Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Children and Young People's Wellbeing

This part-time (0.8 FTE) post is offered as a fixed term contract and is funded by NIHR Research Programme for Social Care from 1st November 2026 until 31st March 2029.

Salary will be £43,482 (pro rata) on Grade F subject to knowledge, skills and experience.

Please note that this role is subject to a DBS check. At the University of Exeter, we are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all our staff to share this commitment.

This role may be subject to additional background screening.

The Role

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to help deliver a study aiming to understand how children in kinship care can be supported to safely navigate and maintain the support networks that are important to them. The successful applicant will have an understanding of children’s social care and children and young people’s wellbeing. The post will include undertaking interviews and participatory methods with children and young people in kinship care, as well as interviews with kinship carers and service providers.

About You

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds and make presentations at conferences and other events.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be a nationally recognised authority in children and young people’s wellbeing and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The successful applicant will also be able to work collaboratively, supervise the work of others and act as team leader as required. Applicants will be able to work flexibly and be willing and able to travel to different study sites across England.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

Further information

Please contact Professor Felicity Thomas, f.thomas@exeter.ac.uk

Transform Your Career and Help Shape a Greener, Healthier, and Fairer Future

Join the University of Exeter, a top 200 Russel Group university (QS & THE World University Rankings 2025), excelling in teaching (triple Gold rating, TEF 2023) and leading groundbreaking research in the beautiful southwest of England.

We are committed to understanding different cultures and perspectives, supporting diverse leadership, and striving for social justice. We encourage applications from all groups underrepresented in our community, including racially minoritised individuals and those with disabilities. Our inclusive, merit based recruitment processes seek to embrace a diverse set of experiences to ensure colleagues feel supported equitably. With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 140 countries, we foster a culture where everyone can thrive.

You can read more about our current accreditations and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here, including our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

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How we can help

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch with us at hrhelpdesk@exeter.ac.uk. You can request reasonable adjustments within your application or by contacting us. You can also choose to be considered under our Disability Confident Scheme and find out here how this is managed during our recruitment and onboarding process.