Hybrid Senior Research Scientist, Mental Health

at Surgo Health

• Job title: Senior Research Scientist, Mental Health
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Postgraduate Degree
• Tech skills: Python
• Location requirements: Hybrid, London, United Kingdom

About the role

• Senior Research Scientist driving Surgo’s UK Youth Wellbeing Project and executing complex data analyses. Collaborating across disciplines to translate insights into actions for youth mental health.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee the research strategy and analytical roadmap for the UK Youth Wellbeing Project, including survey research, narrative analysis, quantitative modelling, segmentation, and triangulation across data sources.
• Identify opportunities to advance the science, in particular leveraging natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), causal inference, and AI–based methods for analysing both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Conduct rigorous literature reviews and lead the development of behavioural-science-informed research instruments, using Surgo’s LLM-powered tools.
• Lead high-complexity analyses on mental health, wellbeing, behavioural drivers, and system-level factors affecting UK young people.
• Build and validate models for analysing structured and unstructured data.
• Apply strong inferential and statistical reasoning to ensure our insights are scientifically sound and grounded in evidence across multiple datasets.
• Analyse data generated from conversational AI tools used with young people (e.g., structured dialogues, open-text responses, narrative prompts), ensuring rigorous methodological handling, bias assessment, and validity checks.
• Translate analytical outputs into crisp, actionable insights that funders, policymakers, and service providers can understand and use.
• Co-develop strategic recommendations based on evidence, showing not just what the data says, but what should happen next.
• Produce compelling materials (reports, slide decks, briefs) that elevate evidence while remaining accessible.
• Collaborate closely with UK-based partners including funders, public sector organisations, NHS teams, charities, and community groups to ensure insights meet real needs.
• Help design co-creation sessions and workshops with young people and stakeholders to stress-test insights and shape implementation.
• Support partners in integrating findings into policies, service models, and implementation plans that improve youth wellbeing.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in applied research, public health, mental health, epidemiology, behavioural science, data science, or a related field.
• Advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred; Master’s considered with significant experience).
• Deep familiarity with the UK youth mental health landscape, including data sources (e.g., NHS Digital, ONS, school and community datasets), key actors, and policy frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience working with complex mental health, wellbeing, or behavioural datasets, including survey data, and qualitative or narrative data.
• You are highly experienced in R and/or Python, and are experienced in / eager to learn Databricks.
• Strong technical and methodological expertise, including research design, measurement, and advanced analytical techniques.
• Detail-oriented with excellent research validation skills, able to spot inconsistencies, errors, and methodological gaps.
• Able to implement and uphold rigorous scientific processes, serving as a methodological steward accountable for strong QA, transparent workflows, and high-quality outputs.
• Advanced NLP and large language model (LLM) capabilities, with experience or strong interest in analysing natural language data and conversational AI tool outputs.
• Statistical and methodological expertise in analysing qualitative data and transforming it into quantitative insights, including coding frameworks, embeddings, clustering, model-based text analysis, and mixed-methods integration.
• Comfortable managing the full analytical workflow—from instrument design to modelling to interpretation—with a strong commitment to accuracy, transparency, and scientific integrity.

Benefits

• Fantastic, fun and collaborative colleagues; opportunity to solve tough challenges in healthcare
• Ability to be entrepreneurial and tremendous opportunities for growth
• Public Benefit Corporation with an impact and equity mission
• Professional Development opportunities