Senior Research Associate in Medical Device Cyber Security 

Closing Date: 07 Jun 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

Lancaster University has a world-class reputation as a centre for excellence in teaching and research. It is in the top 1 per cent of universities in the world and highly ranked in each of the UKs major university league tables. The Division of Health Research (DHR), within Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine, is seeking to appoint a Research Associate or Senior Research Associate with experience in data science to join the new Mental Health Research Group (MHRG).  The MHRG is a five-year initiative funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), who have recently awarded Lancaster University almost £11 million to conduct world-class mental health research in the North West region.

Four initial research themes aim to tackle inequities in access to effective mental health interventions, particularly for those experiencing multiple disadvantages and/or complex mental health issues, who are often excluded from mainstream services. A robust knowledge mobilisation infrastructure will be implemented to ensure that research translates rapidly into significant improvements in health and social care. The voices of diverse individuals with lived experience are central to all aspects of the research programme.

 You will work across the Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health Data Science themes with Professor Jo Knight, Dr Laura Goodwin, Dr Thomas Mason and Dr Anastasia Ushakova to analyse mental health care data sets. There will be opportunity through this role to work with novel and linked routine data. This will likely involve a wide range of research skills including statistical analysis, data visualisation, engagement with service users and stakeholders, research ethics and governance applications, and preparing papers for publication. You will demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to present complex statistical findings appropriately for a range of audiences. In year 2 and 3 of the role, there will be space for the successful applicant to propose their own research project using routine data.

You must have a degree or PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline. Ideally, in addition to strong quantitative research skills, you will have a good understanding of mental health research, particularly involving addiction and/or inequalities. Experience working with NHS data sets, and using programmes such as R, Stata, SQL or Python, would be advantageous. 

You will be based in the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research at Lancaster University (Health Innovation campus) and associated with the Centre for Health Informatics, Computing and Statistics, and may involve occasional travel within the UK.

The team and the Division of Health Research provide a friendly environment that strongly supports the individual needs of each employee and actively promotes a healthy work-life balance. The Faculty is committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies and has held a Silver Athena SWAN award since 2014 in recognition of its good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research.

The post is available to start September 2026 and we will consider against the business needs of the project flexible working arrangements including condensed hours, days/hours worked and flexible start and finish times. You will join Lancaster University on an indefinite contract; however, the role remains contingent on external funding, which at this time is due to come to an end on 30th June 2031.

Applicants wishing to consider the Skilled Worker Route should ensure they meet the points requirement before applying. Further information can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

For further information on the role and to discuss any aspects of the position, please contact: 

Professor Jo Knight: jo.knight@lancaster.ac.uk or Dr Laura Goodwin: l.goodwin1@lancaster.ac.uk

Closing Date: 18 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

Machine Learning to Improve Sensing in Quantum Gases

This project will investigate how machine learning can be used to design, control, and interpret ultracold-atom devices in ring-trapped Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). Ring traps support persistent currents, vortices, and coherent matter-wave dynamics, making them promising platforms for quantum sensing and atomtronics. We will combine modern data-driven approaches emerging in the machine learning literature with established physical models to optimise trap parameters, control protocols, and readout strategies for acceleration and rotational sensors. The project will sit at the intersection of quantum fluid dynamics and machine learning to help build robust, high-performance quantum technologies.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement data-driven machine learning methods to design, control, and interpret ring-trapped Bose-Einstein condensate systems for optimised quantum sensing and/or atomtronic applications.
• Publish findings  in high-impact journals and top-tier machine learning conferences.
• Contribute to an open-source codebase to ensure reproducibility and utility for the wider scientific community. 
• Collaborate with non-academic partners to translate the research into real-world application.  

You will work within a vibrant community of quantum modellers and machine learning academics, centred in MARS. There is additional scope to engage in consultancy, teaching, and outreach activities relevant to the research.

This is a full-time, fixed term position until 31^st July 2029. Flexible working arrangements will be considered but you will be expected to be present on the Lancaster campus a minimum of two days a week.  

Candidates who are considering making an application are strongly encouraged to contact Professor Andrew Baggaley a.baggaley1@lancaster.ac.uk or Dr Ryan Doran r.doran@lancaster.ac.uk    

Why join MARS? 

It is an exciting time to be part of MARS, which is based in one of the top-ranked maths departments in the UK. You’ll be part of a thriving and collegiate research group with a growing complement of academic staff, researchers and PhD students. MARS is a nationally distinctive group to join if you want to be part of the next generation of mathematicians tackling real-world problems and shaping the future of mathematics and AI.

Lancaster University promotes equality of opportunity and diversity within the workplace. For these positions, we welcome applications from all diversity groups but particularly from women who are currently underrepresented in the mathematical sciences.  

Closing Date: 17 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

You will lead research in one/both of the following cutting-edge areas:

• Generative Inference and Monte Carlo Optimisation: Developing new generative machine learning approaches, to improve the efficiency of high-dimensional Monte Carlo algorithms for stochastic epidemic models. Research directions may include discrete normalising flows, diffusion-based methods, online reinforcement learning methods, amortized inference.  The aim is to solve one of the last remaining barriers to successful disease modelling at scale, delivering faster and more reliable inference, better-calibrated predictive uncertainty, and computational tools for large-scale mechanistic models.
• Probabilistic Modelling of Higher-Order Contact Structure: Developing novel machine learning and statistical methodology for latent relational structure in populations, including higher-order, group-based, and temporally evolving interactions. Directions may include probabilistic graph and hypergraph models, generative approaches to large-scale contact networks, learning from partial or aggregate observations, and principled uncertainty quantification. The goal is to build scalable methods for inference and intervention-aware analysis in complex epidemic systems, with applications to targeted intervention design in settings such as schools, workplaces, and hospitality.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement novel ML architectures and computationally intensive statistical methodology tailored to outbreak datasets.
• Collaborate with public health stakeholders and data providers to ensure models are grounded in real-world contact patterns.
• Publish findings in high-impact journals (e.g., Nature Communications, Lancet Digital Health) and top-tier ML conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR).
• Contribute to an open-source codebase to ensure reproducibility and utility for the wider scientific community.

You will work within a vibrant community of infectious disease modellers, centred in MARS, but collaborating with colleagues in Lancaster Medical School.  There is additional scope to work within a wider collaboration with the University of St Andrews and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Global Health, human, animal, and OneHealth epidemiology, as well as engage in consultancy, teaching, and outreach activities relevant to the research.

This is a full-time, fixed term position until 31st July 2029. Flexible working arrangements considered. You will be expected to be present on the Lancaster campus a minimum of two days a week.  

Candidates considering making an application are strongly encouraged to contact Professor Chris Jewell c.jewell@lancaster.ac.uk or Dr Jess Bridgen j.bridgen@lancaster.ac.uk.   

Why join MARS? 

It is an exciting time to be part of MARS, which is based in one of the top-ranked maths departments in the UK. You’ll be part of a thriving and collegiate research group with a growing complement of academic staff, researchers and PhD students. MARS is a nationally distinctive group to join if you want to be part of the next generation of mathematicians tackling real-world problems and shaping the future of mathematics and AI.

Lancaster University promotes equality of opportunity and diversity within the workplace. For these positions, we welcome applications from all diversity groups but particularly from women who are currently underrepresented in the mathematical sciences.  

Closing Date: 17 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

International Observatory on End of Life Care

The International Observatory on End of Life Care within the Division of Health Research, is part of a consortium which has been awarded European Commission funding under the Horizon Programme for Pal-Cycles: Palliative care yields cancer wellbeing support. This is an exciting five-year study where we are evaluating an intervention to improve the communication and continuity of care for cancer patients who have palliative needs. The study involves developing the intervention based upon results of a previous study, a review of the literature and adaption with clinicians in the UK. The intervention is being evaluated through a trial in two hospitals in each of the eight countries involved (UK, Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Portugal). We are currently developing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about the project. 

We are looking for a researcher with experience in palliative care to develop this course with us and international colleagues. Professor Nancy Preston and Professor Sheila Payne are the project leads. You will be expected to assist with all aspects of the project as required. 

The International Observatory on End of Life Care conducts high quality cutting edge research and provides innovative educational programmes to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and family members.  See www.lancaster.ac.uk/fhm/research/ioelc/. 

