A fantastic opportunity to take the lead of an award-winning project has arisen at the Scottish Drugs Forum.

We are currently looking for a Senior Development Officer to manage and grow our highly successful Addiction Worker Training Project (AWTP) – a unique initiative which supports, trains and prepares individuals with a history of problematic drug and/or alcohol use to work in social care.

The Senior Development Officer, based at our Glasgow office, will be responsible for the operational management of a small team supporting the delivery and development of the AWTP.  They will be responsible, under direction from SDF’s Head of Inclusion and Peer Engagement, for fundraising, continued AWTP development, as well as reporting to a range of stakeholders.

This is an exciting position within a supportive team and this post will be instrumental in the continued success of this award-winning project which really does make a difference to people’s lives.

The Implementation Support Section (ISS) in the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch (OCB) of the Division for Treaty Affairs (DTA) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides, inter alia, advice, technical support and project guidance on the implementation and practical application of the international conventions to which UNODC provides secretariat support.

Specific tasks to be performed by the consultant:

a) Develop an annotated table of content of the Report to be reviewed and approved by the supervisor. This table will serve as the basis for the Report. 
b) Collect qualitative and quantitative information on illicit drugs seizures and trafficking, illicit crop cultivation and production based on information provided by the Member states (based on Annual Reports Questionnaire - ARQ, submitted by governments for 2019 and previous years) as well as internal and external sources;
c) Collate and structure collected information for further analysis;
d) Conduct an in-depth analysis of the latest trends in illicit drugs trafficking at the regional and global levels;
e) Draft the report “World situation with regard to drug trafficking” with the latest global trends in illicit drugs trafficking (to be presented at the CND in March 2020). The report should be developed in lines with the standards set in the report presented to the CND in March 2019

Scottish Drugs Forum’s award-winning Addiction Worker Training Project (AWTP) is a unique initiative which supports, trains and prepares individuals with a history of problematic drug and/or alcohol use to work in social care.

The Senior Development Officer will be responsible for the operational management of a small team supporting the delivery and development of the AWTP.   They will be responsible, under direction from the Head of Inclusion and Peer Engagement, for fundraising, continued AWTP development as well as reporting to a range of stakeholders.

This is an exciting position within a supportive team and this post will be instrumental in the continued success of this award-winning project.

SDF offer staff excellent terms and conditions.  This post is offered on a 35hr working week, with flexi-time, pension and generous annual leave and public holidays as well as a city centre base.

The Cambridge laboratory focuses on the psychological and brain mechanisms of drug addiction, OCD, ADHD, depression and other psychiatric disorders, and uses translational methodologies to bridge fundamental discoveries in brain science with the development of new therapies. 

The successful candidate will share responsibility for delivering an experimental programme of research funded by the UK Medical Research Council to investigate the neural and psychological mechanisms of drug addiction. This behavioural neuroscience project seeks to understand why compulsive drug use develops in only some subjects by virtue of underlying traits such as anxiety, impulsivity and sensation-seeking. The successful candidate will be responsible for behavioural phenotyping, the collection and analysis of samples for gene expression and neurochemistry, and in collaboration with colleagues at the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre (WBIC) longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the structural and functional integrity of the brain before and after drug exposure.

The University of Bath are seeking an experienced and highly motivated researcher to join the thriving Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) and lead research on the tobacco industry. You will develop, lead and contribute to new and ongoing research projects relevant to STOP which may include: 

• the development and marketing of tobacco and new nicotine products, including critically examining tobacco industry targeting of vulnerable groups and circumvention of legislation; and/or
• tobacco industry interests in harm reduction; and/or
• tobacco industry influence on public health policy at global, regional and national levels

The STOP project

The STOP project brings together the global leaders in tobacco industry monitoring and research, advocacy, accountability and communication. This unique combination will help ensure our research is widely and effectively communicated and maximally impactful.

The project aims to develop a tobacco industry watchdog to deliver policy change. It is a partnership between the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, Thailand, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, and Vital Strategies, New York. 

Job Title

Professorship for “Addiction Assistance and Addiction Prevention in Social Work” at the Department of Social Work

The Role

• You will teach on our Bachelor and Master’s programmes at the Department of Social Work.
• Your teaching and research will focus on current theories and approaches in addiction assistance and addiction prevention connected to Social Work.
• You enjoy applying to interdisciplinary contexts the expertise gained in the course of your practical professional and academic work.
• You will also contribute to self-government at the department and to the further development of degree programmes and will be involved in academic continuing education.
• It is quite natural for you to deliver courses involving digital technology, possibly also in English.

An exciting opportunity exists for an exceptional candidate who is interested in undertaking a PhD project in the field of implementation science, within the Implementing work-related Mental health guidelines in general PRacticE (IMPRovE) NHMRC Partnership Trial.

Located within the Department of General Practice at Monash University, IMPRovE will implement the recently published Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of work-related mental health conditions through a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. Our key objectives are to increase the delivery of evidence-based general practice care for patients, assess the cost-effectiveness of our intervention and plan for national scale up. Components of the intervention will include academic detailing, peer-to-peer support and learning through a digital Community of Practice and the provision of resources.

