New KJCF Quest Fellowships to explore how living with multiple health conditions affects the brain

A generous donation from The Karlsson Játiva Charitable Foundation will fund three five-year fellowships at the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research to understand how brain health is linked to what’s happening throughout the body.

An innovative interdisciplinary approach

The University of Edinburgh is partnering with The Karlsson Játiva Charitable Foundation to launch the KJCF Quest Fellowships in Brain Health and Multimorbidity, focused on improving the lives of people with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity), where one or more affect brain health.

Studying the brain only gives us part of the picture when it comes to understanding brain health. The new fellowships programme will champion a new approach, encouraging collaboration across disciplines and catalysing new ways of thinking.

We are really grateful to KJCF for this fantastic new initiative. We have many examples of existing ground-breaking cross disciplinary research in our community, but being able to recruit rising stars who will focus on the contributions of other organ systems to brain health is particularly exciting. Appointing both clinical and non-clinical new group leaders into a well-established career track in such a collaborative research community will be a great opportunity for both them and us! Cathy Abbott, co-Director, Edinburgh Neuroscience

The programme brings together expertise from the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research and the wider Edinburgh Neuroscience community, supporting fellows to develop work that will deliver benefits for individuals and society.

“The KJCF Quest Fellowships in Brain Health and Multimorbidity are a wonderful opportunity to partner with the Foundation on our shared vision – to foster collaborative, cross-disciplinary research that connects our understanding of the brain, body and mind across the life-course. We want to nurture talented researchers who will uncover new knowledge and develop innovative healthcare solutions that improve lives.” - David Wyllie, co-Director, Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research

Investing in future leaders

The new fellowships will invest in researchers who show strong potential to conduct high-impact research and become outstanding research leaders of the future.

As part of both the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research and Edinburgh Neuroscience, fellows will have access to outstanding collaborative networks and career development support.

We are thrilled to partner with the University of Edinburgh through the KJCF Quest Fellowships in Brain Health and Multimorbidity.

We believe that research pushes the frontier of knowledge to higher levels and therefore investing in the human capital of the fellows, fully supported and nurtured by this top university renowned for its work on brain health, will certainly produce impactful work that will lead to improvements in the lives of people living with brain health challenges and multimorbidity, while also enabling a pathway of accessibility to care and fostering to all who need it. This partnership will also produce a new generation of outstanding leaders in research for the greater good of society.” – Rose Marie Játiva Karlsson, Director, KJCF Trustees

Job details

KJCF Quest Research Fellow in Brain Health and Multimorbidity (2 posts)

  • £50,253 £61,759 per annum (higher exceptions will be considered)
  • Full-time
  • Fixed term: 60 months

An exceptional opportunity for motivated individuals to develop their research career at a world-class University and to work with established senior colleagues to develop, over the course of the Fellowship, their own research programme related to Brain Health and Multimorbidity. We welcome applications from individuals who conduct research at any stage of lifecourse, from development to ageing and degeneration.

Further information and application

KJCF Quest CLINICAL Research Fellow in Brain Health and Multimorbidity

  • £111,430 to £148,064 per annum
  • Full-time: 40 hours per week
  • Fixed-term:  5 years, subject to a satisfactory formal review at the end of year three

We are looking for a motivated clinical academic to work with established senior colleagues and to develop over the course of the Fellowship their own research programme related to Brain Health and Multimorbidity. We welcome applications from clinical specialties at all stages of lifecourse, from neonatology to medicine of the elderly, and all relevant medical specialties. The research will focus on how multimorbidities can impact on brain and mental health throughout life.

Further information and application

Deadline for applications: Monday 20 April 2026

Publication date