Postdoc in Design Research: Medicine Safety and Risk Communication in Pregnancy Care

Posted by:
Queen Mary University of London
Company Summary:

About Queen Mary University of London

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable. Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers. We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Ranked joint 7th in the UK for the quality of its research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, Queen Mary University of London, is one of the UK's leading research-intensive higher education institutions, delivering world class education and knowledge transfer across a wide range of subjects in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Medicine & Dentistry and Science & Engineering.

About The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry offers international excellence in research and teaching, and supports clinical service for a population of unrivalled ethnic diversity in East London and the wider Thames Gateway. At the forefront of medical research and education, with research themes in cancer, cardiovascular medicine, inflammation, trauma and population health, the Faculty is ranked 2nd in the 2021 QS World University rankings for research citations and consistently positioned first in London for subject rankings and student satisfaction.

The postholder will be based in the Centre for Preventive Neurology where there is a growing number of design researchers, led by Dr Alison Thomson, with strong links with social science qualitative research groups across the Institute. The postholder will work collaboratively with the newly established Predictive Medicine Group, within the Centre for Primary Care. The Group, which has recently relocated to Queen Mary University of London, is composed of academics, researchers, clinicians, data scientists and software engineers. The Group specialises in the advanced analyses of large electronic health care record databases, such as QResearch, to generate new knowledge to drive improvements in patient care for a wide range of clinical conditions. This includes the development, validation of prediction algorithms and their implementation as clinical tools into the NHS.
Salary Range:
£43,677 to £51,040 per annum
Location:
London, UK
Date Posted:
30 Jul 2025
Closing Date:
31 Aug 2025
How to apply:
Full-time (35 hours/week). We will consider part time applicants (at least 80%)
- The post is available for three years in the first instance and is available from 1st October 2025.
- Location: Charterhouse Square, London, UK
Potential candidates should apply through the QMUL website: Opportunity ID 6680. Full role requirements and candidate criteria is listed in the Job Pack.

Interested candidates are welcome to contact Dr Alison Thomson prior to submission to find out more about the role and the wider project: a.thomson@qmul.ac.uk

Interviews will be held 18th/19th September
Job Type:
Job
Job Category:
Academic
Apply Now:
https://qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/mobile-0/appcentre-ext/brand-4/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/3/opp/6680-Postdoctoral-Research-Associate-in-Design-Research/en-GB

This new post will be at the forefront of interdisciplinary medical research contributing to the design-led development and evaluation of patient-centred risk-communication tools for medicine use before and during pregnancy. This postholder would work primarily on a recently funded programme of work to develop a novel approach to understanding and communicating the Safety of Medicines in Pregnancy. Current risk-communication materials in maternity care are often text-heavy, numerically dense, and disconnected from the lived experiences of women and families. Building on prior epidemiological and clinical work, this post will support a design-led, experience-prototyping approach to co-design communication tools that help women, their families, and clinicians navigate complex benefit–risk decisions during the pre-conception, antenatal, and post-partum periods.

The post-holder will undertake original, practice-based design research, drawing on participatory and co-design methods, as well as qualitative approaches including semi-structured interviews with women, families, and clinicians. These interviews will inform the design process and deepen understanding of the everyday contexts and sociomaterial practices that shape decision-making around medicine use in pregnancy. The research will be informed by theoretical perspectives such as Science and Technology Studies (STS), including concepts such as the co-production of knowledge, more-than-human entanglements (e.g. mother, fetus, medicines, and data), and the situated nature of risk communication in healthcare.

The post-holder will be responsible for planning and delivering design research activities, conducting and analysing interviews, developing prototypes, facilitating workshops, and documenting participatory design processes. They will lead on the preparation of peer-reviewed publications and contribute to reports for funding bodies, policymakers, and public audiences.

The post would be ideally suited to someone proactive and ambitious who has obtained their PhD, has a strong portfolio of design practice and has begun an academic career in health research. The post holder will provide guidance to junior members of the research group including research assistants, PhD and MSc students, project volunteers and other members of the team.

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Queen Mary University of London

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