Senior Research Associate - Reimagining Research Practices (x2) - 0402-24

View All Vacancies Psychology
Location:  

Bailrigg, Lancaster UK

Salary:  

£38,205 to £44,263 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

Closing Date:  

Wednesday 03 April 2024

Interview Date:  

Monday 15 April 2024

Reference:  

0402-24

Lancaster University is recruiting an interdisciplinary team to work on our exciting new Wellcome Trust funded project on changing research cultures. The two-year, £1M project will explore how we can build a sustainable, ethical and inclusive research culture. We will focus on three overlapping questions:

• The sustainability of our evolving research practices, working to achieve net zero
• Ethical risks arising from reshaping research practices in the digital era
• The inclusion of underrepresented groups in our research community and practices

To that end we are recruiting a team of 4 Post-Doctoral Research Associates, 2 Post-Doctoral Education Fellows, 2 Software Engineers and a Project Manager. The posts will be housed in Lancaster Environment Centre, Psychology, Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts (LICA), Research and Enterprise Services and Lancaster University Library.

The project will investigate each of the above questions to disrupt current research practices through engagement and activities with our research community and external partners. Following this we will then design and deliver training workshops and innovative digital resources to be used across the sector; produce new institutional strategies, policies and support structures in these areas; evaluate the culture change brought about by the project; and share project successes and learning outcomes as widely as possible.

Role 1: Senior Research Associate - Psychology - Towards Cultures of Ethical, Sustainable and Inclusive Research - 18 months

You will lead on eliciting knowledge and experience in respect of existing cultures of ethical practices in research. You will also work on the intersection of ethics with sustainable and inclusive research practices, helping to inform the interventions designed to bring about positive culture change. This will be done through the creation of a series of ‘safe spaces’ to hold conversations with staff from all disciplines. Research will focus on eliciting the dilemmas and the challenges of engaging positively in culture change around ethical, sustainable  and inclusive research practices – as well as co-creating principles and practices for the future of sustainable, ethical and inclusive research cultures.

Role 2: Senior Research Associate - Psychology - Evaluating Research Culture Change - 24 Months

You will lead on the mapping existing practice and evaluating the impact of culture change interventions developed through the grant. At the start of the research project we will conduct a university-wide survey of attitudes and practices in relation to sustainable, ethical and inclusive research. The survey will be run again in the final phase to allow for an analysis of whether the support mechanisms, resources and policies put in place through this grant have led to a measurable culture change. You will also contribute to the development of other culture change methods and metrics during the course of the grant.

Further Information

You will have (or will be about to receive) a PhD in Psychology or a related discipline. The posts include the day-to-day running of the project; collaboration with members of the interdisciplinary research team; working with research partners and a steering group; working with stakeholders and research participants; conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research (depending on the particular job description); liaising with the wider Wellcome Trust network on changing research cultures; dissemination of research findings; writing papers for publication.

Please indicate in your cover letter which role you are applying for.

Equality, diversity and inclusion was a key considering in designing the project and therefore is important in the recruitment of our team. We aim to build a diverse team working as flexibly as possible to suit the needs of the best individuals for the roles. If you have any specific requirements you wish to discuss prior to application, please contact us using the details below. We are proactive in engagement with our staff to help us understand the lived experiences of our university community and to understand how we are doing in creating a fairer and more inclusive University. Our multi-faith Chaplaincy Centre is a welcoming place for people of all faiths and none. It includes facilities for the Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam and Jewish faiths and a Muslim Prayer Room.For further information about the posts prior to application please contact  Prof. Mark Levine ([email protected]) or Dr Richard Philpot ([email protected]). 

Further details:

Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.

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