Job Purpose

The University of Glasgow is seeking to appoint a talented and highly motivated Research Scientist (Data Visualisation) to join the £7.5m Policy Modelling for Health consortium, funded by UKRI’s Population Health Improvement UK (PHI UK). This initiative develops computational models to assess how policies under consideration by our policy partners would likely impact economic wellbeing – via impacts on income, wealth, debt, work, and pensions – and in turn, affect health and health equity outcomes. Our policy partners are interested in understanding differential effects of policies across different population groups and geographic regions, to assist policy design and outcomes.

In this role, you will create accessible, engaging, and publication-ready data visualisations and narratives that effectively communicate complex model outputs and findings to diverse audiences, including media outlets, policymakers, researchers, third sector organisations and the general public. The postholder will work under the direction of the Policy Modelling for Health Executive Group, and will report to the Director. For more information about Policy Modelling for Health, see: https://www.phiuk.org/policy-modelling-for-health

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Be responsible for the design and implementation of Policy Modelling for Health’s Data Communications strategy to contribute to and enhance our ongoing work.

2. Work closely with consortium partners—including universities, local authorities/policy makers, public health bodies, community/advocacy groups—to understand data needs and tailor visualisations accordingly for storytelling and consortium messaging.

3. Take a leading role in using model outputs/data analysis/other relevant content to develop new concepts and key messages through visualisation, and maintain an active portfolio of such communications for the project.

4. Design high-quality, accessible interactive data tools/dashboards of complex data and results.

5. Develop engaging data-visualisation-related social media content and infographics.

6. Enhance research papers/reports/case studies and presentations of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, and workshops through visual storytelling to develop and enhance our research profile.

7. Keep up to date with current knowledge and emerging trends and advise senior management on opportunities and gaps in current capabilities across data visualisation technology and infrastructure and recommend plans for growth and sustainability through the adoption of new methods/technologies.

8.Engage in continuing professional development activities as appropriate.

9. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of School.

10.  Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University Strategy, World Changing Glasgow 2025.

Duties of the post outlined are not exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to undertake other duties as may be reasonably expected. The duties of the post will be subject to review in line with changing requirements, both internal and external.

Qualifications 

Essential:

A1. Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, [Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4], or equivalent in a relevant discipline/business area with evidence of continued professional development in an area relevant to the role.

Or:

Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary professional knowledge and management skills in a similar or number of different specialist roles.

Knowledge and Skills:

Essential:

C1. Knowledge and understanding on communicating science to a non-scientific community through visual designs.

C2. Demonstrable expertise in conceptualising research projects and visualise data and results in an accurate but easy to understand way for both expert collaborators and those in the non-scientific community.

C3. Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentations and ability to

communicate complex data/concepts clearly and concisely.

C4. Storytelling skills – the ability to create compelling narratives to accompany data visualisations to deliver concise key messages.

C5. Strong IT and social media skills to manage and communicate complex information effectively across digital platforms.

C6. Ability to work independently, as appropriate, and under supervision depending on the complexity of the task or project, assessing priorities and managing own workload effectively.

C7. Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team with staff at all levels.

Desirable:

D1. Good knowledge of visual data packages and generation of animation in relation to (public health) research.

D2. Ability to work with different types of data sources and formats e.g. APIs, JSON, CSV, SQL etc.

D3. Research creativity and cross-discipline collaborative ability.

D4. Capable of analytical thinking and ability to use initiative and judgement to solve problems and plan work activities.

D5. Ability to cope under pressure while maintaining a high level of accuracy.

C6: Indepth knowledge of data science and analytics.

Experience:

Essential:

E1. Experience designing and implementing high-quality, accessible visualisations for communicating complex data insights effectively and clearly to different audiences.

E2. Experience building interactive and engaging visualisation tools/dashboards in R Shiny, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau or similar bespoke software dashboards.

E3. Experience of using government statistics, administrative and survey data in a research context and deep understanding of information governance requirements.

Desirable:

F1. Experience in contributing to public engagement, academic outreach and research publications.

F2. Experience of working on complex multi-partner projects.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Professor Petra Meier Petra.Meier@glasgow.ac.uk

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £41,064 - £46,049 per annum pro rata.

This position is part time (0.5 FTE, 17.5 hours per week ) and has funding until 31 March 2028.

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.  If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.

Closing Date:  8 September 2025 at 23:45