Clinical Research Fellow (Pharmacy)
Department: Psychology
Salary: Starting from £48,337, rising to £62,994 A market supplement, in accordance with a clinical pay scale is available for eligible applicants.
Grade: Grade 8*
Contract Type: Full Time, Fixed Term
Placed on: Tuesday 20 October 2026
Closing date: Tuesday 17 November 2026
Interview date: To be confirmed
Reference: ED13990
Special Conditions: A DBS check is required for this position
About the role
This innovative new post is an opportunity for an experienced clinical pharmacist to develop a clinical academic research role with a focus on the mental health of young people (aged 14-25) within our region.
The postholder will develop applied research in youth mental health in collaboration with the Bath MHRG and pharmacy staff from the university’s Department of Life Sciences alongside the pharmacy team at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.
There will also be opportunities to collaborate with staff from neighbouring NHS organisations.
The broad remit of role is the development applied research that will improve the understanding and provision of care directly impacting the mental health of young people.
Topics of interest include medication access, adherence, and health service use in young people with mental health conditions during life transitions.
The postholder will spend up to two days in direct clinical activity with the specific role negotiated with the services.
This post offers an excellent opportunity for a clinical pharmacist aspiring to a future clinical academic career to develop a broad range of research skills. Joining the Bath MHRG offers training and infrastructure to support such development including NIHR academy membership. There would be support available to undertake a PhD as part of the post if desired by the postholder.
The partnership with the Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust affords access to high quality ongoing clinical and professional development and the opportunity to develop clinical research that is relevant and embedded within services.
It is possible to remain in the NHS pension scheme throughout the duration of this post.
This clinical research fellow post is fully funded with academic grading reflecting the clinical pay equivalent up to NHS band 8a.
This post can also be as a secondment to the University of Bath subject to agreement by the employing NHS trust.
This 3-year post is an integral part of the NIHR funded Bath Mental Health Research Group https://bathmhrg.org/.
About you
This post would be suited to a pharmacist with clinical and service development experience who is motivated and committed to career progression as a clinical academic.
Candidates will demonstrate knowledge of subject relevant service evaluation and research methods and show a strong interest in applied research in youth mental health.
Candidates will be able to work autonomously with excellent organisational and self-management skills.
Candidates will be able to work effectively with clinicians and researchers across a range of specialisms and backgrounds.
A key remit of the post is the development of research skills which will become embedded in the clinical workforce.
To this end, applicants will be able to demonstrate a track record of activity indicative of a trajectory of future sustainable research in topics relevant to applied youth mental health.
Additional information
As a member of Research Staff at the University of Bath, you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.
Should you wish to discuss this post further, please contact Sarah Jones (Dept of Life Sciences) scm20@bath.ac.uk or Professor Ailsa Russell a.j.russell@bath.ac.uk (Dept of Psychology and Deputy Director of the MHRG).
We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.
We're very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.
What we can offer you
We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:
- Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
- Generous employer contributory pension schemes
- Cycle to work scheme
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
- Staff discount at Team Bath gym
- Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
- Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
- A family-friendly workplace
- An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
- Relocation allowance
- Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
- Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app
Find out more about our benefits and watch the video to hear from our staff about what makes the University of Bath a great place to work as well as following us X and LinkedIn.
Be Well at Bath
We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:
- Staff support groups and networks
- A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
- A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive
Find out more about being at your best at Bath.
Right to Work in the UK
We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.
Anonymous shortlisting
We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.
