Research Fellow (part time)

The School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences (MDBS) at Queen’s University Belfast, is currently seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Research Fellow within the Centre for Public Health.
  
The principal aim of this post is to support the completion of an observational cohort study.
  
This study has followed-up 315 participants recruited in 2012-2014 to investigate post-operative delirium following primary arthroplasty surgery. Telephone and in-person study visits have been completed. Laboratory analysis of baseline and follow-up biosamples are ongoing. Active global collaborations are in place. In addition to the originally-planned statistical analyses there is the opportunity to undertake more novel and complex analyses.
  
Evidence is accumulating that postoperative delirium is a marker of brain vulnerability. Cognitive prognosis following delirium remains unclear. This project aimed to test the hypothesis that participants who developed postoperative delirium will have worse cognition eight years later compared to those who did not develop postoperative delirium and the effect of delirium will be independent of preoperative cognition and biomarkers. This project followed up participants previously recruited between 2012 and 2014 to an observational cohort study (n=315) investigating postoperative delirium following elective orthopaedic surgery which sampled DNA, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. Participants were invited for a telephone interview followed by a one-off follow-up study visit where updated medical history, repeat cognitive assessments, collateral history taking and blood sampling were completed. It is anticipated that the results of this study will inform individualised prognosis following postoperative delirium. This in turn will strengthen the case for national and international guidelines regarding postoperative patient counselling, follow-up care planning and intervention to improve brain health and potentially modify Alzheimer’s disease processes after postoperative delirium.
 
The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate you have: 

  
Please note the above are not an exhaustive list. For further information about the role including the essential and desirable criteria please click the Candidate Information link below.
 
This post is fixed term for up to 3 months, or available until 2 February 2024, whichever is sooner. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.
 
At Queen’s our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a staff member you will become part of a vibrant organisational culture, which will provide you with the opportunity to achieve your full potential and enhance your career through a continuous focus on learning and development.
  
We offer an excellent employment package that includes: