or related field (or relevant experience) and experience of analysing large, administrative health or education databases. ONS Approved Researcher Status is desirable and if not present, the post holder is expected to acquire this as a condition of accessing the data.

The Research Fellow will lead on revising, refining and validating the method of identifying children with an intellectual disability within the ECHILD database (drawing on NPD & linked health data), with support & guidance from the project team. A code list will be developed and shared.
The Research Fellow will lead on designing and carrying out analyses to describe the prevalence and incidence of maternal mental health problems in mothers of children with ID (and compare them to mothers of children without ID), including writing a study protocol and academic paper for publication.
The Research Fellow will set up a small advisory group of lived experience experts (mothers of children with intellectual disability) to get their advice and input regarding aspects of the study
The Research Fellow will disseminate findings to academic and lay audiences as required, contribute or lead academic publications and further outputs in collaboration with the wider project team

Appointment details:

The post is graded on the (GRADE 7), the annual salary for which ranges from £45, to £ 52, (including London Allowance).

The appointment is available from March 1st, and is funded for 15 months in the first instance.
Research Fellows - 'Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £39, - £41,per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.' We will consider appointing a Senior Research Fellow/Grade 8 (salary £54,) for a shorter duration, in communication with the Finance and HR Teams of the Division of Psychiatry.

About you

Engage with the process and assessment required to secure ONS Accredited Researcher Status, if not already available.

Lead on reviewing and refining the method of identification of intellectual disability (ID) within ECHILD, including undertaking any validation checks as required
Work with the wider team to review the existing code list and develop a new one
Lead on sharing the code list for ID identification with other researchers/in open science platforms.
Lead on writing and sharing a data analysis plan in open science platforms.
Undertake quantitative analyses needed for all phases of the project, including developing an analytic cohort for maternal mental health, defining maternal mental health outcomes within ECHILD and examining prevalence/incidence (stratification by key demographic characteristics).
Familiarise themselves with the literature on methods of identification of intellectual disability within administrative datasets, and maternal mental health in intellectual disability.
Set up an advisory group for this project and get feedback and advice from lived experience experts (mothers of children with ID).
Lead or contribute (depending on preference) to the academic paper on maternal mental health in ID.
Present findings to academic or other audiences as opportunities arise.

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 criteria outlined in the person specification. Please also ensure to include your degree class within your personal statement if applicable.
Please ensure your CV is no longer than 2 pages.
Please do not upload your photograph on your application/CV.
The advert will close at midnight on 03 February
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 11th February (on Teams)

Contact details:

If you have any queries about the role, please contact Prof Vaso Totsika at 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

What we offer

well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which 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: