Research Associate/Senior Research Associate
UCL Centre for Applied Linguistics, University College London
Department of Culture, Communication and Media
The UCL Centre for Applied Linguistics at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London, is inviting expressions of interest from motivated researchers to work on a small-scale funded project entitled: What does it take to understand? Using techniques from discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to analyse the language demands of ethical materials in health intervention research.
This pilot study is premised on the notion that ethical materials in health intervention studies often contain legal jargon, which can work against patients’ ability to understand the conditions of research participation. To examine the nature of the linguistic demands, the study will centre on compiling and analysing a preliminary corpus of consent forms and information sheets used in patient recruitment to randomised controlled trials. We will also incorporate a patient and public involvement component to build patients’ voices and experiences into the investigation.
The post holder will work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary research team of applied linguists and primary care researchers at UCL. The primary responsibilities will be to contribute to the construction of the data set; conduct linguistic analyses of the written corpus; coordinate the patient and public involvement session; participate in regular meetings; and contribute to outputs arising from the project as co-author. The successful candidate will hold a doctoral degree in applied linguistics, health communication, or a related area. They will have experience with using techniques from corpus linguistics, including software or web-based tools, to analyse texts.
The working arrangements for this post are flexible and could range from a minimum of 2.5 days (18.25 hours) per week to full-time (36.5 hours per week), for a maximum of 70‒80 working days (to be agreed). The preferred start date for the project is 24 April 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will be appointed on an “as and when” contract on an hourly rate of £17.89 to £22.23, commensurate with experience (pro rata equivalent of Academic Grade 7 or 8). The post holder will be paid monthly in arrears on submission of a time sheet and will be able to claim accumulative holiday pay for the period worked on completion of the assignment.
To apply, please e-mail a CV and cover letter addressing the selection criteria in the “Person Specification” section of the job description to Dr Talia Isaacs. Please also make arrangements to send two reference letters to Dr Isaacs as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is midnight GMT on 03 April 2017 and applicants must be available for interview on 10 April 2017. The interview can be in person, by phone or by Skype (but please note that UCL cannot cover travel expenses for this purpose). If you do not receive a response to your application by 25 April 2017, your application has not been successful on this occasion.
For further information, please contact the Principal Investigator of the project, Dr Talia Isaacs (talia.isaacs@ucl.ac.uk)
