About the scheme:

With support from the Prudence Trust, the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) have funding available for a talented individual to conduct research at post-doctoral level into mental health in children and young people. This fellowship is for individuals who have substantial experience of research and are working at post-doctoral level, usually with several years or equivalent of experience. 

Research should be focused on understanding how we can improve access to effective, evidence-based interventions for children and young people (8-25) who experience depression and anxiety or are at risk of developing these conditions. Existing effective interventions are too often not available or not used effectively, which creates a substantial treatment gap for anxiety and depression. Research is needed to provide approaches and models that can increase accessibility at scale. The following questions provide a flavour of the types of areas that the funder, Prudence Trust, would like to support. These are not exhaustive and research that addresses related areas will be given equal consideration: 

•           How can we improve getting interventions that work to young people who need them?

•           What can be done to ensure that young people are offered the treatment that is most appropriate for them at the right time?

•           How can assessments and diagnosis be improved to result in better outcomes for young people?

•           What can be done to make evidence-based therapies easier to deliver at scale whilst still retaining effectiveness? How can these therapies be delivered more cost-effectively?

•           What evidence-based therapies can be adapted to be more suitable for particular at-risk groups?

•           What needs to be done to promote acceptance and uptake of interventions in clinical services? What are the barriers and how can they be overcome?

•           How can we influence policy to ensure research is implemented? 

The Prudence Trust’s vision is for a world where no young person is owned or defined by their mental illness. The funder’s interest relates to early intervention and treatment of anxiety and depression with the understanding that these conditions may co-exist with other mental health conditions (e.g. obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders). We are therefore open to research relating to these other conditions, as long as the research is likely to have wider, positive impact on young people with anxiety or depression.

The fellowship is open to those who are either disciplinary based (‘non-clinical’) or who have clinical backgrounds. We welcome applications from researchers in any discipline (and can be interdisciplinary) but we expect most applicants to be working in some area of applied science. 

Prudence Trust fellowships are designed for talented individual to conduct research at post-level into mental health in children and young people. This fellowship is for individuals who have substantial experience of research and are working at post-doctoral level, usually with several years or equivalent of experience. and are perhaps looking for their second fellowship. We are keen to support individuals to develop their own careers towards independence as future principal investigators. We particularly want to support those who have already shown commitment to mental health research and to support individuals who will embrace and benefit from our networking and collaboration opportunities, and who have the potential to become international research leaders. 

For non-clinical fellows, we would normally anticipate that they have around 3-7 years postdoctoral experience. However, we know that research careers are not always linear and so for all applicants, clinical fellows and anyone who has followed a non-linear path we are more flexible. Examples of non-linear paths might include time out of research for reasons of parental leave, career break, illness, or other employments, among other reasons. All applicants should have a PhD and comparable experience but not necessarily a prescribed number of years. 

The successful applicant will be expected to design and deliver research that will deliver outputs and research that makes a difference. For example, this might include development and testing of interventions, evaluation of existing services and/or novel solutions. Delivering research that makes a difference will require close work with colleagues who may be working in health or social care as well as with networks and groups across the University of Bristol and beyond. 

At the University of Bristol, a role holder at this level would be expected to undertake research individually and collectively and to advance the state of knowledge and understanding within the field of mental health in young people. The role holder will be expected to be publishing regularly in high quality outlets in keeping with their field of work. They will still be working with support and supervision from experienced colleagues, but they will also be expected to take significant initiatives in their work and consult with their line-manager and sponsor/s about the details of the project and milestones. Other commitments permitting, the role holder may be asked to contribute to some of the University’s teaching, for instance through supervision of projects, overseeing practical classes, or taking small group tutorial classes. Any such commitments will be agreed in advance with the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and the Prudence Trust and will be focused on enabling career development for the individual. The position is designed to enable the role holder to deliver high quality research and to apply to external funders. The role holder will work alongside one or more academic sponsors to help you to develop their own research vision. 

We offer a salaried position at the University of Bristol. We anticipate that this will be at Research Fellow level (Grade K) but appointment may be made at a level according to experience, with a fellowship period of three years full-time or four years part-time. If exceptional circumstances arise during the period of the fellowship (e.g. parental leave) then the fellowship may be extended accordingly. 

The Prudence Trust/Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Fellow will be provided with academic and pastoral support within the University. The University is a proud signatory of the Researcher Concordat and the role holder will be encouraged to avail of the University’s numerous training and development activities to develop their competencies and career.

Applicant suitability and eligibility:

Applicants should meet the following criteria:

•           a relevant postgraduate research degree (PhD) or equivalent research experience in the area of mental health research at the time of application. Prudence Trust fellowships are designed for talented individuals who have substantial research experience.

•           For disciplinary (‘non-clinical’) fellows, we would normally anticipate that they have around 3-7 years postdoctoral experience. However, this is a rough guide and not prescriptive as we know that research careers are not always linear and so for all applicants, clinical fellows and anyone who has followed a non-linear path we are more flexible. Examples of non-linear paths might include time out of research for reasons of parental leave, career break, illness, or other employments, among other reasons. All applicants should have a PhD and comparable experience but not necessarily a prescribed number of years.

