Faculty of Medicine & Health
School of Psychology
Research Assistant
Full time – Available from 1 August 2015 to 28 Feb 2016
Project: Study to Examine Psychological Processes in Suicidal Ideation and Behaviour
(STEPPS): The role of stress reactivity
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant to work on a programme of research entitled
‘Study to examine Psychological Processes in Suicidal ideation and behaviour (STEPPS)’. The
programme is collaboration between University of Glasgow (Professor Rory O’Connor), University
of Stirling (Professor Ronan O’Carroll), University of Leeds (Professor Daryl O’Connor) and
University of Nottingham (Professor Eamonn Ferguson). The STEPPS research programme is
funded by the United States Government (Department of Defense). The project commenced in
June 2012 and is due to finish in February 2017; there may the opportunity for this post to be
extended beyond February 2016.
You will be responsible for recruiting participants to an on-going naturalistic study, preparing and
piloting research materials, carrying out laboratory-based stress induction paradigms, taking and
storing measures of stress reactivity (e.g., salivary cortisol, pro-inflammatory cytokines, blood
pressure) and collating and entering data.
With at least an undergraduate degree in Psychology with BPS accreditation, you will have
effective interpersonal and communication skills, and experience of using the statistical package
SPSS.
The University of Leeds is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. The
university is a charter member of Athena SWAN and holds the Bronze award. We will be
happy to consider job share applications and are committed to flexible working for all our
employees.
University Grade 6 (£25,513 – £29,837) depending on qualifications and experience
Informal enquiries regarding the post should be directed to Professor Daryl O’Connor (tel, +44 (0)
113 343 5727, e-mail: d.b.oconnor@leeds.ac.uk)
If you have any specific enquiries about your online application please contact Louise Walton (tel:
+44 (0) 113 343 5709, e-mail: l.j.walton@leeds.ac.uk)
Please note that the interviews will take place on Friday, 24 July 2015.
Job Ref:
MHPSY1007
Closing Date: 14 July 2015
Background
This project is part of a large scale programme of research (STEPPS) led by Professor Rory
O’Connor (University of Stirling) exploring the central tenets of two recent theoretical models of
suicidal behaviour (Integrated Motivational–Volitional Model of Suicidal Behaviour, IMV; O’Connor,
2011 and Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide, IPT; Joiner, 2005). These two recent
psychological models attempt to explain why some people experience suicidal ideation but do not
go on to engage in suicidal behaviour (ideators-only) whereas others experience suicidal ideation
and translate this ideation into suicidal behaviour (attempters). The successful applicant will
conduct one strand of this research programme, as outlined below.
Growing evidence indicates that individuals at risk of suicide may exhibit greater reactivity to
stressful encounters (e.g., Coryell & Schlesser, 2001; McGirr et al., 2010) in terms of their
psychobiological response to stress yet relatively few studies have explored the relationship
between the stress hormone, cortisol and suicidality. Stress reactivity is defined as an individual’s
emotional (e.g., change in anxiety) and physiological (e.g., change in cortisol, blood pressure)
response to psychological stress. An exploration of the stress response fits with the IMV and other
models of suicide, as it is well recognized that psychological stress, which is often triggered by the
experience of a stressful life event, is an important predictor of suicide risk. This three-year
project, using laboratory-based stress paradigms and naturalistic, diary-based approaches, will
investigate the extent to which those who are at risk of suicide show heightened reactivity to stress
exposure and what factors influence the stress response.
Job Description:
You will be responsible to Professor Daryl O’Connor on a day to day basis and regular meetings
will be held to organise tasks and activities. You will also meet regularly with Professor Rory
O’Connor (Programme Lead), other co-investigators and a team of four research assistants based
at the University of Stirling.
Under the supervision of Professor Daryl O’Connor you will:

Develop and collate all materials for study 1 and 2 (e.g., questionnaire measures,
participant information sheets, consent forms etc.)

Screen and recruit adult participants to suicidal ideation, previous attempt and control
groups from a variety of occupations, job centres and libraries in the Leeds locality

Test all participants in the laboratory and naturalistic studies according to the agreed study
protocol.

Ensure all data (psychological and biological) are stored appropriately.

Input ideas and determine your own day to day operation within agreed parameters of the
project.

Code, organise, input and analyse data, and perform administrative duties in relation to the
project.

