Clinical Research Fellow

The Department of Psychosis Studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, is one of the world's leading centres for research into psychosis. The Department brings together clinical and academic expertise to improve understanding of psychotic disorders and develop more effective approaches to their prevention, assessment and treatment.

Working in close partnership with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, the Department provides a highly collaborative clinical-academic environment in which research can be translated into improvements in patient care. This role sits within a multidisciplinary programme focused on understanding, preventing and treating the physical-health consequences of severe mental illness, particularly the cardiometabolic effects of psychosis and antipsychotic treatment.

We are seeking a medically qualified Clinical Research Fellow to join a multidisciplinary clinical-academic programme focused on improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness. The post offers a distinctive opportunity to combine direct patient care with clinical research, service evaluation and experimental medicine. The postholder will be based principally at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at Denmark Hill, with regular work across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust clinical services and imaging visits at Hammersmith Hospital.

The postholder will work predominantly within TUNE-UP, a new specialist NHS metabolic psychiatry service and associated research programme for people experiencing, or at high risk of, antipsychotic-associated weight gain and related cardiometabolic complications. Current projects include evaluating the clinical and metabolic effects of switching to novel treatments such as xanomeline–trospium, and developing and evaluating new approaches to preventing antipsychotic-associated weight gain, with a particular focus on GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Under appropriate senior supervision, the postholder will assess and review patients, contribute to treatment initiation and monitoring, and evaluate mental state, physical health, treatment response and adverse effects. They will also identify, recruit and consent research participants and undertake structured clinical and research assessments.

The postholder will additionally contribute to experimental medicine studies using advanced cardiac and brain imaging, detailed clinical phenotyping and biological sampling to investigate cardiometabolic abnormalities in people with first-episode psychosis and those receiving clozapine. They will contribute to study delivery, data analysis, conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications, with support to develop applications for higher degrees or competitive clinical academic fellowships.

The postholder will report to Dr Toby Pillinger.

This is a full-time post, offered on a fixed-term contract for 12 months in the first instance, with the possibility of extension for a further 12 months subject to funding. An anticipated start date of January 2027 is preferred.

Research staff at King's are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development.

Essential criteria:
- Primary medical qualification, full GMC registration with a licence to practise, and successful completion of UK Foundation training or evidence of equivalent competencies.
- Clinical experience working directly with people with psychosis, including contributing to psychiatric assessment and clinical management under appropriate supervision.
- Ability to undertake mental-state and risk assessments, recognise clinical deterioration, and seek or initiate appropriate senior support.
- Experience of prescribing and monitoring medication in clinical practice, with an understanding of assessing treatment response, relevant physical-health parameters and adverse effects.
- Evidence of interest in and engagement with clinical research, audit or service evaluation, demonstrated through participation in a relevant project, presentation, publication or other academic activity.
- Excellent organisational skills, with evidence of managing multiple clinical or research responsibilities accurately, reliably and within appropriate timescales.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage people with severe mental illness and work effectively within multidisciplinary NHS and academic teams.

Desirable criteria:
- Experience delivering patient-facing clinical research, including participant identification, recruitment, informed consent or structured research assessments.
- Experience initiating, switching or monitoring antipsychotic medication, including assessment of psychiatric response and adverse effects.
- Experience collecting physical-health or biological data, such as anthropometric measurements, ECGs, phlebotomy or processing biological samples.
- Experience supporting imaging-based research, particularly cardiac or brain MRI.
- Experience analysing clinical or research data and contributing to an academic output, such as a conference presentation, report or peer-reviewed publication.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.