•           have a strong record of research output delivery (e.g. publications), taking into account any career breaks and in keeping with their years of experience and their research field.

•           be eligible to apply for external fellowship or equivalent funding based at the University of Bristol and should plan to do so within the period of their Elizabeth Blackwell Institute/Prudence Trust fellowship.

•           should have a clear plan of work for the period of the fellowship (note that if the applicant reaches second stage of the application process they will be asked to liaise with a relevant academic sponsor at the University to develop this plan).

•           should plan to work on a topic in the area of mental health for young people, with particular focus on improving the mental health of children and young people (primarily ages 8-25) through prevention or early intervention. Projects should aim to advance understanding of anxiety or depression and build evidence on what works to prevent or treat these conditions.

•           if they proceed to the second stage of the application process then applicants must secure support from an academic sponsor and the Head of the host School at the University as part of their application process. Individuals who are selected to reach this stage will be informed of this requirement in good time. 

The Prudence Trust/Elizabeth Blackwell Institute particularly welcomes applications that include interdisciplinary research. We welcome applicants with lived experience and from traditionally underrepresented groups. Applicants are welcome to apply on a full time or part time basis in keeping with the timeframes described above.

Allowed costs:

This grant will cover salary for 3 years FTE (or 4 years on a part-time basis although if exceptional circumstances arise during the period of the fellowship (e.g. parental leave) then the fellowship may be extended accordingly), plus allowable research expenses to be agreed via a full economic costing. We anticipate some proportion of the expense budget to be dedicated to:

•           salary for a research assistant or technician (probably part-time)

•           continuing professional development and training

•           equipment, materials and consumables

•           travel (e.g. to conferences)

•           patient and public involvement costs

•           dissemination of research outcomes including open access publishing costs for hybrid journals

We expect fellows to spend at least 80% of their time on research activities. The remainder of the time may be spent on teaching, administrative duties or clinical work (if relevant), but should not hinder progress on their research.

Assessment Criteria:

At Stage 1, applications will be assessed using the following criteria: 

• Criterion 1: Track record to date

Applications will be assessed in relation to the candidate’s record of research output delivery (e.g. publications, other outputs), taking into account any career breaks and in keeping with years of experience and research field. Reviewers will be asked to think about the quality of the outputs, only taking account of any outputs that are already published or are in press. Reviewers will be asked to assess track record in light of the University’s commitment to DORA.

• Criterion 2: Research vision for the next three years

Applications will be assessed in relation to the research vision as described in their application. Reviewers will be asked to think about whether the research vision is novel, will have impact and aligned with the areas described in the description of the fellowship.  

• Criterion 3: Potential for future funding and research leadership

Applications will be assessed in relation to how well the track record and research vision taken together will provide the candidate with a basis to move into independent research leadership, including to secure future funding for research.

Special Circumstances:

As part of the application process you have the opportunity to highlight to us any circumstances that we need to take into account in our assessment of your application. We are inviting applicants to share details of special circumstances with the aim to nurture equality and inclusion and to minimise bias.

For example, if you have employment or research gaps arising from a period of parental leave, ill health or disability, or you had care responsibilities that affected your ability to work or if the COVID-19 pandemic has had any impact on your career pathway that you wish to highlight. The examples given above are indicative, there may be other circumstances that are relevant in your own case. Please note that there is no obligation on your part to declare any circumstances or to share any information that you would prefer not to.

If you wish us to take circumstances into account, please complete the special circumstances form and submit it as part of your Stage 1 application. We recognise that this information is both sensitive and confidential in nature. The detail of your statement will only be shared with the panel and they will adhere to good practice relating to confidentiality. You can find out privacy policy here. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/blackwell/about/ebi-privacy-policy/

Our concern is not the details of what happened, but the impact or consequences that the circumstances have had on you the applicant. 

The reviewers will be asked to take the following steps: 

1. As a general principle, the reviewers will consider the provided information about the impact of any declared circumstances as part of their assessment of an application and make appropriate adjustments where needed, while taking care to avoid assumptions and decisions that might be influenced by implicit bias. Reviewers will not rank special circumstances but use it to contextualise research outputs and inform the bigger picture 
2. When assessing the track record to date reviewers should consider the unequal impacts of the impact that the related circumstances might have had on the track record and career development of the applicant. They will focus on the capability of the applicant – and their wider team as applicable – to deliver the research vision as proposed and to fulfil the role as advertised and in keeping with University role profile(s). 
3. When assessing the research vision for the next three years they reviewers will assess the vision as written, noting that any changes that the research might require in the future – which arise from the circumstances declared or the COVID-19 pandemic – will be resolved after appointment. Potential future matters that may relate to declared circumstances or COVID-19 should not affect their assessment or the score(s) that they give. 
4. When assessing the potential for future funding and research leadership reviewers should take into account the track record (2) and vision (3) together in light of the two items above and ensure that they make appropriate adjustments in keeping with the general principle (4).

International applicants:

Find out more about:

Visas: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/hr/resourcing/additionalguidance/overseas/ and https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Relocation costs:  https://www.bristol.ac.uk/hr/resourcing/practicalguidance/appointment/relocation1.html