Research Associate
School of Psychology
Help Shape the UK's Response to Future Pandemics
Join the School of Psychology at Cardiff University as a Research Associate and play a leading role in an ambitious UKRI-funded programme investigating how behaviour, trust, and the places where people interact influence the spread of infectious diseases. The findings will help improve the UK's preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics, providing evidence that directly informs public health policy and disease modelling.
Working within a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary team of behavioural scientists, epidemiologists, infectious disease modellers, and policy experts, you will lead innovative research studies including national surveys, Delphi studies, large-scale field research, and mixed-methods investigations of public perceptions, risk, trust, and behaviour. You will also support knowledge mobilisation activities, ensuring that research findings have real-world impact.
This is an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious postdoctoral researcher with expertise in relevant areas of health psychology, public health, or behavioural science. The role will develop your academic profile, enable you to lead on substantial research activities, supervise junior colleagues, publish high-quality outputs, and contribute to securing future research funding.
If you are excited by interdisciplinary research, passionate about improving population health, and motivated by the opportunity to influence future public health responses, we would love to hear from you.
Travel requirements will be limited to occasional meetings and training, with most travel associated with site set up and the 6 to 8-week observational study periods taking place during the winter months over 2 calendar years. While overnight stays are not expected, they may be required where this represents the most cost-effective option and is acceptable to staff.
For informal enquiries, please contact vedharak@cardiff.ac.uk.
This post is full-time (35 hours per week) fixed term until 12th November 2030 and is available from 1st December 2026.
Interviews are anticipated to take place between 6th - 15 January 2027.
The majority of roles at Cardiff University are currently operating under “blended working” arrangements, with staff having the flexibility to work partly from home and partly from the University campus depending on specific business requirements. Discussions around these arrangements can take place after the successful candidate has been appointed.
Salary: £41,885 - £46,970 per annum (Grade 6)
Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.
Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (incl. bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It's an exciting and vibrant place to work with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter. Business needs will require some degree of office-based working but the balance of time can be spent in the office or remotely (subject to agreement with the line manager).
Date advert posted: Thursday, 12 November 2026
Closing date: Sunday, 29 November 2026
Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Cardiff University is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions we will evaluate applicants on the quality of their research, not publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which the research is published. More information is available at: Responsible research assessment - Research - Cardiff University