The Faculty provides an environment that strongly supports the individual needs of each employee, promoting a healthy work-life balance. We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis, as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education.

The post is available for immediate start and we will consider against the business needs of the project flexible working arrangements including condensed hours, days/hours worked and flexible start and finish times. Job share will also be considered. You will join Lancaster University on an indefinite contract; however, the role remains contingent on external funding, which at this time is due to come to an end on 31^st August 2027.

Applicants wishing to consider the Skilled Worker Route should ensure they meet the points requirement before applying. Further information can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Please direct informal enquiries to Professor Nancy Preston (n.j.preston@lancaster.ac.uk) or Professor Sheila Payne (s.a.payne@lancaster.ac.uk)

Closing Date: 12 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

We seek to appoint 1 full-time post-doctoral research associate (starting Summer 2026) to complete a team of 4 researchers who are exploring novel concepts for security controls and assurance in converged and ultra-large scale infrastructures.

The successful candidate for this role will develop new techniques for orchestrating security controls in dynamic and complex systems undergoing frequent changes to their function and security requirements. This work will involve researching how to introduce interactions between security controls to achieve security goals and exploring the trade-offs of doing so. We seek to appoint a researcher who has either experience in abstract modelling of distributed systems or practical experience deploying and experimenting with security controls.

As a Programme Grant there is considerable flexibility in this research agenda. This allows the right candidate to have a significant ability to direct their research activities. This is a great opportunity for an individual to build their research career.

Key duties of this post include:

• Conducting original research to orchestrate security in future complex distributed systems.
• Developing high quality and impactful publications.
• Collaborating with academic, industry partners and other EPSRC projects.

 The successful candidate will have a PhD in Computer Science or equivalent with experience in cyber security or distributed systems.

The School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University offers a highly inclusive and stimulating environment for career development, and you will be exposed to a range of further opportunities over the course of this post. We are committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies, as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research.

You will join us on an indefinite contract; however, the role remains contingent on external funding, which for these roles initially ends after 24 months (with the possibility to extend further).

The candidates will be working under the direct supervision of Prof. Neeraj Suri (neeraj.suri@lancaster.ac.uk)  and Dr. Matthew Bradbury (m.s.bradbury@lancaster.ac.uk). We welcome enquires prior to the submission of an application!

Closing Date: 23 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,355 to £45,413 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

Closing Date: 15 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

This £4M programme is funded by EPSRC and brings together research groups from the Universities of Lancaster, Bristol, Warwick and the London School of Economics together with a committed group of industrial and public sector partners. 

Interaction between the research groups at the universities will be strongly encouraged and resourced; our philosophy is to tackle the methodological, theoretical and computational aspects of these statistical problems together. This integrated approach is essential to achieving the substantive fundamental advances in statistics envisaged, and to ensuring that our new methods are sufficiently robust and efficient to be widely adopted by academics, industry and society more generally.

The programme is led by Idris Eckley (Lancaster University), Haeran Cho (University of Bristol), Paul Fearnhead (Lancaster University), Qiwei Yao (London School of Economics) and Yi Yu (University of Warwick). 

This 2-year position is available at Lancaster University. You should have, or be close to completing, a PhD in Statistics or a closely related discipline. Throughout, you should have demonstrated an ability to develop new statistical theory and methods in one of the relevant areas, including but not limited to: anomaly detection; changepoint analysis; non-stationary time series analysis, high dimensional statistics, statistical-computational tradeoffs, scalable statistical methods. You will also have shown a demonstrable ability to produce academic writing of the highest publishable quality.  

This is a are full-time position, though we will consider applicants requesting part-time or other flexible working arrangements. 

Candidates who are considering making an application are strongly encouraged to contact Idris Eckley (i.eckley@lancaster.ac.uk) or Paul Fearnhead (p.fearnhead@lancaster.ac.uk) to discuss the programme in greater detail.  

Closing Date: 30 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

Division of Health Research (Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research) 

Grade 7

Lancaster University has a world-class reputation as a centre for excellence in teaching and research. It is in the top 1 per cent of universities in the world and highly ranked in each of the UKs major university league tables. The Division of Health Research (DHR), within Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine, is seeking to appoint an experienced Senior Research Associate to join the new Mental Health Research Group (MHRG). The MHRG is a five-year initiative funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), who have recently awarded Lancaster University almost £11 million to conduct world-class mental health research in the North West region.   

