Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

This full-time post is available from 1 September 2022 (or a mutually agreed date thereafter) on a fixed term basis until 31 August 2026 in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Subject to mutual agreement, this role may offer the opportunity for some hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

Please note that as of 1 September 2022 our colleges and schools will be moving into a new structure which will consist of the following three Faculties – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences,  Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, and Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

The post

The College wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on the project “Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach (RENEW)”, a major Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded inter-disciplinary collaboration. The RENEW project seeks to develop solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind, the renewal of biodiversity.

The post holder will contribute to RENEW work on Community Action in collaborative research with Natural England, the government’s advisory body for the natural environment, and local governments. Specifically, the fellow will analyse the Health, Wellbeing, Nature and Sustainability (HWNS) strategic decision making tool to enable those responsible for local strategic planning to make evidence-based decisions that help people and nature to thrive and contribute to sustainable development. The postholder’s work will include iteratively testing the development of the tool dashboard with a mixed user group, and analysing communication and stakeholder participation in use of the tool. The post holder is expected to take the lead in implementation of the research design which will use behavioural social science theories and methods to test out elements of the HWNS tool. The tool has a dashboard, key metrics of performance and systems maps about processes leading to outcomes and the research will include interaction with members of the public, elected members and local government staff. The post holder will further conduct online surveys (potentially including survey experiments), data analysis and reporting of findings, including contributing as a co-author to academic publications and short policy briefings.

About you

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in behavioural social science research as typically found, for example, in the fields of: public policy, political science, public management/administration, ecological economics, behavioural economics, psychology, geography, public health, social policy or sociology and possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies. The applicant will show aptitude for research design, implementation, data analysis and reporting, and production of academic papers suitable for publication in leading academic journals, and for producing short policy briefings. Evidence of satisfying these requirements includes: PhD qualification, other qualifications, academic journal publications, conference papers, production of datasets or other outputs, publication of peer-reviewed research, evidence of use of best practice in your field.

The successful applicant will be able to work collaboratively with academics (including Professor Oliver James at Exeter) and policy makers (especially at Natural England and in local government), organise and implement research, supervise the work of others as required and work on research objectives, projects and proposals. The post holder will potentially contribute to further building on the achievements of the RENEW project in the design of future work and funding bids.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role by clicking on the attachment.

What we can offer you

• An opportunity to pursue research as part of the RENEW work on community action and the HWNS tool and to work creatively and collaboratively to produce internationally excellent research outputs including academic publications;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and related teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
• Many staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a new Fertility Treatment Policy
• A beautiful campus set in the dynamic city of Exeter in the heart of stunning Devon with excellent quality of life including access to nature

The University of Exeter and the RENEW Biodiversity and People in Nature Project

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 150 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and QS World University Ranking 2022). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2017.

The RENEW project is a major investment in environmental policy research drawing on internationally excellent researchers at the University and external partners that will put people at the centre of action on biodiversity renewal and build expertise across different sectors and communities to address the environment and climate crisis.

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_898086_en.html

More broadly, the University research income in recent years means we’re the fastest growing UK Research University with some of the world’s most influential scientists, and we seek to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today through this. 98% of our research is of international quality (2014 Research Excellence Framework). We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

The RENEW research on the HWNS tool is conducted in collaboration with Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England that helps protect and restore the natural world.

About us - Natural England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community as well as biodiversity conservation, economics and engagement. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Further information

For further information please contact Professor Oliver James [email protected]

The closing date for completed applications is 5th July 2022.  Interviews are expected to take place during the second half of July 2022.