The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate (Grade 7) from a health or social science research background to support a major project at the intersection of healthcare delivery and systems engineering. You will work with a highly interdisciplinary research team and with our clinical and patient partners to ensure that innovation and evaluation reflects the needs of service users, particularly those from groups who are often underserved and under-represented. You will have experience of involving a variety of stakeholders in research and innovation, ideally with experience of the co-production of change. You will have both qualitative and quantitative research skills and be able to apply these in a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment.  

RESHAPE-CARE (re-engineering services for health, maximising person centred care) is a research and innovation programme to transform care for people with multiple long term conditions. It represents a partnership between systems engineers, healthcare researchers, health data experts and health service providers. It seeks to integrate the human (ensuring person-centred preferences about care) with the technological ( “digital twin” computer models of health systems). The process of designing and implementing changes within services (general practices and community diagnostic centres) will follow systems engineering principles: an important part of this mixed methods researcher role is to participate in that process and also reflect and report on it. The project is underpinned by a strong commitment to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) including people from underserved and under-represented communities.

RESHAPE-CARE is a partnership between the Universities of Sheffield (School of Medicine and Population Health and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and Manchester with healthcare partners in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. It is jointly funded by the National Institute of Health Research and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Main duties and responsibilities

As the RA for mixed methods health research you will be responsible for working with the project  investigator team to deliver essential components of RESHAPE-CARE. This will involve working with a wide range of health care providers (practitioners and managers) and patients at both individual and organisational levels. The clinical focus of RESHAPE-CARE will involve you working with ​​services for, and people with, diabetes and breathlessness as part of their multiple long-term conditions.

You will work on a number of work packages at different stages of the study. Each will have a work-package or task-related team comprising investigators, researcher colleagues and experts by lived experience. You will also be a full member of the wider RESHAPE-CARE research team and be expected to share your work and its findings across the work packages. This means you will have to work with people from different backgrounds and academic disciplines. You will have project management and secretarial support from members of our professional services team.

You will use skills in qualitative data collection and analysis to understand how healthcare can be made more person-centred for people with multiple long term conditions. Experience in observational research (ethnography) or participatory methods would be particularly valuable. You will also be able to design and analyse appropriate quantitative surveys and use descriptive statistics to interpret these. You will be responsible for producing regular reports of your work in formats that are accessible to the team, including those from different disciplines and our PPI colleagues.

You will be based in the Sheffield Centre for Health & Related Research and work closely with colleagues in Engineering. You will be required to visit healthcare providers (GP practices and diagnostic centres in South Yorkshire, Manchester and probably further afield as we recruit sites.

As a member of the University of Sheffield you will contribute to the vibrant academic life of the university.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place during the week commencing 5th January 2026 . This will consist of a presentation and interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage by mid December 2025 and we will supply further information about the study at that time. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact dph-section-operations@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Criminal record: A standard DBS check will be needed for this role. More details on the checks can be found on the Government website: gov.uk/criminal-record-checks-apply-role (opens in a new window).

Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right. More information can be found on our Information for candidates page:- sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/candidates (opens in a new window).

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.