The University of Lincoln supports hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis). This is not a remote role and so regular attendance on the University campus will be required. The post requires travel for in-person ethnographic work (expenses provided) with community-based organisations supporting those experiencing suicidality in England (the exact locations will be discussed with the successful applicant when they start in post).

We particularly encourage candidates from racialised and minoritised backgrounds to apply to this role, in line with our project goal to contribute to diversifying suicide research whilst working with diverse and marginalised communities. In addition, we welcome applications from candidates who have lived/living experiences with suicide/suicidality. 

The salary for this post is Grade 7, Spinal Point 30 on The University of Lincoln Single Pay Spine. 

 Experience/Skills You Will Need to Succeed in this Role 

• A PhD in a relevant Social Science discipline
• Experience of ethnographic (or related qualitative) research
• Experience of networking and/or working with Third Sector and/or community-based organisations or working and/or researching in community settings
• Experience of working with critical social science theories/approaches (for example, critical suicide studies, Mad studies, critical race theory, gender theory, critical disability/crip studies, etc)
• Skills to engage and build rapport with individuals of diverse backgrounds and the ability to apply these skills in inter-personal work
• Skills to work both independently and as a member of a collaborative team
• Skills to communicate with both academic and non-academic audiences in a range of formats

Benefits of the Post 

• Competitive salary; 
• Access to a personal well-being fund throughout your time on the Discovering Liveability project  
• Access to training and career development opportunities and mentoring support
• Join a diverse and supportive team of suicide researchers
• Be part of an exciting, positive, creative and challenging project
• Be part of an innovative team whose work focuses on challenging current suicide knowledge, policies and practices
• Become part of a diverse and vibrant international community committed to furthering new suicide knowledge and research

 Please note that this post requires a Basic DBS check.

Closing Date: 27 Apr 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £38,784 per annum
Please note, this post is fixed-term until 31st August 2029 and full-time at 1 FTE.

The research assistant will conduct their own qualitative research project supported by the DL team. The post also comes with dedicated funding for the postholder to undertake an MPhil/PhD in Social Sciences in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lincoln. The project will fund (home) tuition fees during employment on the project. More information on the MPhil/PhD Programme can be found here:  https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/socscirp/.

This role specifically focuses on developing research that is led by and co-produced with people who have lived and/or living experience of suicide and/or suicidality. We also encourage people from under-represented groups to apply.

Skills/Experience You Will Need to Succeed

• Ability to engage your lived/living experience of suicide or suicidality (defined as personal experience of suicidal thoughts or attempts, suicide bereavement, or caring for someone experiencing suicidality) to lead your own research project.
• An undergraduate degree and/or a Master’s degree in a relevant social science subject. You do not need to have a postgraduate degree to apply for this position.
• An idea for a suicide research project you would like to conduct led by your lived/living experience of suicide.
• An ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, and English-language proficiency as required for admission to the MPhil/PhD.
• Experience engaging and building rapport with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• An awareness of the sensitivities and ethical considerations of working with suicide.

Please note that this post requires a basic DBS check. The University of Lincoln supports hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis), but this is not a remote role and regular attendance on University of Lincoln Campuses to attend meetings and relevant events will be required.

A recording will be available with some additional information regarding the post from (https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/discovering-liveability/get-involved/). Please contact discoveringliveability@ed.ac.uk with queries about the role. 

This is one of two posts being offered for RA/PhD roles for WP1, with the other role based at the University of Edinburgh. If you wish to apply for both roles, you will need to submit two separate applications – one for each post. 

Benefits of the Post

• Competitive salary;
• Dedicated part-time PhD tuition fees;
• Access to a personal well-being fund throughout the project; 
• To join a diverse and supportive team of suicide researchers;
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work;
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community

Closing Date: 27 Apr 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £33,002 per annum
Please note, this post is fixed-term until 31st August 2031 and full-time at 1 FTE.

The University of Lincoln is seeking an ambitious Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) with strong machine learning and data science expertise to join the Lincolnshire Unit for Mental Health Research (LUMHR) – a major NIHR-funded initiative focused on improving mental health and wellbeing in rural, coastal, and underserved communities across Lincolnshire.

This post is permanent and full-time (1.0 FTE) and offers the opportunity to develop an independent, methods-led research career at the intersection of advanced analytics and applied mental health research, within a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.

