Research Fellow - CityREDI - Birmingham Business School - 80266Z - Grade 7

Position Details

City-REDI and the UKRI/Research England-funded West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI)

Birmingham Business School

College of Social Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,406 to £40,927. With potential progression once in post to £43,434 a year.

Grade 7

Full Time

Fixed Term contract to September 2023

Closing date: 7 November 2021
This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity (part time or full time considered) which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

We are looking for new team members to join the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) . The team is an innovative hybrid approach of academic, policy research and support staff delivering relevant and impactful research with local, national and international partners. Three professors with expertise in international business, local and regional economic development, innovation and entrepreneurship, skills and labour markets lead an inter-disciplinary team focused on a place-based approach to city region growth.

City-REDI has won significant funding from Research England (UKRI) and has established the West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI). The successful applicants would work with other team members to develop a systematic or integrated approach to understanding local and regional economies that will facilitate a more effective, long-term framing of regional policy development. The project portfolio extends across six regional themes: skills and labour markets, firms and industrial demography, regional innovation ecosystems, local and regional economic development, regional society, communities, health and well-being, and governance and institutional arrangements. Universities and their regional impact in terms of economic growth, skills, collaborative R&D and innovation and their civic role, are also a central focus of the WMREDI research programme. We work in collaborative partnership with regional stakeholders, including the WMCA, LEPs, Chamber of Commerce and City Councils.

The research extends from qualitative case studies to surveys, data analytics, impact evaluation (of policy interventions and regional investments) and econometric modelling. A background or previous knowledge in economics, geography, labour market studies, management and business studies or political science are preferrable.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have specialised in one or a combination of the following, in connection with regional growth:

• Environmental sustainability, including research on the green economy, low-carbon energy technologies, innovation and adoption, or the effectiveness of policy interventions for promoting sustainable regional growth.
• Innovation and/or commercialisation practices and policies, including technology transfer, user adoption patterns, university-firm R&D collaboration and knowledge exchange, incubators and regional entrepreneurship, the R&D workforce and R&D skills.
• Data analytics, data science and/or evaluation, including the collection, integration, analysis, presentation and interpretation of data for social science research. Working experience of UK Data Services, ONS, Eurostat or OECD data or similar datasets on regional growth would be an advantage. This could include research involving comparative national and international statistics on productivity, labour markets, R&D, innovation, business performance or industry structures at the regional level.
• Economic modelling. This post would require proven experience in regional econometric modelling and/or CGE modelling, input-output, applied econometrics and data mining. We are looking for at least one of our posts to work with our existing UK interregional input-output model and we are also looking to develop our expertise in skills and labour market modelling. Quantitative modelling skills in languages such as Stata, R, Python, Matlab and/or GAMs would be required. A combination would be desirable.

Job Summary

We are currently seeking an ambitious researcher with a sound knowledge of responsible business, and a high level of understanding of its importance and context both nationally and internationally.  Successful candidates will have: a postgraduate degree, or equivalent, and possibly professional experience relevant to one or a broad understanding of current and emerging priorities and debates in its development; and practical experience working in a research role. You will also need excellent analytical skills, time management, flexibility, the ability to work on your own initiative, attention to detail and negotiation skills. The ability to successfully engage with academic literature and apply it to practical business practice must be evidenced. The post holder will also be able to source and apply the underpinning research and carry out interviews to develop best practice business case studies.

The role will be of particular interest to early- or mid-career researchers with excellent communication skills who wish to progress further in policy-relevant, responsible business focussed academic research. The role offers an exceptional opportunity to work in a business funded research centre, directly with other leading researchers in the field and businesses, having a key role in developing and presenting research in a variety of ways to shape future practice and policy in this important field.

Main Duties

Research

Pursue research activity through research and scholarship, including other research-related contributions through presentations and/or projects. Work flexibly as part of a research team, to pursue the Centre’s targeted research activities, with an ability to work responsively to changing objectives and programmes of work and achieve high quality outputs to deadline.  Where appropriate this will include:

• Contribution to the management of research activities, case studies and practical business toolkits
• Support successful funding bids which develop and sustain research support for the specialist area (in disciplines where this is possible)
• Contribute to leading research that results in a sustained, highly respected reputation of international quality in the subject area and/or designing and developing innovative underpinning technologies

Support sustained high value impact activity in knowledge transfer and enterprise (including business engagement, public engagement) that is of manifest benefit to the Centre for Responsible Business and its stakeholders and: (a) makes a significant contribution to policy development at national and international level; and/or (b) involves development of industrial links and comparable networks and initiatives 

• Project manage research activities
• Develop and apply methodologies and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued
• Contribute to the research led teaching of modules developed by the Centre for Responsible Business.
• Translate research and data into accessible web content and articles

Management/administration

This may include some but not all of the responsibilities listed below:

• Contribute to the development of the Centre or School, supporting and developing activity on research
• Make contributions to the development of the Centre’s research programmes, defined KPIs and book series
• Contribute to the development and delivery of knowledge transfer, enterprise, business engagement and public engagement
• Contribute to administrative activities within the Centre
• Have a commitment to self-development and seek personal development opportunities within the role.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required

Essential:

• Higher degree relevant to the research area (normally PhD) , or near to completion, or equivalent qualifications/work experience at similar level
• Research experience or scholarship within subject specialism
• Extensive experience and demonstrated success in planning and undertaking research to deliver high quality results to deadline
• Experience of applying and/or developing innovative research models, techniques and methods
• Translating research into published non-academic communications
• Experience and high level understanding of knowledge transfer and external engagement practice to business and academic audiences and/or similar activities.

Desirable:

• Practical experience working in a relevant subject field
• Experience of working to organise and/or deliver workshops, seminars or conferences

For further information please contact Professor Simon Collinson ([email protected] )

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.
 

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