Role:  Research Associate in Digital Health Technology Development

Department:  School of Health Sciences

Grade: Research Grade 6/7 (£33,020 pro rata per annum)

Responsible to: Principal Investigator

Campus: Belfast

Fixed-Term until 31st March 2028 / Part-time, 0.5 FTE (17.5 hours per week)

Job Purpose:

This position will support the technical workstream of a funded mixed-methods feasibility study developing an autism-adapted digital self-management intervention for headache. The role will contribute to the development of a scalable digital health platform.

The post holder will work closely with the Principal Investigator, Health Research Associate, PPI steering group and technical collaborators to design, build, test and document a secure web-based or app-based system for collecting self-reported headache, symptom, treatment, sensory and contextual data from study participants.  They will translate co-design findings into software requirements, support usability testing and iterative refinement, and implement appropriate data management, accessibility and security processes. The post holder will also develop exploratory data analytics and AI-informed approaches to identify patterns and potential predictors of headache or migraine episodes.

Closing Date:  12th August 2026 at 23:30

Guidance regarding applications can be found here:  https://recruitment.ulster.ac.uk/information-for-applicants/what-to-expect-from-the-application-and-interview-process. If you are still having issues, please contact Sarah McGrady, email: s.mcgrady@ulster.ac.uk, stating the vacancy reference number.

Click on the links below for any relevant documents – Please note, these documents will not be available after the job advert closes. Please ensure that you download and save these.

Candidate Briefing Document - 043186

Salary Scale

Please be advised that due to the minimum salary thresholds imposed by the UKVI, this post will not qualify for university sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please check your options here:  https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

If you have any specific queries regarding eligibility to work in the UK, our Resourcing Compliance team may be able to help: Resourcing-compliance@ulster.ac.uk

We may create a 12-month waiting list for same or similar roles within the Department / Faculty.  The University reserves the right to extend the waiting list across the University if required for certain posts.

Ulster University recognises the potential benefits that Generative AI tools (for example Chat GPT) may bring to some candidates during the application process. In particular, we recognise the positive impact such tools may have with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion. When using AI, however, we encourage candidates to use the technology responsibly, ensuring that submitted applications provide an accurate representation of your skills, abilities and experience. Our selection activities are designed to robustly test and evaluate the extent to which candidates meet the selection criteria outlined for each role. This includes the use of interviews, presentations, written exercises and other additional selection activities as appropriate for each role.

The School of Health Sciences holds a Bronze Athena SWAN Award in recognition of our commitment to advancing Gender equality in higher education. You can read more about what this means at https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/transformed-uk-athena-swan-charter and on our University website https://www.ulster.ac.uk/peopleandculture/employee-benefits/equality-diversity/athena-swan.The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly working environment, including flexible working.