More than 13,000 people in Lancashire and South Cumbria have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness, while Blackpool has the highest rate of deaths linked to addiction and suicide in England. In conjunction with partners at the University of Manchester and King’s College London, the group will identify local needs and priorities for mental health research and work alongside residents to develop a more proactive, preventative model of care. Four initial research themes aim to tackle inequities in access to effective mental health interventions, particularly for those experiencing multiple disadvantages and/or complex mental health issues, who are often excluded from mainstream services. The voices of diverse individuals with lived experience are central to all aspects of the research programme. 

You will work alongside Dr Jasper Palmier-Claus, Professor Steven Jones and Dr Euan Lawson to lead and deliver a randomised control trial for enabling physical health appointments in people with severe mental health difficulties. This role will involve measuring the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the intervention, as well as carrying out a process evaluation to better understand how and why the intervention works, for whom, and in what contexts. You will have a strong background in mental health research and a PhD in a related discipline (or equivalent experience). Knowledge of clinical trial methodology and qualitative approaches, plus an understanding of the ethical and governance processes associated with intervention studies, would be advantageous. You will be expected to contribute to the development of future competitive funding applications to ensure sustainability in mental health research; previous experience is desirable.

The post will be based in the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research at Lancaster University (Health Innovation campus) and will involve some travel within the UK. 

Our team and the Division of Health Research offer a friendly environment that strongly supports the individual needs of each employee and actively promotes a healthy work-life balance. The Faculty is committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies and has held a Silver Athena SWAN award since 2014 in recognition of its good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. 

The post is available to start July 2026 and we will consider against the business needs of the project flexible working arrangements including condensed hours, days/hours worked and flexible start and finish times. You will join Lancaster University on an indefinite contract; however, the role remains contingent on external funding, which at this time is due to come to an end on 30^th June 2031.

Applicants wishing to consider the Skilled Worker Route should ensure they meet the points requirement before applying. Further information can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

For further information on the role and to discuss any aspects of the position, please contact: 

Dr Jasper Palmier-Claus email: j.palmier-claus@lancaster.ac.uk or Professor Steven Jones email: s.jones7@lancaster.ac.uk

Closing Date: 20 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £39,906 to £46,049 Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

Closing Date: 11 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £33,002 to £37,694 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

The advent of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of cloud-based technologies call for denser, faster and more energy efficient data processing and storage. However, the heat produced by modern data centres has already become a serious limitation to further increase their performance. At present, the data industry lacks a solution for this problem, which in future may contribute greatly to the global warming and energy crisis. This project aims to pave a way towards a memory-device characterized by very low energy consumption and switching times of one trillionth of a second. Very short pulses of electro-magnetic radiation at terahertz frequency (i.e. thousand times faster than that in current data communication and processing standards) are among the shortest stimuli available. These pulses are made from light particles, photons, with their energies naturally matching those of elementary quantum magnets, “spins”, which are used to store information in the magnetic memory. Hence, such terahertz photons can selectively excite spins on their own energy scale without releasing any significant heating into the surrounding medium. Furthermore, the terahertz excitation of the spins is expected to be strong enough to induce switching of the spins’ orientations, representing an elementary act of writing a bit of information within a magnetic data storage device.  

The position offers access to state-of-the art ultrafast laser facilities and challenging research project at the interface of photonics and magnetism. You will contribute to solving the existential challenge to the humankind: excessive energy consumption by data-intensive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and cloud computing. 

Successful candidates will hold a PhD in experimental physics in a field related to this project. Training in unique experimental techniques will be provided, but we expect you to have prior experience of one or more of the following areas: 

• Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy;
• Terahertz photonics; 
• Magnetic and/or spintronic materials;
• Optical measurements at cryogenic temperatures;
• Near-field microscopy and nanoscopy. 

 The post is available immediately and is offered for 24 months at the first instance. The further extension of the post is possible subject to performance. 

 About Green Future Fellowship programme: 

https://raeng.org.uk/green-future-fellowships 

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/about-us/news/green-future-fellowship-for-lancaster-physicist 

 Key publications: 

[1] R. A. Leenders, O. Y. Kovalenko, Y. Saito, N. R. Vovk, A. V. Kimel, and R. V. Mikhaylovskiy. THz-driven spin dynamics in orthoferrites with Kramers and Non-Kramers rare-earth ions. Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 246703 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1103/ldnx-67qz 

[2] R. A. Leenders, D. Afanasiev, A. V. Kimel and R. V. Mikhaylovskiy. Canted spin order as a platform for ultrafast conversion of magnons. Nature 630, 335 (2024). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07448-3

[3] S. Schlauderer, C. Lange, S. Baierl, T. Ebnet, C. P. Schmid, D. C. Valovcin, A. K. Zvezdin, A. V. Kimel, R. V. Mikhaylovskiy and R. Huber. Temporal and spectral fingerprints of ultrafast all-coherent spin switching. Nature 569, 383 (2019). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1174-7 

[4]. S. Baierl, M. Hohenleutner, T. Kampfrath, A. K. Zvezdin, A. V. Kimel, R. Huber, and R. V. Mikhaylovskiy. Nonlinear spin control by terahertz driven anisotropy fields. Nature Photonics 10, 715 (2016). https://www.nature.com/articles/nphoton.2016.181 

 About Lancaster University: 

Lancaster University is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the UK university league tables. It is located on a beautiful campus in the North-West of England close to the Lake District National Park.

The Department of Physics is committed to family-friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis, as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. We are also strongly committed to fostering diversity within our community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our department. 

 Informal inquiries:

If this opportunity interests, you and you'd like to know more—or if you're unsure whether your experience is the right fit—we encourage you to contact the principal investigator directly: Dr Rostislav Mikhaylovskiy r.mikhaylovskiy@lancaster.ac.uk He will gladly discuss any technical questions about the post or the working environment within his research team.

Closing Date: 08 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: £33,002 to £46,049 (Full-Time/Indefinite with End Date)

You will have the opportunity to undertake internationally regarded research and share responsibility for elements of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes. You will be awarded a training contract with Health Education England Northwest in the specialist registrar/specialty trainee grade or equivalent and an honorary contract with a relevant NHS Trust*.

One post is in the NIHR priority theme of digital research. The theme is looking to encourage training and research around the development and delivery of digital health and care interventions, digital research methodology and ‘big data’ analysis Research could include the use of Artificial Intelligence and machine-learning approaches and emerging digital technologies such as non-contact sensors, smartphones, and computer tablets. This theme could also include research in data analytics and predictive analytics, precision medicine (genomics), and virtual & augmented reality. This theme is focused on delivering equitable, cost-effective digital health interventions to deliver patient benefits as well as the wider use of large data sets and how this is used in research, including digital analysis methods.

There may be the potential for opportunities in other GMC registered specialties if research interests align with faculty strengths. 

To be eligible, you must hold (or have submitted) your PhD/MD at the time you apply; and must have been fully awarded your degree by 30 September 2026.  You must hold a current National Training Number (NTN) in the relevant specialty and be more than 12 months prior to CCT at time of appointment* (*not relevant for GP candidate). 

The research element of the post will be based in the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster University. The clinical component will be centered around clinical settings in Lancashire and the surrounding area. 

You must be able to take up the post by 30 September 2026

Application is via our online portal at https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/ and must include the following attachments:

1. A Curriculum Vitae
2. NIHR Supplementary Questions for candidates form (attached): 

*Please refer to appendix 2 of this document*

Interview date will be advertised in due course, but the successful candidate must be in post by 30 September 2026.

Lancaster University is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offers a range of family-friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN and has held a bronze award since 2008. The Faculty of Health and Medicine gained the silver award in 2013. We are committed to being an inclusive university that values all staff, and we are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees.

General enquiries should be made to Dr Amy Gadoud (Academic Training Programme Director and Consultant in Palliative Medicine), email: a.gadoud@lancaster.ac.uk or Beth Whittaker (ICAT Programme Manager), email: b.whittaker@lancaster.ac.uk

Closing Date: 29 May 2026

Department: Research

Salary: Clinical Academic Pay Scales