Research Assistant in Health Data Science and Innovation

Grade UE06 £34,610 to £39,906 per annum

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine / School of Population Health Sciences / Usher Institute

Full time: 35 hours per week

Fixed Term: available from 1st November 2025 to 31st October 2027

Location: Usher Institute, Edinburgh Bioquarter, EH16 4UX

We will also consider requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular (weekly) on-campus working.  The Usher Institute expects a minimum of 40% on campus working. 

The Centre for Population Health Sciences at the Usher Institute within The University of Edinburgh is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Research Assistant in Health Data Science and Innovation.

The Opportunity:
This post offers a rare and exciting opportunity to help shape the future of unscheduled and emergency health care in Scotland by harnessing the power of advanced analytics and real-world health data.  

As a Research Assistant, you will work in a fast-paced, supportive research environment where data meets decision-making. Supported by senior colleagues, you will contribute to a collaborative team that is working in close partnership with health and community care leaders. Your role will focus on helping to develop and implement data-driven approaches that generate actionable insights. These insights will drive rapid cycles of service improvement and directly inform frontline health care. This work is fully aligned with Scotland’s Health and Social Care Data Strategy and will contribute to a more responsive, efficient, and equitable health system.

This programme will go beyond data analysis to enable meaningful system-wide transformation. From enhancing urgent care pathways to strengthening community prevention strategies, your contributions will make a real-world impact through data, helping to build a more adaptive health and care system that can meet rising demand with precision and compassion.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Professor Nazir Lone, Professor of Critical Care and Epidemiology (nazir.lone@ed.ac.uk)

• Your skills and attributes for success:
• •    A good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, or able to demonstrate relevant and equivalent experience
• •    Proficiency in at least one statistical programming language (e.g. R, Python) 
• •    Ability to apply relevant knowledge, skills and techniques in research projects 
• •    High level of computer fluency with the ability and willingness to quickly become familiar with new applications when required
• •    Ability to work well within a multi-disciplinary team

Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab).

Please include your CV and a supporting statement with details of how you meet the knowledge, skills and experience required for this post.

Non-University of Edinburgh employees (i.e. external applicants) – please refer to the How to Apply – External Candidate system user guide

Current University of Edinburgh employees (i.e. internal applicants) interested in applying for this role – you must apply as an internal applicant through the People and Money Current Jobs tile.  Please refer to the How to Apply – UoE Employee system user guide

As a valued member of our team you can expect: 

• A competitive salary
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits 

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT+ equality. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK.  Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab). 

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. They will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.  

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 9 October 2025. 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 

Work with us | Usher Institute- where inquiring minds work together to improve lives across the world.

Join our growing team of academics and professional services staff and work in a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment. Our vision is to catalyse the transformation of health in society by working with people, populations and their data.

Our greatest asset is our people, working together to improve public health using evidence-based research.

We are a key applied and translational arm of the Edinburgh Medical School, within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at The University of Edinburgh.  Working with partners across UK and international universities, health and care providers, policymakers, industry and the public is central to our highly collaborative ethos.

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.