Research Fellow

Salary

Known for its academic excellence and state of the art facilities, the University of Hull are looking for individuals to play their part in tackling the big issues facing humanity. We are research leaders in clean energy, flood resilience, cancer and wound care and the fight against modern slavery. We change the world for the better.

With a Commitment to Excellence in Teaching and Student Success, we pride ourselves on our dedication to meeting the diverse needs and aspirations of our students. We have been recognized with a TEF Gold award and consistently high National Student Survey results, underscoring our commitment to delivering top-tier education.

As staff, we play a pivotal roles in the evolution of our university ensuring we are key players in the academic world. 

Background and Context 

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious candidate who is passionate about addressing inequalities in prostate cancer experiences and outcomes for marginalised Black communities. The post is funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellowship to Dr Olufikayo Bamidele. The research is aimed at ‘Understanding stigma to inform public health messaging, decision-making and help-seeking for early prostate cancer diagnosis and care among Black men (DESTIGMATISE)’.  

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the United Kingdom. It affects 1 in 4 Black men (men of Black African and Caribbean descent) compared with 1 in 8 White and 1 in 13 Asian men. Early diagnosis enhances men’s survival rates from prostate cancer. However, evidence suggests that stigma prevents Black men from talking openly about prostate cancer and from seeking timely help for symptoms, probably due to its association with death and/or lessened masculinity – leading to delays in diagnosis and increased death rates from the disease. Evidence from wider literature describes stigma as social negative behaviour and/or response towards an individual or a group of people due to their physical, mental, or social attributes, including an illness condition. There is a dearth of UK-based research which has specifically sought to understand and address stigma related to prostate cancer among Black men, despite their poorer outcomes from the disease. Beyond seeking to understand this important problem, the DESTIGMATISE study will apply mixed methods methodology and integrated patient and public involvement (PPI) to co-develop with Black communities, culturally intelligent solutions to advance equity in their experiences and outcomes from prostate cancer. Resources from the study will help to advance social discussions on prostate cancer symptoms and potentially encourage Black men to seek help promptly along the entire illness journey - from diagnosis to post-treatment and survivorship. 

The post holder will support the chief investigator, Dr Olufikayo Bamidele, to conduct this innovative study across four work packages applying mixed methods approach with integrated PPI across four work packages. These would include qualitative interviews/focus groups, surveys, systematic review, stakeholder engagement, acceptability and feasibility studies. 

The role is ideally suited to someone with a PhD in sociology or health-related discipline with experience of using mixed methods and patient and public involvement in research. A strong understanding of the Black cultural context and demonstrable experience engaging Black communities in research is highly desirable. 

The post is fixed term for 3 years. 

We particularly welcome applications from individuals of Black African or Caribbean heritage, in recognition of the importance of lived experience and cultural insight in the DESTIGMATISE project.

For further information and informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Olufikayo Bamidele ([email protected]).

Specific Duties and Responsibilities of the Post

The post holder will assist the chief investigator with day-to-day running of the project including fieldwork, PPI management, extensive liaison with Black community organisations to co-produce tangible educational resources, knowledge exchange and dissemination activities at national level.

Key duties and responsibilities will include:

• Assist with the day-to-day running of the study with oversight from the chief investigator
• Proactively liaise with community and NHS organisations at Primary and Secondary care levels to maximise recruitment into different phases of the study
• Successfully recruit participants for interviews, surveys and focus groups with the support of key contacts at each collaborating organisation
• Be willing to travel across England whenever required to facilitate engagement with community organisations, recruitment, data collection and dissemination activities.
• Design and conduct high quality systematic review to triangulate data from interviews and surveys to inform development of educational resources
• Analyse qualitative and quantitative data always ensuring analytical rigour    
• Organise and facilitate stakeholder engagement workshops to develop study materials
• Organise, facilitate and manage PPI activities ensuring accountability, timely engagement and reimbursement of payments
• Ensure that research governance procedures and data protection are adhered to according to university, local and national guidance.
• Draft (or contribute to) reports for the funder, high quality scientific publications for peer-reviewed journals, and activities to disseminate the work of this study across a variety of audiences (professional, academic and community-based)
• Attend conferences, NIHR events and other events to disseminate findings and engage with policy and third-sector organisations as required.
• Contribute to the supervision or mentoring of postgraduate research students, as appropriate
• Proactively undertake personal and professional development activities to improve subject and methodological expertise and build capacity as an experienced and dynamic researcher
• Manage own workload and prioritise work to deliver high quality and timely project activities
• Contribute to Faculty and departmental activities as reasonably required to support effective Faculty and Centre working
• Develop good working relationships with colleagues within the immediate teams, and wider University to enable high quality service delivery and information sharing

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

For more information please view the job description here.

If you would like to be part of our future or have any queries, then please get in touch today - [email protected]