The PhD project attached to this scholarship will focus on using implementation science theory and methods to contribute to a process evaluation of the IMPRovE trial. Supported by a large interdisciplinary team of investigators, and policy and practice partners, the PhD candidate will characterise the aspects of the intervention and our partnership approach that are likely to lead to successful change in GP practice, and to characterise aspects that may hinder success. This will involve initially undertaking a systematic review to identify the elements of a successful digital Community of Practice. Then, the focus will move towards evaluating the successful and unsuccessful components of the intervention as part of the process evaluation of the trial.

This position is located in the Data Development and Dissemination Unit (DDDU), Research and Trend Analysis Branch (RAB), Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria.

The Programme Officer will manage the strategic and technical development of the Drugs Monitoring Platform (DMP), a comprehensive online system for collecting, monitoring and mapping drug-related data.

Based on the mandate on drugs as conferred by Members States, the DMP contributes to strengthening UNODC’s data collection, analysis and dissemination of information to enhance knowledge on drugs.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the  Secretariat Director will have overall operational responsibility for EASL International Liver Foundation staff, programmes, expansion, and execution of its mission, in line with the foundation’s strategy. S/he will initially develop a deep knowledge of the field, core programmes, operations, and business/financial plans.

Project Title

How do Heavy Drinkers Make Enduring Changes to Their Drinking Behaviour after Taking Part in "Dry January"?

Description

‘Dry January’ and other campaigns in which people attempt to abstain from alcohol for a month are increasingly popular. Temporary abstinence from alcohol combined with remote support may help heavy drinkers to reduce their alcohol consumption in the longer-term. However, we know very little about the psychological and social mechanisms through which people change their drinking behaviour.

This mixed-methods PhD project will directly address this important evidence gap. The candidate will conduct prospective observational studies that will recruit people who attempt a ‘Dry January’ or temporary abstinence at another time of year and ask them about the ways in which they attempt to change their behaviour and their social activities, the psychological changes that they experience, and their drinking behaviour several months later.

They will also conduct semi-structured interviews with people who have attempted to temporarily abstain from alcohol, and ethnographic studies of postings on Dry January forums and other online forums. 

The University of Sheffield, in partnership with Alcohol Change UK, is pleased to offer this fully-funded PhD Studentship as part of the ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership.

Sheffield University has an opportunity in the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) for an experienced and motivated Research Group Manager to contribute to research undertaken by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (SARG), one of seven research themes within the section of Public Health.

SARG is internationally recognised as a leading centre for alcohol policy, epidemiological and economic research, bringing together disciplines including public health, operational  Research, psychology, social policy, engineering and economics.

This is a managerial role with scope to influence the strategic direction of our research group. You will work closely with SARG’s management team to develop and deliver our strategic objectives, evaluate our collective actions, and will be responsible for the financial, operational, risk and administrative management of SARG’s activities, supported by the Research Administrator.

Project Title

TeenPath: Social Environment, Health and Well-Being Among Adolescents in Ireland

Project Description

The project seeks to understand how family, neighbourhood environment and family social and economic circumstances interact with individual characteristics such as sex, personality and temperament to shape mental health, health behaviours and educational outcomes at the end of secondary schooling and the cusp of adulthood.

We ask three interlinked questions:

1. “how do peer relationships and exposure to social media influence the risk of developing anxiety and depression?”;
2. “how do family, neighbourhood and individual characteristics shape the development of health behaviours such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption?”;
3. “did the financial crisis and recession experienced in Ireland between 2008 and 2014 influence educational outcomes at the end of secondary school and if so, how?”

Project Title

Risk, Uncertainty, and Reward Experiences

Project rationale and description

This project focuses on the effects of various kinds of uncertainty on peoples’ reward-seeking behaviours, with a focus on the consumption of alcohol, gambling products and services, food and drugs. Learning more about the situational, social and psychological factors that promote unhealthy consumption could help us to develop better ways to help affected individuals. The project will use experimental (lab-based as well as online) and survey methods, and will suit someone with interests in cognition, behavioural economics, consumer behaviours, and social factors in health. 

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist inpatient and community mental health, learning disabilities, addiction services and acquired brain injury services for the people of Liverpool, Sefton and Kirkby, Merseyside. 

Applications are invited for a full-time Consultant Psychiatrist in Addiction Psychiatry within the Addictions Services team at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

This post (10 PAs) provides the opportunity to work with one other full time consultant, to deliver clinical leadership across our community and inpatient bases within Liverpool and the Sefton/Southport areas. Both Consultants will be supported by two specialty doctors and psychiatry trainees in the Health Education England North West rotation scheme.

You will be supporting our multi-disciplinary teams to deliver high quality care and a range of treatment interventions to service users with complex care needs.

The Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology (CPN) is a translational and clinical laboratory of the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program (NIH IRP), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), jointly funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and is currently recruiting a Post-Doctoral Fellow.

The laboratory conducts human clinical and translational inpatient and outpatient studies to identify possible novel medications for addiction.

