Research Associate

Imperial College Business School wishes to recruit a Research Associate in its Department of Management & Entrepreneurship to work with Dr Christian Hampel and Professor Markus Perkmann on a research programme funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The research programme is titled “How social tech ventures develop to deliver their mission”.

The objective of the research program is to build a fine-grained understanding of the pivotal processes by which social tech ventures develop to deliver their mission. Social tech ventures are an especially promising type of social ventures: they tackle social problems by deploying technology-based solutions in a financially sustainable manner. Despite the vital societal role that social tech ventures could play and despite repeated calls for studying them, research about them is still limited.

The research will focus on social tech ventures that are backed by a leading venture capital fund that specialises in social tech. The project will study the social tech ventures over two years from the moment they embark on an in-depth accelerator program run by the venture capital fund.

Data collection of the programme will include granular, longitudinal qualitative data, including interviews, observation and archival data, to unveil how social tech ventures evolve, what challenges they face and how they overcome them. Qualitative data analysis techniques will be used to inductively develop theory about this important phenomenon and about important broader theoretical issues that pertain to organisation theory, entrepreneurship, social innovation and/or strategy (e.g., scaling, pivoting, hybrid organisations, mission drift, business models).

You will play a leading role in the research design, data collection, and data analysis of specific elements of the research programme. You will also be expected to contribute to developing the theoretical underpinnings of the research programme and to the write-up of research findings in academic articles in top-tier management journals. You will be expected to work closely with the principal investigator, Dr Christian Hampel, and also with Professor Markus Perkmann who is serving as the mentor on the grant. The position is based in London.

You will also play a significant role in a growing Department, be highly motivated, and show strong teamwork and organisational skills. We offer a rich, lively and supportive environment in which successful candidates will be expected to work on a specific project but will also have opportunities to realise their broader potential, for example, by pursuing publication of research from their doctoral studies. 

You will have a PhD in management, sociology or a related subject, a strong command of qualitative research methods, a keen interest in the phenomenon of social innovation and a strong ability to develop management theories.

This position will be suitable for candidates who have recently completed or be near completion of their PhD and wish to further develop their research skills and advance their ongoing research before applying for faculty positions. You will benefit from an active research environment and exposure to leading senior scholars that support the development of a research profile commensurate with a leading business school.

Candidates who have yet to be awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant (£36,694 - £39,888). Once the PhD has been awarded, the job will move up to Research Associate (£41,593 - £49,210).

For informal queries about the post please contact Christian Hampel [email protected]