Capacity building and academic career development is designated as a central activity of the Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC).
Our strategy for developing research capacity is proactive, flexible and collaborative, combining tailored training and mentoring with allyship and collective responsibility. It is aligned with the Patient Safety Research Collaboration mission. Our aim is to build and grow a sustainable research environment and recruit, develop and retain diverse research leaders with expertise in patient safety.
Open opportunities
2026 SPARC placement opportunities within the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborations (PSRCs): Midlands
Patient Safety of AI-Enabled Technologies in Acute Care
Host organisation: NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Birmingham
Placement host supervisor: Dr Suzy Gallier, University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham, with hybrid working available
Eligibility: NIHR Academy members, from pre-doctoral award holders and Master’s students through to early career postdoctoral researchers
Expression of interest: Sopna Choudhury, s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
About the placement
Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are being introduced into acute care faster than the evidence base for their safe use is being built. This placement offers the opportunity to work inside a live NHS acute care environment, evaluating how AI-enabled and digital tools behave in practice and what is required for them to be deployed safely.The placement supports NIHR priorities in digital health, patient safety, innovation and the safe implementation of emerging technologies, and contributes directly to the Midlands PSRC programme of work.
What makes this placement distinctive
The Midlands PSRC is partnered by an NHS acute trust, which gives placement holders access to the clinical, operational and data environment in which these technologies are actually deployed. Specifically, the placement offers:
• Understanding about curated acute care data through PIONEER, the HDR UK Acute Care Health Data Research Hub,
• Access to secure analytical infrastructure with synthetic health data to understand about data curation and analysis
• Exposure to real deployment and evaluation activity in an acute trust, rather than to simulated or retrospective settings alone
• Connections to clinical teams, informatics staff and research groups working across acute and emergency care
Scope and illustrative project
The precise focus will be agreed with the applicant to fit their training needs. Topics of interest include human-in-the-loop and human factors questions in AI-supported decision making, the integration of AI tools into clinical workflow, safety assurance and evaluation frameworks, and digital twin approaches to modelling acute care pathways.
Skills and experience gained
• Evaluation of AI-enabled healthcare systems in a live clinical setting
• Digital health and patient safety research methods
• Human factors and socio-technical analysis
• Research governance, information governance and technology assessment
• Health informatics and implementation science
Training opportunities
• Statistical modelling courses
• Research methods modules
• Health data science seminars
• Access to relevant patient safety datasets and infrastructure
Suggested duration and timing
• Flexible, typically 3 to 6 months
• Hybrid delivery with a combination of in-person and remote working
Intended outputs
• Analytical report
• Data resource development
• Publication-ready findings
• Conference presentation
Who this would suit
This placement would suit an early career researcher working in AI, digital health, implementation science, health informatics, human factors or patient safety who wants direct experience of evaluating these technologies in an NHS acute setting.
Prior experience of working with routinely collected clinical data, or of qualitative and human factors methods, would be an advantage but is not essential. Applicants from either quantitative or qualitative backgrounds are welcome.
How to express interest
Informal enquiries to the placement host supervisor are welcome and encouraged before submitting an application, and can be arranged through the contact below.
Contact: Sopna Choudhury s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
Cross-Infrastructure Data Sharing and Research Governance
Host organisation: Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham (hybrid working available)
Placement Host Supervisor: Justin Aunger, University of Birmingham
Project alignment
This placement explores barriers and facilitators to data sharing across NIHR infrastructures, including PSRCs, BRCs, ARCs and evidence synthesis groups. The focus is on strengthening collaborative research infrastructure and improving data governance processes.
The placement supports NIHR priorities around collaboration, infrastructure development and research efficiency.
Skills and experience gained
- Research governance
- Data sharing agreements
- Multi-site collaboration
- Research infrastructure mapping
- Stakeholder engagement
Training opportunities
- Research governance training
- Data governance workshops
- Access to NIHR infrastructure networks
- Project management development
Suggested duration and timing
- Flexible, typically 3 to 6 months
- Hybrid delivery with a combination of in-person and remote working
Intended outputs
- Review of current data-sharing processes
- Practical recommendations and toolkit
- Infrastructure networking outputs
- Publication or conference presentation where appropriate
Who this would suit
Researchers interested in research management, governance, informatics, policy or infrastructure development
How to express interest
Contact: Sopna Choudhury s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
Digital Safety Across Multiple Patient Safety Research Collaborations
Host organisation: Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham (hybrid working available)
Placement Host Supervisor: Arabella Scantlebury, University of Birmingham (UoB)
Project alignment
This placement would support cross-PSRC work on digital patient safety, building on ongoing barcode scanning, digital safety and medication safety programmes. The project would strengthen collaboration between multiple patient safety infrastructures and would involve working closely with the NIHR West Midlands Evidence Synthesis Group (WM-ESG).
The work aligns with NIHR patient safety priorities and the increasing focus on digital healthcare systems.
Skills and experience gained
- Cross-organisational research collaboration
- Digital patient safety methods
- Stakeholder engagement
- Evaluation and implementation science
- Research dissemination
Training opportunities
- Access to PSRC and UoB-led NIHR research networks
- Implementation science training via Centre for Evidence and Implementation Science (CEIS) at the University of Birmingham
- CPD courses and patient safety seminars
- Mentorship from multiple infrastructure teams (NIHR PSRC, NIHR WM-ESG)
Suggested duration and timing
- Flexible, typically 3 to 6 months
- Hybrid delivery with a combination of in-person and remote working
Intended outputs
- Cross-PSRC scoping exercise
- Research proposal development
- Collaborative publication or presentation
- Future funding opportunities
Who this would suit
Researchers interested in patient and systems safety, digital health and informatics and health policy
How to express interest
Contact: Sopna Choudhury s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
Realist Methods in Patient Safety and Behavioural Science
Host organisation: Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham, UK (can be couple weeks in person, then remote)
Placement Host Supervisor: Dr Justin Aunger, Research Fellow II and Deputy Lead, Pathways and Culture Theme, Midlands PSRC, University of Birmingham [email address]
Project alignment
- The placement sits within the Pathways and Culture Theme of the Midlands PSRC, which focuses on improving patient safety through understanding and changing individual and organisational behaviour
- It links directly to the PSRC’s wider priorities around building research capacity in realist methodologies and strengthening the evidence base for safety culture interventions across the NIHR infrastructure
Skills and experience gained
- Knowledge and practice applying realist review and realist evaluation methods, including theory development, context-mechanism-outcome configuring, and evidence synthesis
- Exposure to behavioural science approaches applied to complex healthcare settings
- Transferable skills in academic writing, project management, and working across interdisciplinary research teams
Training opportunities
- Hands-on mentoring in realist methodology from a researcher who has delivered multiple NIHR-funded realist projects as research fellow, and now is leading projects using the methods
- Involvement in methodological development work advancing realist methods
- Implementation Science CPD course including realist methods; access to masters-level evidence synthesis courses
- Opportunity to contribute to ongoing projects on unprofessional behaviour among staff in acute healthcare settings
Suggested duration and timing
- Flexible, to be agreed with the applicant and their employing organisation; suitable for placements of a few weeks up to several months
- Timing negotiable around current PSRC project milestones
Intended outputs
- Contribution to ongoing work on methodological advancements in realist methods, with potential for co-authorship on related outputs
- Involvement in the unprofessional behaviour project, which may generate opportunities for presentations, protocol development, or publication
- Outputs credited jointly, reflecting the applicant’s specific contribution
Who this would suit
- PhD or early career post-doctoral researchers
- Applicants with an interest in realist methods, behavioural science, or patient safety research, and some prior exposure to qualitative or evidence synthesis methods would be beneficial but is not essential
How to express interest
- Contact Dr Justin Aunger at Aunger@bham.ac.uk by mid-October 2026
Workforce Research for Integrated and Maternity Care Settings
Host organisation: Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham (hybrid working available)
Placement Host Supervisor: Alice Turner, Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham
Project alignment
This placement sits within the PSRC’s pathways and culture programme and explores workforce requirements for integrated care, maternity services, and primary care safety. The project may build on emerging collaborations with the Workforce Voices Partnership and other workforce-focused networks.