The overall goal of these studies is to identify and develop novel effective treatments for alcohol and substance use disorder. The focus of the laboratory is to study novel pathways related to the microbiome-gut-liver-brain axis, with special emphasis on neuroendocrine pathways, gut microbiome and surgical manipulations of the gut-brain axis. Neuroimaging experiments are also employed and integrated in these human laboratory studies. The selected candidate will have access to lectures, educational, mentoring and grant training opportunities at the lab-level, and NIH-wide.

EMCDDA are looking for trainees to work for these units:

Scientific Coordination (SDI)

Based within the Scientific Coordination team, the trainee will provide support for the organisation of the scientific conference Lisbon Addictions 2021, the EMCDDA future's project and cross-agency/organisation institutional collaboration. The trainee will also assist with the planning, implementation and follow-up of various technical meetings.

Public Health Unit (HEA)

Based within the public health coordination, the trainee will assist the public health unit in work with implementation of important priorities linked to drug trends analysis, drug policy and practice. In addition, the trainee will assit with tasks linked to evaluation and preparation of the next European Responses Guide. The trainee will also assist with tasks including meeting preparation and support, ad hoc literature reviews

Risks to Public Safety and Security Unit (SAS)

Based within the SAS unit, the trainees will contribute to the work of two areas: 1) new psychoactive substances, and 2) drug markets, crime and supply reduction. In particular, in area 1), the trainee will contribute to: NPS data management; support the operation of the EU Early Warning System, including the preparation of reports on new psychoactive substances such as Initial Reports and Risk Assessments; and the monitoring of open source information. In area 2), the trainee will support the development, implementation and data analysis of supply-related data collections and tools; the technical content of expert meetings and training; and the development of the EMCDDA's open source information monitoring programme. The trainee will also contribute to anticipated threat assessments.
Traineeship offer (M/F) 

Department: Prevention Science Institute

Position Summary: The Data Science Specialist works with PSI scientists on various federal grants and sponsored projects, including a large-scale, multi-site centre grant (P50).

The incumbent interfaces with and provides support across P50 projects to facilitate data harmonisation of projects involving multiple sources of data and means of data collection (observation, biospecimen, imaging, Qualtrics, REDCap, etc.). This person develops shared program syntax for P50 projects and pilots to facilitate data harmonization and organizes harmonized data for repository archiving. The incumbent writes and maintains meta-data documentation for the shared data repository following guidelines in data sharing protocols. They coordinate with the P50 Data Science Core to assess and implement data science priorities.

Support for other projects includes acting as a resource to personnel accessing data; coordinating with methodologists; running routine descriptive analysis; cleaning, formatting, and preparing files for datasets; and conducting light analysis, such as descriptive analysis and frequencies

Department Summary: The Prevention Science Institute (PSI) at the University of Oregon (UO) is a multidisciplinary research institute focused on improving the lives of children, families, and adults through science, outreach, and program delivery. The PSI includes faculty from across the UO who work together to understand prevention and health promotion through translational science and applied intervention research.

We conduct research from multiple perspectives, including translational research that focuses on interactions between the brain, social context, and behaviour; developing, testing, and delivering effective intervention programs; and efficacious ways to disseminate programs into community, agency, and school settings.

The Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC) at The Pennsylvania State University (www.justicecenter.psu.edu) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar position to begin June 1, 2020, or as soon as possible thereafter. The CJRC supports innovative criminal justice research focused on the connections between research, policy, and practice.

The successful applicant will collaborate with Dr Jeremy Staff in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and Dr Jennifer Maggs in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies on substance use research that focuses on the precursors, correlates, and consequences of electronic and combustible cigarette use in adolescence.

Responsibilities will include analyses of longitudinal data; preparation of grant proposals, manuscripts, and conference presentations; and participation in graduate student mentoring. In addition to collaborative projects, the scholar will have access to exceptional resources to facilitate his or her independent research. 

If selected as a finalist for the position, recommendation letters will be requested. Preference will be given to candidates with advanced training in statistics and experience analyzing longitudinal datasets, and to those with an interest in and likelihood of developing an independent research program focusing on adolescent substance use. 

Project title: Determinants and Psychological Correlates of Sustained Behaviour Change and Recovery from Addiction

Project description:  Although difficult, many people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs eventually recover from their addiction, often without any formal treatment. Similarly, many heavy drinkers are able to ‘cut down’ their alcohol consumption, sometimes without help and often in response to life changes. There is some preliminary evidence that both types of recovery / behaviour change are accompanied by important psychological changes such that involve executive functions, automatic cognitive processing biases, and subjective beliefs about alcohol. These observations raise a number of additional questions, answers to which could contribute important information about the process of behaviour change and how treatments might be optimized in order to bring about those psychological changes. For example, which psychological processes (if any) play the most important causal role in behaviour change, and which arise as a consequence of behaviour change? How do addiction treatments and behaviour change interventions influence these psychological constructs, and how might those interventions need to be modified in the future? This research would involve a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations of people who have yet to change their behaviour, people who are currently attempting to change, and people who have successfully changed their behaviour or recovered from addiction. It may also involve work to build on and clarify the observations from these studies, such as experimental field studies, or development and preliminary evaluation of novel interventions.