About the role

The PDRA will be an independent researcher working with a significant degree of autonomy within LUMHR’s Connect theme, hosted in the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences. The role focuses on developing and applying machine learning, statistical, spatial and temporal modelling approaches to understand mental health need, crisis trajectories, service entry patterns, and system performance across rural, coastal, and small urban-deprived settings.

You will design, implement and validate analytical models using large-scale, linked health and socio-environmental datasets, working closely with academic colleagues, NHS and Integrated Care System analytics teams, local authorities, and community partners. The role also involves contributing to data pipelines, visualisation tools, and reproducible analytical workflows, and producing high-quality research outputs suitable for both methods-led and applied journals.

You will collaborate across LUMHR themes (particularly with colleagues working on crisis care and prevention), support interdisciplinary research activity, and contribute to grant development aligned with your research interests. Teaching support may be required, up to a maximum of six hours per week.

About you

You will have a PhD (or near completion) in a relevant discipline (e.g., data science, computer science, engineering, statistics, or a related field) or equivalent research experience. You will have demonstrable expertise in machine learning and/or advanced analytical methods, experience working with complex or large-scale datasets, and strong programming skills (e.g., Python or R).

You will be able to communicate complex analytical findings to non-technical audiences and will have a strong commitment to ethical, responsible, and impactful research. Experience applying analytical methods in applied, interdisciplinary, or health-related contexts is particularly welcome.

About us

LUMHR is Lincolnshire’s first integrated, multidisciplinary unit dedicated to applied mental health research in rural, coastal, and small urban-deprived settings. Funded through the NIHR Mental Health Research Group programme, LUMHR brings together academic, clinical, community and lived-experience partners to address persistent mental health inequalities.

The University of Lincoln is proud to be a recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education (2023) and is based in the heart of one of the UK’s great historic cities.

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries or further information, please contact: Dr John Atanbori (jatanbori@lincoln.ac.uk)

Closing Date: 07 Apr 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £38,784 per annum
Please note, this post is permanent and full-time at 1 FTE.

The University of Lincoln is seeking an ambitious Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) with strong geospatial and quantitative research expertise to join the Lincolnshire Unit for Mental Health Research (LUMHR) – a major NIHR-funded initiative focused on improving mental health and wellbeing in rural, coastal, and underserved communities across Lincolnshire.

This post is permanent and full-time (1.0 FTE) and offers the opportunity to develop an independent, applied research career at the intersection of geospatial analytics, mental health research, and service planning, within a highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.

About the role

The PDRA will be an independent researcher working with a significant degree of autonomy within LUMHR’s Connect theme, based in the Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health (LIRCH) and reporting to Dr Harriet Moore. The role focuses on developing and applying geospatial and quantitative approaches to understand access barriers, digital exclusion, social isolation, service pathways, and place-based mental health inequalities across Lincolnshire.

You will design, implement and analyse spatial datasets, contribute to the development of an interactive geospatial dashboard and data observatory, and produce high-quality visualisations and analyses to support research, service design and decision-making. You will work closely with academic colleagues, NHS and Integrated Care System analytics teams, local authorities, and community partners, contributing to both applied research outputs and system-facing insights.

The role involves contributing to reproducible analytical workflows using appropriate geospatial software (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIS) and coding environments (e.g. Python or R), collaborating across LUMHR themes, and supporting interdisciplinary research activity. Teaching support may be required, up to a maximum of six hours per week.

About you

You will have a PhD (or near completion) in a relevant discipline (e.g. geography, GIS, data science, public health, or a related field) or equivalent research experience. You will have demonstrable expertise in geospatial analysis and place-based data, experience working with complex or multi-source datasets, and the ability to communicate spatial insights to non-technical audiences.

You will bring a strong commitment to ethical, inclusive and impactful research. Experience applying geospatial methods in applied, interdisciplinary or health-related contexts is particularly welcome.

About us

LUMHR is Lincolnshire’s first integrated, multidisciplinary unit dedicated to applied mental health research in rural, coastal and small urban-deprived settings. Funded through the NIHR Mental Health Research Group programme, LUMHR brings together academic, clinical, community and lived-experience partners to address persistent mental health inequalities.

The University of Lincoln is proud to be a recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education (2023) and is based in the heart of one of the UK’s great historic cities.

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries or further information, please contact: Dr Harriet Moore (HaMoore@lincoln.ac.uk)

Closing Date: 07 Apr 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £38,784 per annum
Please note, this post is permanent and full-time at 1 FTE.