Location: METHODS Team, CRESS (UMR1153 – Université Paris Cité / INSERM), Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, Paris, France
Starting date: Mid-September – early October 2025
Duration: 24 months
Salary: €2,000–2,800 net/month, depending on experience and qualifications
Context
The METHODS team of the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS – UMR1153, Université Paris Cité / INSERM) is recruiting three research assistants to work on the COLIVE-MH project, led by Dr Astrid Chevance (Principal Investigator) and Dr Karolin Krause (Co-PI) (https://cress-umr1153.fr/en/teams/methods-en).
The METHODS team is a multidisciplinary group of epidemiologists, statisticians, mathematicians, data scientists, and clinicians from various medical fields, focused on developing methodological innovations to improve evidence generation, personalized medicine, evidence synthesis, and research quality in health sciences. It also hosts the Cochrane France Center with world-leading expertise in evidence synthesis.
Project Overview
COLIVE-MH (Collaborative Living Evidence Platform for Common Metrics in Mental Health) is a two-year international initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust, designed to establish an up-to-date, open access evidence synthesis platform on the psychometric properties of four widely used mental health measures:
- PHQ-9 – Patient Health Questionnaire (adult depression)
- GAD-7 – Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (adult anxiety)
- WHODAS-12 – World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (adult functioning/disability)
- RCADS – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (child and youth anxiety and depression)
The platform is designed to support the global harmonization of mental health measurement tools, with a strong emphasis on transparency, co-production, and equity.
Research assistants will contribute to an end-to-end pipeline that includes:
- Co-production with people with lived experience and international partners to ensure relevance, inclusion, and global usability.
- Conduct of three parallel systematic reviews focused on the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and WHODAS, respectively, within the METHODS team (a fourth review focused on the RCADS will be conducted externally by project partners)
- Display of the results on a website interface
To support the Wellcome Trust Common metrics agenda, the evidence synthesis platform will ultimately include:
- Tailored and up-to-date evidence syntheses on the psychometric performance of each measure, accessible via interactive dashboards
- A repository of validated measure translations and other resources
- Evidence gap mapping
- A collaborative global hub for researchers interested or engaged in measure harmonization
Role and Responsibilities
Each research assistant will be assigned to support one of the three living systematic reviews focused on the adult measures (PHQ-9, GAD-7, or WHODAS). They will be supervised on a day-to-day basis by the postdoctoral fellow leading their assigned review, while working under the overall scientific direction of the senior workstream lead, the Principal Investigator, and the Co-Principal Investigator. Tasks will include:
- coordinating with other review teams and with the developer of the evidence synthesis platform (Epistemonikos)
- contributing to the development of the review protocol
- screening studies and extracting data
- appraising data on psychometric properties
- appraising the methodological quality of psychometric studies
- synthesizing results and performing meta-analyses
- supporting the drafting of study reports and the publication process
- contributing to data visualization and knowledge translation activities
The research assistants may also support data collection and analysis associated with the monitoring and evaluation of the evidence synthesis platform.
Required Skills and Qualifications
We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications and skills:
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in psychometrics, clinical epidemiology, biostatistics, psychology, or a related field (experience in PROM development, outcome research, or related areas is an asset)
- Understanding of psychometric measurement properties. Prior experience using the COSMIN framework for measure appraisal is a plus
- Familiarity with systematic review methodology; knowledge of living systematic reviews is considered an advantage
- Fluency in English (both written and spoken)
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative and international research environment
- Proven capacity to deliver high-quality work to deadlines
- Genuine interest in global mental health
What we Offer
As part of this appointment we will offer:
- a 24-month full-time position with the possibility of renewal
- monthly net salary between €2,000–2,800, depending on experience
- full integration into the METHODS team at the CRESS, a world-leading centre of epidemiological research located in the heart of Paris. The team includes professors, researchers, postdocs, and doctoral students
- opportunities for high-level mentorship from international experts in evidence synthesis and psychometrics within the COLIVE-MH network
- continued professional development opportunities in psychometrics, living evidence synthesis, clinical epidemiology and research integrity – both within the project and within the METHODS team
- the opportunity to actively shape the harmonization agenda in mental health research, advancing international alignment on measurement and evidence use
The working language of the project will be English; no French language skills are required. However, proficiency in French is an asset for full participation in broader team activities within the METHODS team and the CRESS.
How to Apply
Your application should include:
- a cover letter explaining your motivation and fit for the position. Please support any general statements about your motivation with concrete examples from your past experience showing how you have acquired the relevant skills and expertise (maximum of 2 pages)
- a CV (maximum 3 pages)
- a list of your publications
- the names and email addresses of two academic references
Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Early applications are encouraged.
Please send your application as a single PDF to: astrid.chevance@aphp.fr