The work aligns with NIHR priorities around workforce development, staff wellbeing, patient safety, and integrated care delivery.
Skills and experience gained
- Workforce research design and evaluation
- Survey development and analysis
- Stakeholder engagement across NHS and workforce partnerships
- Qualitative and mixed-methods research
- Research project development and partnership working
Training opportunities
- University of Birmingham research methods modules
- Qualitative research training
- CPD courses in implementation science and health services research
- Access to workforce and patient safety research networks
Suggested duration and timing
- Flexible, typically 3 to 6 months
- Hybrid delivery with a combination of in-person and remote working
- Preferred start from late 2026 following SPARC award decisions
Intended outputs
- Workforce training needs assessment
- Survey protocol and findings report
- Conference presentation and/or peer-reviewed publication
- Recommendations for future workforce research
Who this would suit
- PhD students, pre-doctoral researchers or early career post-doctoral researchers
- Applicants with interests in health services research, workforce development, maternity care or patient safety
How to express interest
Contact: Sopna Choudhury s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
Learning Health Systems and Data Platforms for Patient Safety.
Host organisation: NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Birmingham
Placement host supervisor: Dr Suzy Gallier, University of Birmingham
Location: Birmingham, with hybrid working available
Eligibility: NIHR Academy members, from pre-doctoral award holders and Master’s students through to early career postdoctoral researchers
Expression of interest: Sopna Choudhury, s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk
About the placement
A learning health system depends on routinely collected clinical data being curated, linked and analysed well enough to be trusted for decisions about safety. This placement offers the opportunity to work on the data foundations of patient safety research in an acute NHS setting: how safety signals are derived from routine data, how data platforms are built and governed, and how findings are fed back into clinical practice.
The placement supports NIHR priorities in data-enabled research, patient safety and the development of learning health systems, and contributes directly to the Midlands PSRC programme of work.
What makes this placement distinctive
The Midlands PSRC partners with an NHS acute trust, which gives placement holders insight into how acute care data is generated, curated and used in practice. Specifically, the placement offers:
• Understanding of how curated acute care data is developed and governed through PIONEER, the HDR UK Acute Care Health Data Research Hub
• Access to secure analytical infrastructure with synthetic health data, to learn data curation and analysis methods in a realistic environment
• Exposure to how safety measures and analytical outputs are actually used by clinical and operational teams, rather than to research datasets alone
• Connections to clinical teams, informatics staff, data engineers and research groups working across acute and emergency care
Scope and illustrative project
The precise focus will be agreed with the applicant to fit their training needs. Topics of interest include the derivation and validation of safety measures from routinely collected data, data quality and completeness and their consequences for safety reporting, the design and governance of research data platforms, linkage across care settings, and the feedback loops that turn analysis into practice change.
Skills and experience gained
• Health data analysis, including curation and preparation of routinely collected clinical data
• Learning health system methodologies
• Data governance and management, including secure data environment working
• Patient safety measurement and monitoring, including the derivation and validation of safety measures
• Research translation and implementation
Training opportunities
• Statistical modelling courses
• Research methods modules
• Health data science seminars
• Access to relevant patient safety datasets and infrastructure
Suggested duration and timing
• Flexible, typically 3 to 6 months
• Hybrid delivery with a combination of in-person and remote working
Intended outputs
• Analytical report
• Data resource development
• Publication-ready findings
• Conference presentation
Who this would suit
This placement would suit an early career researcher working in health data science, epidemiology, statistics, health informatics or patient safety who wants direct experience of how routinely collected acute care data is curated, governed and used to support safety.
Some experience of working with data using R, Python or SQL would be an advantage. Applicants do not need prior experience of NHS data, and support will be provided in working within a secure data environment.
How to express interest
Informal enquiries to the placement host supervisor are welcome and encouraged before submitting an application, and can be arranged through the contact below.
Contact: Sopna Choudhury s.m.choudhury.1@bham.ac.uk