Contribute to research reports/publications/presentations arising from the project and
related research with guidance and advice as appropriate.
University Values
All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and standards, which work as
an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together. More
information about the university’s strategy and values is available at
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/
Person Specification
Essential

A 2.1 or 1st undergraduate degree in Psychology with BPS accreditation

Evidence of effective time management and organisation skills

Evidence of effective interpersonal and communication skills, including written

Evidence of an ability to work independently, under pressure and to deadlines

Evidence of an ability to think creatively about how to recruit participants

Experience of using the statistical package SPSS and Microsoft excel

Evidence of a willingness to learn new research techniques

An interest in health and biological psychology and an understanding of issues relating to
psychological stress and health
Desirable

Experience of running experiments in the area of stress reactivity and psychophysiology
(e.g., collecting salivary cortisol samples, measuring blood pressure, heart rate).

Experience of running daily diary methodologies in naturalistic settings

Experience of multi-level modeling statistical techniques

Evidence of an understanding of issues associated with laboratory-based stress testing
versus naturalistic, daily diary approaches.

Masters degree in Psychology that includes a psychological research component.

An interest in pursuing a research career in Health, Clinical or Biological Psychology
4.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Faculty Information
The Faculty of Medicine and Health is a major international centre for research and education.
With around 1600 staff and 6500 students it is the largest faculty in the University comprising the
School of Dentistry, the School of Healthcare, the School of Medicine and the School of
Psychology. It contributes one quarter of the University’s annual turnover and generates around
£35m in annual research income, demonstrating its status as one of the most important and
powerful research institutions in the UK.
The Institute of Psychological Sciences, School of Psychology
The Department of Psychology was founded in 1949. It became a School in 1997, and lies within
the Faculty of Medicine and Health. The School is centrally located in the University, very close to
libraries and other facilities. It is housed in a building combining two complementary architectural
styles: a renovated Edwardian Terrace, where most teaching, research, clerical and administrative
staff have their offices, and modern (1989 and 1991) purpose-built extensions where research and
computing laboratories and teaching rooms are located. The School is now partway through a
£1.5m building programme to improve the space and ensure that the buildings provide the
infrastructure necessary for our world class teaching and research aspirations.
Research in Psychology
The University of Leeds is one of the top research universities in the UK, and the School of
Psychology was ranked 14th among 76 psychology departments in the UK in terms of Research
Power (i.e., research quality x quantity of research activity) in the 2014 Research Excellence
Framework exercise (government-led assessment of academic research). During the assessment
period (2008-2014), members of the School were awarded over £6M in research income and
authored over 500 refereed journal articles. The School’s success in REF2014 reflects our
continuing and growing strength in research achievement.
Additional Information
Details of the terms and conditions of employment for all staff at the university, including
information on pensions and benefits, are available on the Human Resources web pages
accessible via the links on the right hand side, or at http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/policies
University Teaching and Research Award
The Senate of the University has agreed that all newly appointed staff with a contract of 0.5 FTE
and above who have a teaching/ research role and are deemed new to teaching or research in
Higher Education should be required to complete successfully all of the requirements of the
University of Leeds Teaching and Research or an appropriate alternative. Whether or not this
applies to you, will be decided as part of the appointment procedure at interview.
Further details of the ULTRA are available at http://www.sddu.leeds.ac.uk/sddu-ultra.html
Staff with contracts of less than 0.5 FTE may take the ULTRA provided that they have a broad
enough range of teaching, research and assessment to complete the requirements of the
Programme: this will be decided in conjunction with the School and the course providers.
Disclosure and Barring Service checks
This post falls under the remit of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. As
such, all applicants are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, including
any pending criminal prosecutions and those which would otherwise be considered 'spent' under the 1974
Act. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013) provide that certain ‘spent’ convictions
and cautions are now 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure to employers , and cannot be taken into
account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the
Disclosure and Barring Service website. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-andbarring-service and at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1198/pdfs/uksi_20131198_en.pdf
Declarations of any such information as described above, should be made in the ‘other personal
details’ section of the application form and details sent to the Recruitment Officer at
disclosure@leeds.ac.uk.
Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is required for this position.
The successful applicant will be required to give consent for the University to check their criminal
record status through independent verification (from the DBS). Information will be kept in strict
confidence. Your offer of appointment will be subject to the University being satisfied with the
outcome of these checks.
Disabled Applicants
The post is located in the School of Psychology. Disabled applicants wishing to review access to
the building are invited to contact the department direct. Additional information may be sought
from the Recruitment Officer, email disclosure@leeds.ac.uk or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.
Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be covered
by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.
Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions is
available in the applicant guidance.