Research Fellow in Digital Health and Sustainability and Centre Manager

The UCL Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction (RDR) inspires innovation and evidence-based practice focused on improving disaster risk reduction (DRR) through our research, education, and partnerships. This creates a better life for many people by reducing the negative impacts of disasters. The RDR is an exciting cross-UCL department, which leads research, knowledge exchange and teaching in the fields of risk and disaster reduction and humanitarian action. By providing a focus for UCL's activities the RDR, with its breadth of disciplinary emphasis, promotion of novel multidisciplinary research and translation into practice, aims to assume a role of leadership both in the UK and internationally. The Department has 30 members of academic and teaching staff, 12 members of research staff ranging from research assistants to professorial research fellows and 9 members of professional services staff. The Department is in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MAPS), but works across all UCL's faculties, and contributes to UCL's Grand Challenges.

Research: The RDR strives to produce world-leading research in disaster risk reduction through a multidisciplinary perspective for the long-term benefit of humanity. The UCL Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies conducts cutting edge research in digital public health aimed at pandemic preparedness in high income and LMIC. The RDR conducts research around the themes of disaster risk reduction and resilience, cascading crises, natural hazards, climate change risk and adaptation, humanitarian crisis response, GIS and remote sensing, law and economics, conflict and migration, catastrophe modelling, warning, digital health in emergencies, and inclusivity including gender responsive resilience, in order to integrate education, research, innovation and enterprise for the long-term benefit of humanity.

Teaching: The RDR aims to develop leaders and experts in disaster risk reduction research, education, and practice. We run PhD programme in Risk and Disaster Reduction, MSc programmes in Risk, Disaster and Resilience and Risk and Disaster Science, and an undergraduate BSc programme in Global Humanitarian Studies, all with a diverse and cross-disciplinary international intake. We have about 25 PhD students, 60 masters students and will have about 200 students across the three years of the BSc programme.

Knowledge Exchange, Public Policy and Research Impact: The RDR seeks to empower all to break down barriers to global DRR knowledge. This knowledge exchange is a core part of the mission of the RDR, which it seeks to fulfil by publishing high-impact reports, engagement with the media and building long‑term partnerships. RDR members have joined and led several field missions and contributed to multidisciplinary reports. These reports have been drawn on by the UK Cabinet Office and other government bodies in advice to ministers. RDR staff contributed substantially to the UCL‑Lancet Commission on Migration and Health. The RDR has close links with London First, the business representative grouping, private companies, London Resilience and UK Government, including the Cabinet Office, and is developing links with intergovernmental organisations such as the International Migration Organization, Plan International, UN Women and other NGOs. UCL RDR runs regular events to engage the public and potential partners in issues relating to risk and disaster reduction and humanitarian action, such as its Annual Conference and Humanitarian Summit. UCL dPHE runs annual events at UCL and the flagship International Digital Public Health conference (DPH, www.dphconf.org).

General: The RDR is located in the South Wing of the central UCL building in the main campus.

The post holder will be working in RDR in a team based at UCL dPHE Centre on digital global health projects including NHS GASDA – gamified antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) decision support app, digital vector‑borne disease surveillance in Brazil and Madeira, DR‑TB decision support app for decentralized management of DR‑TB in South Africa and other upcoming initiatives. All projects are conducted in collaboration with other team members and our local partners where he/she will travel for meetings and fieldwork. The role will include research into digital global health including user‑centric design, requirements gathering for the development of working prototypes, user and patient engagement activities, surveys, evaluation in the field and impact assessment. The role will include management of the dPHE Centre including research project management, proposals development and coordination, management for the Digital Public Health conference run by dPHE and other local dPHE events. The postholder will be a member of a vibrant research team and work closely with the project partners in the UK, Brazil, Africa and Portugal, and support the development of VBD Digital Surveillance Network in Brazil, Portugal, Europe and UK and the Network of Networks. The post‑holder would also benefit from the RDR research network and environment, and be expected to contribute to this research environment. The position is available immediately and we expect the post holder to be in place in November 2025. The successful applicant will be subject to the usual UCL probationary procedures. This full‑time research position is funded for 4 months in the first instance.

The postholder should hold a master level degree or above, and have excellent knowledge of digital health and sustainability, and excellent management and organisation skills. They should have a track record of high quality research and management and organisation of large international events and multisector stakeholder engagement activities. You should have the ability to manage teams, volunteers, deliver public presentations, as well as the ability to write clearly for a range of audiences. You should be committed to collaborative working environment for staff.

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• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days per annum) per annum
  
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
  
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
  
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
  
• Immigration loan
  
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
  
• On‑site gym
  
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
  
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
  
• Discounted medical insurance
  
• To find out more, visit www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits
  

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion