Associate Director: Respiratory Data Science Catalyst

Purpose of the post

We are looking for an established leader who is well connected and highly respected across the respiratory clinical and research communities in the UK and internationally. They will have an excellent track record in the use of large scale, multimodal data types in respiratory research, and a strong commitment to developing linked health data-enabled approaches to enhance understanding of the causes and progression of respiratory disease to improve strategies for treatment.

The Associate Director for the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst will work closely with the Chief Scientist and Deputy Director of [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal], and with Asthma + Lung UK, to identify and prioritise key areas of work in respiratory data science research, demonstrating impact at national and international level in clinical practice, the health system and for people affected by respiratory disease. The successful candidate will also draw support from the leads/partners of [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]'s Research Driver Programmes and the Associate Directors in the BHF Data Science Centre in developing priorities and areas of collaboration.

Supported by [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] and Asthma + Lung UK, the postholder will work with stakeholders, including people affected by respiratory disease, across the UK to:

• identify research priorities for large-scale, data-enabled respiratory research;
• forge relevant collaborations to progress respiratory research priorities;
• in alignment with [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]-led activities, identify and address the infrastructure and analytics challenges that need to be overcome to enable linkage across health data and their analyses at UK-wide scale, to improve people’s health and care.

This part-time role will provide leadership and strategic planning for respiratory research, to meet the wider objectives of [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] in improving respiratory health through the use of large-scale data and innovative analytical methods, working strategically with Asthma + Lung UK.

Main responsibilities

• Provide leadership to bring together research, clinical, epidemiological, data science and multi-omics, networks, professional societies, NHS organisations, patients, public, industry and wider stakeholders within the health data science community to shape, influence and build consensus on the use of multi-modal health data and their integration with other health data for respiratory research.
• Create and maintain new partnerships, building on existing networks across the data science, respiratory disease communities, NHS organisations, industry, patients and public, regulatory and information governance partners.
• Work with respiratory and health data science communities, patients and public, NHS organisations and industry, to identify suitable and build on existing identified exemplar driver projects.
• Provide strategic direction and champion a team science approach to deliver projects.
• Work with the Chief Scientist and Deputy Director and Asthma + Lung UK to lead the development of strategic plans and project and delivery plans.
• Contribute to and lead on relevant funding applications and other initiatives to leverage additional resources.
• Working with wider [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] colleagues, Asthma + Lung UK and patient/public groups to communicate to diverse audiences on the impact.

Experience

• Extensive experience in respiratory research as well as an interest and understanding of relevant aspects in health data science.
• Proven leadership skills to provide direction and deliver change across the UK.
• Ability to lead and inspire trust in a wide range of stakeholders.
• Advanced understanding of the complexities and challenges of using routinely collected structured data.
• Experience of linking routinely collected health data with other health relevant data (e.g. omics, wearables, imaging).
• Knowledge of innovative methodological and analytic approaches (e.g., AI and/or machine learning).
• Well connected with respiratory and health data science research networks.
• Experience of working with patients, the public, and patient and public involvement networks.
• Commitment and ability to bring together people and infrastructure through collaborative team working.

Skills

• Personal drive and ambition to provide leadership in health data science in respiratory research.
• Excellent influencing and negotiating skills.
• Creative and innovative thinker.
• Commitment and enthusiasm to engaging with patients and the public.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent networking skills.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work flexibly with a team of highly skilled individuals.

Application Process

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Kay Snowley: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]. Prior to application, candidates should discuss with their line manager.

How to apply: Please apply via [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] with the following:

• Your CV (listing no more than 20 most relevant publications or research outputs and no more than 10 most relevant funding awards).
• A covering letter of no more than 500 words explaining what you can bring to this role.
• A letter from your institution supporting your secondment to perform this role if appointed.

Closing date: 03/04/24. Interviews will take place week commencing 15 April 2024 via Microsoft Teams.