Research Fellow - (PRECEDE) - Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology- 97487 - Grade 7

Position Details

College of Social Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,942 to £40,322, with potential progression once in post to £42,792. Due to funding restrictions maximum starting salary available for this post will be £33,797 to £40,322.

Grade 7 

Full Time

Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2023

Closing date -  5th September 2021

Background

The Research Fellow will have both advanced theoretical and empirical skills, and a good understanding and interest in the field of populist studies, in particular in exploring the socio-economic and cultural factors behind populism. They will investigate the socio-economic and cultural drivers of the populist appeal using our online surveys and existing ones. Their main responsibility will be to link empirical findings to new conceptual models to understand populism and to co-author academic outputs of the highest standards (e.g. working papers, journal articles and conference presentations). In order to do so, under the guidance of the PI (Dr Lorenza Antonucci), they will liaise with the other members of the Consortium project Populism's Roots: Economic and Cultural Explanations in Democracies of Europe (PRECEDE) (www.precede.eu), funded by the Volkswagen foundation.

Summary of Role

•    Work under the guidance of the PI of the project and coordinating with the other members of the consortium PRECEDE
•    Operate within the area of political sciences, political sociology and economic politics
•    Analyse existing probability sampling datasets and new online datasets using advanced statistical techniques 
•    Interpret research findings and results using complex theoretical and interdisciplinary models (linking political sciences, sociology and economic understanding of populism)
•    Co-author academic outputs of the highest standards (e.g. journal articles and working papers) for the project
•     Submit proposals for collaboration/publication and present at conferences and seminars 

Main Duties / Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
•    Assist the PI in reaching the research objectives of the Working Package 2 “The socio-economic and cultural drivers of populist vote”.
•    Assist the rest of the team in Analysing and interpreting comparative data from our online panel surveys  and from existing datasets (e.g. European Social Survey; Eurobarometer).
•    Write theoretical and empirical outputs from our analyses that contribute to the interdisciplinary literature on populism, inequality and precarity
•    Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
•    Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters 
•    Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation and literature reviews
•    Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods to understand the socio-economic and cultural factors of populism
•    Submit proposals for collaborating outside the Consortium
•    Undertake management/administration arising from research
•    Contribute to writing bids for research funding
•    Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
•    Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration

Person Specification

•    PhD in political sciences, political sociology, economics or related disciplines with strong theoretical and empirical components (essential)
•    Advanced quantitative eand statistical skills in analysing survey data (essential)
•    Good theoretical and conceptual understanding of populism, in particular in relation to inequality (essential)
•    Excellent academic writing skills (essential)
•    Ability of working independently and as part of a team (essential)
•    Track record in having presented work on populism in international conferences (preferable) 
•    Some track record in publishing in international refereed journals (preferable)
•    Affinity with online survey methodologies and comparative survey data (the European Social Survey) (preferable)
•    Advanced understanding of the interdisciplinarity debate on populism, extremism and precarity (preferable)
•    Experience of collaborating with an interdisciplinary Consortium/research team (preferable) 
•    Experience in conducting impact outside academia (preferable)

•    Ability in understanding and interpreting quantitative and statistical analyses, in particular survey data (essential)

The closing date for applications is 5/9/2021 and we anticipate the candidate to start shortly after.

Informal enquires to Dr Lorenza Antonucci, [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