Overview
Research Assistant – Preventable Deaths Tracker – Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
About Us
The Toxicology & Forensic Sciences Department is based in the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences within the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s Waterloo Campus. It brings together over 70 researchers working on analytical techniques for improving the health and justice systems. Overall, the aim of the Department is to develop and improve forensic science methodologies and explore and minimise harms on human health and public safety.
About The Role
The Research Assistant will support the work of the Preventable Deaths Tracker (https://preventabledeathstracker.net/), the first national digital vigilance platform that enables learning from medico-legal death investigations.
The Preventable Deaths Tracker (PDT) is a relational database currently run on WordPress that automatically collects coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) published in England and Wales since 2013 and Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) written by sheriffs since 1999. There are over 6,300 PFDs and 900 FAIs published as of August 2026 in the database that updates daily. The PDT has been used to conduct a range of research and policy reports: https://preventabledeathstracker.net/research/ and is being used to drive forward legislative change in Parliament.
The core purpose of the PDT is to save lives by enabling learning and prevention of avoidable and premature deaths. The PDT’s areas of focus are:
- Tools: Develop digital solutions for using, identifying, and disseminating statistics and lessons from avoidable deaths across Great Brittain.
- Epidemiological surveillance: Assess trends and identify safety signals for action to prevent future deaths.
- Practice and policy: Evaluate actions taken or inactions following death investigations to inform practice and shape policy interventions for prevention.
The primary role of the Research Assistant is to lead on our evaluation work (phase/area 3) to understand the extent of non-responses to PFDs and FAIs, the quality of responses from the organisations, and quantify actions taken or inactions to prevent future deaths.
This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 12 months. The role is funded by the charity, Changing Ideas.
The post is based in the Department of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences and is designed for flexible/hybrid working with both a mix of online and in person meetings, seminars and events.
Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
